Xero Bookkeeping & Finance Support

Remote Xero Bookkeeping and Finance Ops Support. Ireland Based Businesses

Background and objective
I operate a small company using Xero. I want to outsource day to day bookkeeping operations internationally to a reliable contractor who can work to strict checklists and deadlines. The output must keep Xero clean, reconciled, VAT ready, and year end ready for an Irish accountant if needed.

Systems and tools
Xero is the accounting system. Bank feeds are enabled. Payroll is run in a separate payroll package and is mostly automated. Work will be coordinated via email and a shared folder or similar.

Volume and complexity
Average 20 purchase invoices per month. Sales invoices are raised by me. You will not be creating sales invoices. Purchases are entered by you. Low complexity trading businesses. Any unusual VAT or cross border items must be flagged, not guessed.

Core responsibilities
4.1 Purchase processing
Enter supplier bills in Xero from scanned invoices or PDFs. Apply correct supplier, nominal codes, VAT codes, and tracking categories (if used). Maintain supplier list hygiene.

4.2 Bank reconciliations
Reconcile all bank and card accounts in Xero weekly, and ensure reconciliations are fully up to date at month end. Use Xero rules where appropriate. Clear unreconciled items. Investigate and resolve exceptions with a short written note.

4.3 Accounts payable support
Prepare a monthly payment run pack. You will not release payments. The pack must include a list of invoices due, proposed payment amounts, supplier bank details as currently stored, and supporting invoice PDFs. Any new or changed bank details must be verified via an agreed process and explicitly approved by me before any inclusion in the payment pack.

4.4 Payroll support
Prepare the monthly payroll inputs and checks inside the payroll package based on agreed employee changes provided by me. Produce a payroll approval summary for my sign off. You will not change pay rates without written instruction. You will not release payroll payments.

4.5 VAT preparation
At the end of each VAT period, produce a VAT pack (Sales Tax Report) from Xero that includes the VAT report, the transaction detail report, and a reconciliation note of any anomalies. You will not file VAT in ROS unless explicitly agreed. You must flag items that look incorrect rather than forcing them into a VAT category.

4.6 Month end close
Complete month end close within five business days of month end. Deliver a simple month end pack containing the profit and loss, balance sheet, aged payables, aged receivables, bank reconciliation summary, and a list of issues requiring my decision.

Deliverables
Weekly
Bank reconciliations completed and exceptions log updated.

Monthly
Month end pack. Supplier payment run pack. Payroll approval summary.

Bi monthly VAT cycle
VAT pack as described above.

Ad hoc
Cleanup tasks as agreed, such as fixing VAT codes, tidying chart of accounts postings, and correcting reconciliation errors.

Service levels and communication
You acknowledge receipt of requests within one business day. Normal turnaround for queries is two business days. Any blocking issue must be flagged immediately. A short weekly status update is required, even if everything is fine.

Controls and permissions
You will have Xero access with least privilege required to do the work. You will not have authority to transfer money. All payments are released by me. Any supplier bank detail change requires explicit written approval. No shared passwords. All access must use your own named user.

Quality standards
Accuracy is more important than speed. No unexplained suspense postings. No coding guesswork. If you are unsure, you ask and you park the item with a clear note. Reconciliations must tie out. Supporting documentation must be attached in Xero wherever practical.

Confidentiality and data protection
You will sign a confidentiality agreement. You will store documents only in the agreed shared folder. You will not download company data to personal devices unless required for the work and protected by disk encryption. You will not share data with subcontractors without written permission. If you are located outside the EEA you must be willing to sign appropriate data processing terms.

Commercials
Please quote a fixed monthly fee or a fee based on transaction volume bands. Also quote an hourly rate for one off cleanup work. Include your expected weekly hours and your working time zone.

Contractor requirements
Proven experience with Xero bookkeeping. Strong written English. Comfortable following checklists. Able to provide two references. Prefer experience with Irish or UK VAT concepts, but you must at least be able to follow VAT coding rules and escalate exceptions.