Can accounting be outsourced? It sure can, and it is — accounting services, along with IT services, are the most commonly outsourced tasks by small businesses, a survey by Clutch of 529 small business owners and managers suggests, with 37 percent of respondents commonly outsourcing finance and accounting services. (The same percentage outsources IT).

There are several good reasons to outsource bookkeeping and accounting services. Some of the more obvious ones include increasing capacity at your firm, being able to grow your business and cash flow instead of carrying out the day-to-day work yourself, and a better work-life balance.

The office of Care Accounting in Narrabeen, outside of Sydney, Australia, had pretty much reached capacity and Bernie Gore, the firm’s chief caring accountant, was finding it tough to recruit accountants who would come work in the suburbs.

You may have heard of outsourced accounting, being the owner of an accounting or bookkeeping firm, but aren’t quite sure what it means or how it can help you.

In other words, picture this (or maybe you don’t have to picture it because you’re living it): Your firm is growing.