Strategies for Successful Offshore Accounting: What You Need To Know

You’ve posted the role, raised the comp, and still don’t have the accountant you need. 

Someone suggests going offshore, and now you need to know if it actually works.

This guide walks through how to make offshore accounting successful and closes with eight companies worth shortlisting so you can compare models and move forward confidently.

What Are the Benefits of Offshore Accounting?

Offshore accounting services deliver multiple strategic advantages: access to specialized talent you can't find domestically, significant cost savings, and freed-up resources to reinvest in growth.

Here are some of the top benefits of offshore accounting:

Access specialized talent you can't find locally

Many companies spend months searching for senior accountants with specific expertise (tax compliance, SOX requirements, multi-entity reporting) in the US market with no success. 

Meanwhile, countries like Argentina and Colombia have deep pools of accounting professionals with Big Four experience who understand US GAAP and work with American companies daily. And there are plenty more top countries for offshoring accounting.

Significant cost savings without quality compromise

The primary driver of offshore savings comes from cost of living differences between regions. A senior accountant with Big Four experience and US GAAP expertise commands $127,000+ in major US cities, while the same professional in Argentina or Colombia earns a competitive local salary of $54,000.

For example, according to Near's State of LatAm Hiring Report analyzing over 2,000 placements, US companies typically save $32,000-$44,000 annually per accounting role—that's 55-64% compared to US-based hires. These savings reflect market conditions, not skill differences.

Scale your team without scaling overhead

Offshore accounting lets you build the team size you actually need rather than settling for understaffed operations. Instead of hiring two mid-level US accountants, you can build a complete accounting department with senior-level professionals for the same budget.

Real-time collaboration advantages

While some companies have experienced challenges with offshoring to distant regions requiring overnight coordination, offshoring to countries in Latin America enables real-time collaboration during overlapping business hours. 

This makes working with offshore accounting professionals as logistically simple as managing any remote team member within the US. No waiting overnight for month-end reports or scheduling critical discussions at odd hours.

Faster hiring timelines

While US accounting roles take 3-6 months to fill, offshore providers can deliver qualified candidates within days and complete placements in 2-3 weeks. FinanceWithin reduced their time-to-hire from three weeks to seven days by working with Near to hire in Latin America.

To understand the complete picture including potential challenges, see our detailed breakdown of offshore accounting pros and cons.

How Do I Ensure Success When Offshoring Accounting?

The difference between offshore accounting success and failure comes down to strategic decisions made upfront and operational excellence over time.

But before we dig into those decisions, let’s spell out your main options for offshore accounting: hiring dedicated accountants (either independently or through a recruitment partner) or outsourcing to an offshore accounting firm.

Each approach has different advantages: dedicated hires integrate into your team and processes while outsourcing accounting provides immediate access to established systems and oversight.

Regardless of which path you choose, here are some essential strategies to make offshoring accounting successful for your business:

Select the ideal offshoring location

Time zone alignment drives collaboration success

Choose regions based on how much real-time interaction your processes require. Latin American countries offer nearly full workday overlap with US time zones, making urgent requests and month-end coordination seamless.

For accounting specifically, consider countries with strong financial services sectors. Argentina has a mature accounting profession with many professionals holding US company experience. Colombia offers excellent English proficiency and growing expertise in US tax compliance.

Cultural and regulatory familiarity matters

The best offshore accounting professionals don't just understand debits and credits but they also understand American business practices, communication styles, and compliance requirements.

Stull CPA solved their critical tax season staffing challenges by working with Latin American accountants who already understood US tax workflows and client expectations.

Choose the right offshore accounting service provider

Look beyond cost to understand the complete value proposition

The cheapest provider often becomes the most expensive when you factor in turnover, quality issues, and management overhead. Focus on providers who can demonstrate measurable client outcomes and retention rates.

Evaluate their vetting process thoroughly

Quality providers should offer detailed screening including technical assessments, reference verification, and cultural fit evaluation. Ask about their replacement policies and client satisfaction scores.

Assess their understanding of your specific needs

Generic offshore providers treat accounting as a commodity. The best partners understand that a tax compliance role requires different skills than financial reporting, and that a growing SaaS company has different needs than a manufacturing firm.

Effectively communicate with the offshore accounting team

Establish clear communication protocols from day one

Success requires more than just Slack and email.

Build structured communication around your accounting calendar: daily check-ins during month-end, weekly team meetings for ongoing projects, and quarterly strategic sessions for process improvements.

Invest in proper onboarding

Treat offshore team members like any other new hire. 

Provide thorough training on your systems, processes, and company culture. The companies with the highest offshore success rates spend 2-3 weeks on comprehensive onboarding rather than rushing people into production.

See our guide on onboarding outsourced accounting professionals for more info if you aren’t hiring directly.

Create feedback loops for continuous improvement

Regular performance reviews aren't just about evaluation. They're opportunities to refine processes and identify training needs.

The best offshore relationships improve over time as both sides learn to work together more effectively.

Implement best practices for long-term success

Define success metrics that matter

Track KPIs that reflect actual business value: accuracy rates, timeliness of deliverables, client satisfaction scores, and process improvement suggestions. Avoid focusing solely on activity metrics that don't correlate with results.

Build redundancy into critical processes

Never have just one person handling essential functions. Cross-train team members and document processes thoroughly so your operations remain stable even during transitions.

Treat offshore team members as true team members

The most successful companies integrate offshore professionals into their culture through regular team meetings, professional development opportunities, and career progression paths.

Making remote hires feel like part of the team drives both performance and retention.

Top 8 Companies To Make Offshoring Accounting Successful

To make your choice a little easier, here are our picks for the top accounting staffing and recruiting firms and outsourcing companies that can help make your offshore accounting endeavors successful, in no particular order:

1. Near

Near (Hire With Near) is a full-service staffing and recruiting agency that helps US companies of all sizes hire top-performing remote talent in Latin America across finance, accounting, sales, software engineering, AI, data, marketing, operations, and virtual assistance.

Unlike traditional outsourcing providers, we help you build your own dedicated team in Latin America. Working with talent in the same time zone as your business enables real-time collaboration and immediate responses to urgent requests.

We find you hire elite accounting professionals in LatAm who bring strong educational backgrounds, including Big Four experience, and familiarity with US GAAP and international standards.

• Done-for-you hiring process: Candidate lists delivered within 3 days, placements completed in under 3 weeks
• Access to top-tier talent: Pre-vetted talent pool of 45,000+ candidates, plus custom sourcing to meet your exact requirements
• Flexible payment options: No upfront costs. After hiring, choose between a one-time placement fee or monthly staffing fee with payroll and compliance included
• Proven track record: 97% success rate, 9.1+ client satisfaction score, and 4.9 out of 5 rating on G2
• Custom talent matching: We find candidates who meet your specific technical requirements and cultural fit expectations

CyberFortress, a rapidly growing cybersecurity company, built an entire 20-person accounting team through Near, including senior-level roles like Director of Accounting and Financial Reporting. These hires brought Big Four experience and helped reduce their month-end closing timeline from 15 days to 10 days while saving an estimated $1.2M annually.

2. Velan Bookkeeping

Velan is an internationally certified bookkeeping service that helps companies of all sizes with their finances. It is based in Dover, Delaware, and has expertise in most accounting software, including QuickBooks, Sage, and Xero.

Its offshore bookkeeping and accounting services include setup of accounts, cleanup of books, accounts payable and receivable, consolidated financial reporting, MIS reporting, budgeting, forecasting, custom bookkeeping tasks, and more.

3. Entigrity

Sugar Land, Texas-based firm Entigrity is an offshoring company specializing in recruiting for accounting firms from India and the Philippines. It is trusted by over 850 accounting firms and is ISO-certified.

The company provides staff to perform a variety of financial services, including auditing, assurance, accounting, back office, and tax activities. With over 200,000 pre-screened professionals, there is sure to be someone who can fill your vacancy.

4. CapActix Business Solutions

CapActix is an accounting outsourcing and tax preparation firm with a corporate presence in the US, India, Australia, Dubai, and East Africa. Its team consists of certified advisors in QuickBooks and Xero, and it was one of Clutch’s Top B2B Companies for 2021.

Its offshore staff can handle roles like accountants, bookkeepers, tax preparers, tax reviewers, accountant supervisors, staff accountants, AR/AP billing executives, audit support staff, QuickBooks experts, virtual CFOs, virtual assistants, and more.

5. MicroSourcing 

A subsidiary of Probe CX, MicroSourcing is an offshore team builder that offers accounting outsourcing to the Philippines. With 13 offices in the US and globally, it is a member of several Filipino organizations and Great Place to Work certified.

The accounting roles MicroSourcing can fill include accountants, accounts payable officers, finance specialists, bookkeepers, accounts receivable officers, auditors, payroll specialists, tax specialists, and quality assurance specialists.

6. Credfino

Credfino is a Boston, Massachusetts-based smart sourcing and remote staffing firm that provides offshore accounting and bookkeeping services to certified public accountant (CPA) firms. It is trusted by global firms of all sizes.

Credfino offers resources for bookkeeping and admin, accounting, audit support, and CFO functions. Its offshore accountants are also equipped with blended skills, meaning one person can fill multiple roles and needs.

7. Safebooks Global

Offshore staffer Safebooks provides offshore accounting solutions for US-based CPA firms from its location in Sheridan, Wyoming. The firm has helped over 100 clients and has filed over 1,500 US tax returns.

The roles it can staff include associate bookkeepers, associate payroll accountants, senior associate accounts payable/receivable offshore accountants, and senior associate accountants. Its accountants from India are experts in Xero, Sage, FreshBooks, Wave, and QuickBooks.

8. Datamatics Business Solutions

Datamatics is an outsourcing partner for global CPA practices that offers bookkeeping and offshore accounting services. It has over 40 years of experience and received multiple awards at the 2022 UBS BPO Innovation Summit and Awards.

Its bookkeeping services include accounts receivable and payable, aging reports and summaries preparation, bank account reconciliation, credit card reconciliation, inventory reconciliation, fixed assets accounting, and month-end closing and reporting.

Final Thoughts

The companies getting the best results from offshore accounting treat it as a strategic hiring decision, not a cost-cutting measure. They focus on finding the right talent and building proper systems rather than simply choosing the cheapest option.

What we've seen across hundreds of placements: when you get the fundamentals right—choosing the right location for time zone alignment, working with quality providers, and investing in proper onboarding—offshore accounting delivers both cost savings and operational improvements. 

CyberFortress built their entire accounting department this way, reducing month-end closes while saving over $1M annually.

The opportunity is significant. Access to senior-level accounting professionals with Big Four experience at 55-64% cost savings can free up substantial budget for other growth initiatives. 

The key is approaching offshore accounting as talent acquisition rather than expense reduction.

Ready to explore how offshore accounting can transform your business operations? Schedule a free, no-commitment consultation call with Near to discuss your specific requirements.