Hire an offshore bookkeeper for your Australian business

An offshore bookkeeper handles your reconciliation, invoicing, accounts payable/receivable, and reporting — using the same cloud tools as a local hire. Through Lite-Force, they're employed via EOR with payroll, compliance, and support included. Your books get updated overnight while you focus on running the business.

Day in the life

A day in the life of an offshore bookkeeper.

Typical responsibilities:

  • Bank and credit card reconciliation (daily or weekly)
  • Accounts payableprocessing invoices, scheduling payments, following up on approvals
  • Accounts receivableissuing invoices, tracking payments, chasing overdue accounts
  • BAS preparation supportcoding transactions, reconciling GST
  • Payroll processing supporttimesheet entry, leave calculations, pay run preparation
  • Monthly reportingP&L, balance sheet, cash flow summaries
  • Expense managementcategorising, reconciling, flagging anomalies
  • Year-end preparationsupporting your accountant with clean, organised records

Why offshore

Why bookkeeping works well offshore.

Cloud accounting makes location irrelevant.

Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks Online — the platforms Australian businesses use are cloud-based. Your bookkeeper accesses the same data from Manila as they would from Melbourne.

The work happens overnight.

With 0–2 hours of timezone difference, your bookkeeper can reconcile yesterday's transactions before you start your day. Month-end prep happens while you sleep.

Bookkeeping is structured and auditable.

Clear inputs, clear processes, clear outputs. Transactions either reconcile or they don't. This makes offshore bookkeeping low-risk — the work is verifiable, and your accountant reviews the output regardless of who produced it.

Australian accountants already work with offshore bookkeepers.

Many Australian accounting firms already use offshore teams for transactional work. Lite-Force gives individual businesses the same model without needing an accounting firm as the intermediary.

Cost comparison

What does a bookkeeper cost — local vs offshore?

Indicative comparison based on typical Australian salary ranges for this role.

Local Australian hire

Lite-Force offshore

Base cost
$60,000–$80,000/yr
Confirmed on call
Super (11.5%)
$6,900–$9,200
Included
Payroll tax (~5%)
$3,000–$4,000
Included
Leave loading
$2,500–$3,000
Included
Recruitment
$8,000–$15,000
Included
Estimated annual total
$80,400–$111,200

Indicative comparison based on typical Australian salary ranges for bookkeeping roles. Actual costs vary by experience level, location, and award coverage. Lite-Force pricing confirmed on a per-role basis during your discovery call.

What's included

What you get with a Lite-Force bookkeeper.

Included in the service

  • Full sourcing, screening, and shortlisting
  • EOR employment contract structured for local compliance
  • Monthly payroll and statutory contributions
  • Leave tracking and management
  • HR support and regular check-ins
  • Replacement commitment within initial period

Typical candidate profile

  • 3–8 years bookkeeping or accounting experience
  • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business
  • Proficient in Xero, MYOB, and/or QuickBooks Online
  • Familiar with Australian GST, BAS processes, and chart of accounts structures
  • Experience with Australian businesses — common among Filipino bookkeepers

Getting started

Three steps to your offshore bookkeeper.

1

Book a discovery call

Tell us about your accounting software, transaction volume, and what you need handled.

2

We source and shortlist

You review candidates, test their platform knowledge.

3

They start

Employment, payroll, and onboarding handled. Your accountant stays in the loop.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Do offshore bookkeepers need to be registered with a CPA body?

Not for transactional bookkeeping. In Australia, you don't need a CPA or CA to process reconciliations, invoicing, or BAS data entry. Your registered BAS agent or accountant reviews and lodges the returns. The offshore bookkeeper handles the preparation work.

Can they work in my Xero/MYOB/QuickBooks account?

Yes. Cloud accounting platforms are accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. You grant access through the platform's standard user management. We recommend scoped permissions as a standard control.

How do I maintain oversight and accuracy?

The same way you would with any bookkeeper: regular review cadence. Your accountant can review reconciliations monthly. Xero/MYOB lock-date features prevent changes to reviewed periods. The work is auditable by design.

Is my financial data secure?

Your data lives in your cloud accounting platform — Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks — which have enterprise-grade security, audit logs, and role-based access. Your bookkeeper accesses only what you grant.

Can I start with part-time bookkeeping?

Yes — and many businesses do. If your transaction volume doesn't justify full-time, start with 15–25 hours per week. You can scale up as the business grows or at busy periods (month-end, quarter-end, EOFY).