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MaterialBill vs Hiring an Accountant to Keep the Books

This is a question we get asked directly: should we buy software or put somebody on the accounts? They are not substitutes, and answering it as if they were is how shops end up with both a salary and a mess.

What a person does that software cannot

Judgement. Whether to extend credit to a builder whose last project stalled. Whether a rate is worth holding to keep a customer. How to structure your GST position. Whether the margin on a line justifies the working capital it consumes. Those are decisions, and no software makes them. A good accountant or a capable person on your accounts earns their salary on questions like these, not on data entry.

What software does that a person should not have to

Typing a bill twice. Adding up a column. Working out what a party owes by turning pages. Remembering which loads went to which site. Rebuilding GST figures at month end from a bill book. Every hour spent on that is an hour not spent on the judgement above, and it is also where errors come from — because it is repetitive work done under time pressure.

The arrangement that actually works

The shop records itself as it trades — bills, purchases, payments, deliveries, all entered once at the moment they happen by whoever is already there. Then a person, whether your own staff or your CA, works from that output: checking, reconciling, advising, filing. That arrangement needs less of the person's time and gets more out of it, which is why it usually costs less than either extreme.

Give your accountant access rather than files

Instead of exporting and emailing a spreadsheet every month, your CA can have a login limited to reports. They pull what they need and can change nothing. For most shops that removes an entire recurring errand and means the accountant is looking at live figures rather than a file that was accurate three weeks ago.

Side-by-side comparison

MaterialBillHiring an Accountant
Recording every transaction As it happens, entered once Manual, and after the fact
Bill, ledger, stock kept in agreement Same entry, no reconciliation Depends on the person and the day
Available at 10pm when you need a figure On your phone Working hours
GST summaries at month end Grouped as the return needs Prepared by them, from your records
Judgement on credit and pricing Not what software does That is the value
Statutory filing and advice Data only Their job
Monthly cost A plan A salary or a fee
Best thought of as The record The judgement on it
Our honest verdict: Not an either-or. Let the shop record itself and let the person do the work that needs a person. Shops that buy software to avoid an accountant usually still need one; shops that hire someone to do data entry are paying a professional rate for typing.
This page compares software with employing a person, so there is no third-party product to verify.

Frequently asked questions

Can my CA get access?
Yes, a reports-only login. They see what they need and can change nothing.
Will this reduce what my CA charges?
Often, because you are handing over summaries rather than a carton of bills. Ask them — most will tell you straight.
Do I still need to file GST returns?
Yes. This produces the GSTR-1 and 3B summary data; filing happens on the portal.

More comparisons

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Compare It Yourself — Free

The best comparison is the one you run yourself. Start on the free plan, raise your first bill in two minutes, and pay only if it suits your shop.