Hire the best General Ledger professionals

GENERAL LEDGER ACCOUNTANTS

What is a general ledger? 

A general ledger is the primary accounting record for an organization. It contains all the transactions occurring within a company including balance sheet accounts (e.g., assets, equity, liabilities) and income statement accounts (revenues, expenses).

Here’s a quick overview of the skills you should look for in general ledger accounting professionals:

• General ledger accounting
• Double-entry bookkeeping
• Accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks, Zoho Books)

Why do you want to hire general ledger accountants?

The trick to finding top general ledger accountants is to identify your needs. Is your goal to generate balance sheets and income statements from a balanced general ledger? Will you need expertise with certain software such as Zoho Books to manage your general ledger? The cost of your project will depend largely on your scope of work and the specific skills needed to bring your project to life.

HOW TO HIRE GENERAL LEDGER ACCOUNTANTS

General ledger accountants can give you a bird’s eye view of all the transactions occurring between accounts within your organization.

So how do you hire general ledger accountants? What follows are some tips for finding top general ledger accountants on Upwork.

How to shortlist general ledger accounting professionals

As you’re browsing available general ledger accounting consultants, it can be helpful to develop a shortlist of the professionals you may want to interview. You can screen profiles on criteria such as:

• Organization fit. You want a general ledger accountant with experience managing accounts for a similar type of business or nonprofit.
• Project experience. Screen candidate profiles for specific skills and experience (e.g., maintaining a general ledger in QuickBooks).
• Feedback. Check reviews from past clients for glowing testimonials or red flags that can tell you what it’s like to work with a particular general ledger accountant.

How to write an effective general ledger accounting job post

With a clear picture of your ideal general ledger accountant in mind, it’s time to write that job post. Although you don’t need a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a contractor to know if they’re the right fit for the project.

An effective general ledger accounting job post should include:

• Scope of work: From general bookkeeping to financial statements, list all the deliverables you’ll need.
• Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a smaller or larger project.
• Background: If you prefer experience with certain types of organizations or accounting software, mention this here.
• Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.

Ready to launch your general ledger accounting project? Log in and post your general ledger accounting job on Upwork today.

FAQS FOR HIRING GENERAL LEDGER ACCOUNTANTS

How much does it cost to hire a general ledger accountant?

Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.

• An experienced general ledger accountant may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work.
• A contractor who is still in the process of building a client base may price their general ledger accounting more competitively.

Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project.

How long should you contract a general ledger accountant to complete your project?

As difficult as it is to estimate how long you will need a general ledger accountant, budgeting time is very important to keeping your project on track.

Be prepared to budget more time for more-demanding general ledger accounting projects. For example, balancing the books for a small business will typically take less time than maintaining the general ledger for a large enterprise with complex investment and equity accounts.

What are the steps involved to hire general ledger accountants?

Here’s how to hire general ledger accounting consultants in four simple steps:

1. Identify your project needs, whether it’s balancing the general ledger or producing financial reports.
2. Define the scope of work and write a detailed job post. Be specific about deliverables (e.g., prepare a chart of accounts for your organization).
3. Review proposals and shortlist potential general ledger accountants for unique skills needed to bring your project to life (e.g., maintaining a ledger manually via Excel).
4. Interview general ledger accounting talent to gauge whether they’re the right fit for your project.