Having a terrific bookkeeper on your team brings peace of mind and improves your organizational health. But finding a great match for your business can be hard, especially if finances aren’t your strong suit.

To begin with the obvious, they should have basic bookkeeping skills, including:

• Proficiency with bookkeeping software

• Ability to add vendors and customers to your books

• Ability to manage accounts payable and receivable

• Familiarity with payroll taxes, and how to pay them online

• Ability to reconcile bank and credit card statements

• Knowledge of what clean books should look like, and the ability to spot errors and sleuth out problems