Outsourcing your accounting: how to do it without losing control

What you outsource, what you keep

You hand over production: data entry, matching, preparing returns, filing. You keep the decisions: approval, signature, advice, dealings with the tax authorities.

In Belgium, keeping accounts on behalf of third parties and giving tax advice are regulated professions. A serious provider works for you or for your accountant, never in their place.

Questions to ask a provider

Before you choose:

• Where is my data stored, and who has access to it?
• Do you work in my software or in yours?
• How do you measure errors, and will you show me that figure?
• Who answers when I have a question, and how quickly?
• What happens if I want to stop?

What the contract should include

A service agreement with quantified deadlines and quality levels, a DPA compliant with Article 28 GDPR, a confidentiality clause, and an exit clause providing for the return of all your data.

Getting started

Start with a test file covering a month you have already processed. Compare the result line by line. It is the simplest way to find out whether the provider understands your rules.