Virtual Accounting Services in India: What You Get, What It Costs and How to Choose

Virtual accounting means your accountant works remotely instead of at your office. You upload sales and purchase bills, expense receipts and bank statements to a shared folder, an app or the accounting software. A dedicated team then records them, reconciles your bank, and handles the filings that depend on the books.

For most small businesses it replaces a part-time accountant who visits once a week. The difference is that the work happens continuously, and you can see your books at any time.

• Bookkeeping: sales, purchases and expenses recorded in Tally, Zoho Books or similar.
• Bank and payment reconciliation every month.
• GST: GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, with input tax credit matched against GSTR-2B.
• TDS: monthly deposits and quarterly returns.
• Payroll: salary computation, PF, ESI and professional tax, if you have staff.
• Monthly reports: profit and loss, receivables and payables ageing, cash position.
• Year-end support: finalising accounts for audit and the income tax return.

Ask which of these are in the base price. GST and TDS filings are often billed separately.

• Startups and small businesses without a full-time accountant.
• Businesses with branches or warehouses in several states, which have a GSTIN in each.
• Owners who want monthly numbers, not just year-end accounts.
• Companies whose part-time accountant left and whose books are now behind.

It suits a business less if it needs someone physically handling cash or inventory every day. Those tasks stay in-house even if the books move online.

• A company may keep its books electronically, but they must stay accessible in India, and the server details must be reported to the RoC. Books must be preserved for 8 years.
• GST records must be kept for 72 months from the due date of the annual return for that year.
• Professionals and businesses above the income tax thresholds must maintain books under the Income-tax Act.

A good provider builds these into its process, with backups, access controls and a confidentiality agreement.

1. Who exactly will handle your books? Ask for a named accountant, not a ticket queue.
2. Which software will they use, and do you own the data if you leave?
3. What is the monthly closing date, and when will you get reports?
4. Are GST, TDS and payroll included, and what happens when a notice arrives?
5. Do they have qualified CAs reviewing the work?

TaxQue's accounting and bookkeeping service covers books, reconciliation and monthly reports, with GST return filing and TDS returns available alongside.