Offshore accounting benefits for business

Offshore accounting continues to be one of the most popular services in the industry.

During the pandemic, many companies managed to outsource and continue their operations with less hassle. This can also help your businesses grow better in the new normal.

Find out how offshore accounting can benefit you through this article.

What is offshore accounting?

Offshore accounting refers to finance and accounting services delegated to a firm or business process outsourcing (BPO) company in a low-cost country.

Accounting is a crucial part of a business. Companies need to keep track of their records to manage their budget and as a part of their compliance.

While most businesses take care of these in-house jobs, some prefer to hire an offshore team from other countries such as India and the Philippines.

According to some reports, accounting functions are among the most outsourced functions by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Offshore accounting services can be useful in delegating complex and non-core functions, such as the following:

• Tax compliance
• Accounts receivable and payable
• Bookkeeping
• Payroll management
• Inventory management

Why businesses use offshore accounting

Businesses have the option to hire accounting services in-house, but often this can be overly expensive and involve too much management oversight.

Offshore accounting offers high-quality services at a fraction of the cost of hiring in-house staff, and the outsourced team can feel almost the same as an in-house staff.

Everything from basic bookkeeping and management accounts to tax accounting and even CFO advisory can all be done effectively from overseas.  Those who decide to have work done offshore do so due to the following reasons:

Offshore accounting cost

Having an offshore accounting staff from the Philippines can save you about 70% to 80% compared to your local in-house or accounting services.  The cost differential is incredible.

This is one of the major attractions of sourcing offshore accounting services.  It is important to note that the quality, reliability, and security of the service are not compromised in any way.

Workload spikes due to demand

In-house work may be ideal when you expect a regular volume of workload.

However, there may come a time when your workload spikes up depending on your demand. This leaves your team overworked, which may cause them to experience burnout.

Most companies use offshore accounting to manage workload when the demand gets high. One good thing about hiring offshore services is that they get to hire a team for a short period, either within their peak season or on red dates.

Then, they can scale their workforce flexibly when the demand lowers or keep their teams working with them.

Finding suitable accounting talent

Local employment can limit your capabilities in finding the best talent for the job. Due to the low unemployment rate, you might also have difficulty looking for suitable talent in your area.

This is one of the advantages when hiring offshore staff. Employers get to hire global talent that is suitable for the role they need at a quarter of a local talent’s cost.

For instance, a company can simply hire a virtual accountant to prepare its financial statements every quarter and a few bookkeepers to monitor its accounts and inventory regularly.

Overload in-house staff

As your business grows, it is natural to find your workload increases as well, which may get out of hand over time.

As a result, you and your in-house staff can get overworked. This can cost your business more than expected, especially with the quality of their work and your products slowly decreasing.

Getting offshore accounting services helps companies lighten their workload and expand their businesses more easily. With this, the quality of their work also increases, which can increase their profit.

Offshore accounting also helps them take care of their employees better by maximizing their time to improve their skills.

Ways your business can benefit from offshore accounting

Aside from the above reasons, offshore accounting services can give you better benefits and help you get the best out of managing your business.

Here are some of these advantages:

Better compliance

Offshore accounting helps you with keeping up with your compliance better.

You won’t have to worry about getting late on tax deadlines or submitting incomplete requirements on time. Your outsourcing partner can take care of this for you instead.

Most accounting firms in offshore countries follow deadlines and compliances in the West, where most of their clients are located.

Shared operational management

Hiring employees poses several risks in a business. You get to shed employee salaries, costs, and resources needed to start their operation.

Some of the things you should provide include workspaces, desktops, office supplies, accounting software, and additional compliances with work standards, such as ISO.

You also have to determine whether they will work for you permanently or for a short period. Unfortunately, hiring in-house can be impractical if you only need them for a short-term project.

When you hire offshore accounting firms, you get to share these offshoring risks with your outsourcing partner. You won’t have to shed extra money for hiring, preparing, and managing your team since they get to share these responsibilities with you.

As a result, these risks will be lessened, and your accounting service will improve.

Minimizing errors

Accounting requires high accuracy, full focus, and expertise. Entrepreneurs like you might have the ability to handle several tasks at once, but it won’t be effective when you try bookkeeping and accounting.

You might incur penalties and higher fees because of errors in your financial statements and payroll processing.

Offshore accounting services rely on talents that are experienced in handling volumes of documents, bills, and books of accounts of your company. By delegating accounting to them, you get to free your time and have your documents accurately and on time for tax deadlines.

High transparency and data security

Many businesses worry about their data getting exposed when hiring offshore services. However, they should think otherwise.

Offshore accounting firms such as those in India work under strict measures in a controlled environment to protect their client’s data. As part of their operations, they follow standard procedures according to international standards and data privacy laws in their markets.

Government support also helps these firms to lower their operational costs and maximize their IT and security efforts even more. Because of this, you won’t have to worry much about your data.

Flexible hiring

Lastly, there are times when you won’t always need to do accounting. Either it is because you have done your quarterly financial report, have already made sure your inventory is updated, or have automated your payroll.

However, you would be obliged to keep your in-house team since they look forward to staying long with your company, even when their work demand decreases

One of the advantages of offshore accounting is the ability to scale your employees when needed. You can flexibly hire some help when you need it the most and scale down your employees when your crucial work is done.

Where to find offshore accounting services

The Philippines and India are some of the go-to countries for offshore accounting. The two countries can produce high-class, educated, and experienced accountants that can help handle their client’s finances.

If you’re looking for a cost-efficient way to track your finances, offshore accounting is the surefire way to go. BPO companies can help you with your business process so you can focus on plotting your future plans with your company.

An offshore accounting company also helps you monitor your company’s finances and spending, allowing you to see your company’s cash flow and accounting books.

Finding the best offshore accounting company

There are many companies in the world that offer their offshore accounting services to various industries worldwide.

They do a wide range of accounting functions, including the following:

• Generating financial reports
• Tax preparations
• Filing income tax returns
• Fulfilling the company’s accounts payable

When looking for an outsourced accounting services firm that best fits your organization, you must consider the following factors:

Cost-effectiveness

One of the major reasons for recruiting an offshore accounting firm is to save money. After all, if they are more expensive than an in-house team, you should reconsider outsourcing your accounting service.

Team of experts

Since accounting deals with numbers and calculations, ensure that your offshore accounting partner has a team of skilled employees who are experts in the field.

Outsourced is an outsourcing company that can provide you with experienced accounting professionals who handle your finances with meticulous attention.

Reliability

Accounting, just like other tasks, involves strict calculations and deadlines.

It is important to recruit an offshore accounting team that can adhere to these two things and knows how to secure your data against any cyberattacks that could potentially happen.

Technology and infrastructure

Having the latest software could make a lot of difference in your accounting work. It also helps complete tasks with minimal errors in computations.

Customized services

Every business is different. Finding a company that could customize its offerings to what you need is crucial so that you can see optimal results for your business.