--- title: Should Your CPA Do Your Bookkeeping? description: Want real tax planning? Marcus Mire, CPA explains why your CPA should do your books or review whoever does, and what that looks like for a small business. image: https://www.mire.group/hubfs/MireGroup-Hero-1-Should-CPA-Do-Bookkeeping-1.png --- [Skip to the main content.](https://www.mire.group/blog/should-your-cpa-do-your-bookkeeping#main-content) [![Mire Group CPAs](https://www.mire.group/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/MireGroup%20CPAs%20White%20Logo.png?width=1003&height=497&name=MireGroup%20CPAs%20White%20Logo.png "Mire Group CPAs")](https://www.mire.group) [![Mire Group CPAs](https://www.mire.group/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/1.png?width=1021&height=488&name=1.png "Mire Group CPAs")](https://www.mire.group) - [About Us](https://www.mire.group/about) - [Plans](https://www.mire.group/accounting-and-tax-plans) - [Articles](https://www.mire.group/blog) - [Newsletter](https://www.mire.group/newsletter-signup) Search *Search* [Work With Us](https://www.mire.group/work-with-us) Toggle Menu Search *Search* Toggle Menu [Work With Us](https://www.mire.group/work-with-us) - [About Us](https://www.mire.group/about) - [Plans](https://www.mire.group/accounting-and-tax-plans) - [Articles](https://www.mire.group/blog) - [Newsletter](https://www.mire.group/newsletter-signup) [*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/miregroupcpa) [*Instagram*](https://www.instagram.com/miregroup_cpas/) [*LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/company/miregroupcpas/) [*Youtube*](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4dTVwJh9xStWdKY1bPn5Q) 3 min read # Should Your CPA Do Your Bookkeeping? [![Picture of Mire Group Marketing](https://www.mire.group/hs-fs/hubfs/MireIconOnly.png?width=30&name=MireIconOnly.png) Mire Group Marketing](https://www.mire.group/blog/author/mire-group-marketing) : Oct 27, 2026, 11:15:39 AM ![should your cpa do your bookkeeping](https://www.mire.group/hubfs/MireGroup-Hero-1-Should-CPA-Do-Bookkeeping-1.png) If you want real tax planning, your CPA should either do your bookkeeping or review the person who does it on a regular schedule. A tax plan is only as good as the numbers underneath it. Most small businesses don't have an accountant or controller in-house, so the books end up with a spouse, an office manager, or the owner. That's exactly where having a CPA firm do or check the books pays off. I'm Marcus Mire, CPA and founder of MireGroup CPAs in Lafayette, Louisiana. When we talk to prospective clients, the first thing we lead with is their accounting. Most of the time that's not what they came in wanting to talk about. Sometimes it is. Usually they want to talk about taxes. ## **Why does a CPA firm want to do your books?** Because we want to get to the good stuff. Everybody comes to us saying some version of the same thing. I don't get any ideas. There's no proactivity from my CPA. They don't save me any money. They don't get creative. What I tell them is that it's not as complicated as they think. We want to build a great foundation to leverage off of. Then we can do the good stuff: the tax planning, the consulting, the operational efficiencies, saving you money. My planning is only as good as the data I'm planning from. Say we're trying to plan your entity structure, optimize your salary for the QBI deduction, or project what your next three quarters of taxes look like. I can't do any of that without good accounting. We go deeper on that in [why your CPA can't do tax planning without good bookkeeping](https://www.mire.group/blog/why-cant-your-cpa-do-tax-planning-without-good-bookkeeping). ## **Can someone in-house keep doing the books?** Yes. Either setup can work. We do the books for a lot of our clients. For others, we check the person doing the work. Most of the businesses we work with are probably under $5 million in revenue. They don't have an accountant or a controller on staff, but they have the needs of a business that should have an outsourced firm involved. The person keeping the books is usually a spouse, an office manager, or somebody who just got tasked with the bookkeeping. That's fine. What matters is that somebody who understands accounting is looking at it on a timely basis and making sure the data is good. Getting the bank feed categorized is one piece of that. [Clean books means the whole balance sheet ties out](https://www.mire.group/blog/what-clean-bookkeeping-looks-like). ## **What should you look for if you're switching CPAs to get tax planning?** Maybe you're frustrated with your CPA. You feel like you're paying a lot in taxes, and you're leading the conversation with taxes. Any firm that works holistically with its clients is going to ask you one question first: how good are your books? So point back to your accounting before you go shopping for tax ideas. Then look for three things: - Books that are done in a timely fashion, by the firm or by someone the firm reviews. - Someone who can take that data and turn it into real advice. - A system for working with you throughout the year. [Here's what that looks like in our advisory meetings](https://www.mire.group/blog/accounting-advisory-meetings). ## **What does this look like at MireGroup?** We work with clients throughout the year on a fixed fee to do their accounting. We take the function over, or we guide the person who does it. We do the accounting so we can do the work you actually want from us: advisory, tax planning, and consulting. ## **Frequently asked questions** ### **Why does my CPA keep asking about my books when I want to talk about taxes?** Because the tax plan runs on the books. If you come to us saying you get no ideas and no proactivity, the first place we look is your accounting. Planning an entity structure or projecting your next few quarters of tax takes current, accurate numbers. ### **Can my office manager keep doing our bookkeeping?** Yes. A lot of small businesses have a spouse or an office manager handling the books, and that can work. The key is having someone who understands accounting review that work on a timely basis so the data is good enough to plan with. ### **How big does a business need to be to have a CPA firm handle the books?** There's no minimum. Most of the businesses we work with are probably under $5 million in revenue and don't have a controller in-house. That's the gap an outsourced firm fills. ### **Does a CPA doing my bookkeeping cost more than a bookkeeper?** It depends on the firm and how it packages the work. We do it on a fixed monthly fee so the accounting and the planning are part of one relationship. The point is to get data you can trust and advice built on it, so compare what you get along with what you pay. If your books are what's standing between you and real tax planning, [we'd love to help](https://www.mire.group/work-with-us). - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![should your cpa do your bookkeeping](https://www.mire.group/hubfs/MireGroup-Hero-1-Should-CPA-Do-Bookkeeping-1.png)](https://www.mire.group/blog/should-your-cpa-do-your-bookkeeping) 3 min read #### [Should Your CPA Do Your Bookkeeping?](https://www.mire.group/blog/should-your-cpa-do-your-bookkeeping) ![Picture of Mire Group Marketing](https://www.mire.group/hs-fs/hubfs/MireIconOnly.png?width=30&name=MireIconOnly.png) [Mire Group Marketing](https://www.mire.group/blog/author/mire-group-marketing): Oct 27, 2026, 11:15:39 AM If you want real tax planning, your CPA should either do your bookkeeping or review the person who does it on a regular schedule. A tax plan is only... [Read More](https://www.mire.group/blog/should-your-cpa-do-your-bookkeeping) [![](https://www.mire.group/hubfs/MireGroup-Hero-3-Tax-Savings-vs-Deferral.png)](https://www.mire.group/blog/whats-the-difference-between-tax-savings-and-tax-deferral) 3 min read #### [What's the Difference Between Tax Savings and Tax Deferral?](https://www.mire.group/blog/whats-the-difference-between-tax-savings-and-tax-deferral) ![Picture of Mire Group Marketing](https://www.mire.group/hs-fs/hubfs/MireIconOnly.png?width=30&name=MireIconOnly.png) [Mire Group Marketing](https://www.mire.group/blog/author/mire-group-marketing): Oct 27, 2026, 11:11:43 AM A permanent tax saving is a deduction you get to keep, like a legitimate business expense, a home office, or business mileage you can back up. A tax... [Read More](https://www.mire.group/blog/whats-the-difference-between-tax-savings-and-tax-deferral) [![how often should you meet with your CPA](https://www.mire.group/hubfs/MireGroup-Hero-2-How-Often-Meet-CPA.png)](https://www.mire.group/blog/how-often-should-you-meet-with-your-cpa) 3 min read #### [How Often Should You Meet With Your CPA?](https://www.mire.group/blog/how-often-should-you-meet-with-your-cpa) ![Picture of Mire Group Marketing](https://www.mire.group/hs-fs/hubfs/MireIconOnly.png?width=30&name=MireIconOnly.png) [Mire Group Marketing](https://www.mire.group/blog/author/mire-group-marketing): Oct 27, 2026, 11:03:29 AM If you own a business, plan on meeting with your CPA at least quarterly for taxes and at least twice a year for strategy, with quick questions in... [Read More](https://www.mire.group/blog/how-often-should-you-meet-with-your-cpa) [![MireGroup CPAs](https://www.mire.group/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/1-1.png?width=300&height=76&name=1-1.png)](https://www.mire.group) We are a professional, experienced team ready to handle all your accounting and tax needs. ###### Resources - [Podcast](https://www.mire.group/make-it-count-podcast/) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@miregroupcpas5118/featured) - [Blog](https://www.mire.group/blog) ###### Contact Us 1003 S. 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