What to ask before hiring an HVAC bookkeeper
Six questions cover the fit that actually matters: field software experience, job costing by truck, close cadence, monthly output, CPA coordination, and how pricing is scoped.
The six questions, and why each one matters
Have you worked with my specific field software before?
ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, and FieldEdge each connect to QuickBooks differently, with different sync timing and setup requirements. A bookkeeper who has not worked with your platform will be learning its quirks on your books.
Can you track job costs or margin by truck?
This requires the chart of accounts and class tracking to be set up specifically for it. Many bookkeepers can categorize transactions correctly without ever building this in, which means the reports still cannot answer truck-level questions.
How often do you close the books, and how far behind do you let it get?
A monthly close that consistently slips means the numbers you see are never current enough to act on. Ask what happens when the close falls behind, not just how often it is supposed to happen.
What do I actually receive each month?
Reconciled accounts and a closed set of books are the baseline, not the whole deliverable. Ask specifically whether you get a report on revenue, payroll, and margin, and whether anyone interprets what it means.
Do you coordinate with my CPA, or is that separate?
A bookkeeper is not a substitute for a CPA. Ask how cleanly the books hand off at tax time and whether the bookkeeper communicates directly with your CPA when something needs clarifying.
Is pricing flat, tiered, or scoped to my situation?
A shop with a clean file that is one month behind is a different job than one with a year of unreconciled transactions. A flat price with no scoping usually means either overpaying for simple books or underpaying for a mess that gets rushed.
How Finity answers each one
Common questions
What is the most important question to ask an HVAC bookkeeper?
Whether they have specific experience with your field service software. ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, and Jobber each connect to QuickBooks in a meaningfully different way, and a bookkeeper without that specific experience will be learning your setup on the job.
Should I expect a flat monthly rate?
Ongoing monthly bookkeeping is often a flat rate once the books are in good shape. Initial cleanup or setup, though, should be scoped to your specific situation rather than flat, since a clean file and a year of unreconciled transactions are very different amounts of work.
How does Finity answer these questions?
Field software review is part of every engagement, not an add-on. Class and job tracking are set up by truck. The monthly close includes a decision summary, not just closed books. Finity coordinates with your CPA rather than replacing them. Setup pricing is quote-based from a 5-question form, and ongoing bookkeeping is a flat $497/month.
What is a red flag when interviewing a bookkeeper?
Vague answers about field software, no mention of how the close cadence is enforced, or a flat price quoted before anyone has looked at your actual books. Any of these usually means the fit has not been scoped, not just the price.
See if Finity is the right fit.
Start with the free HVAC Roadmap, or book a free call to ask these questions directly.