What proximity used to buy
Local mattered when the work was physical. Someone collected the shoebox of receipts, the ledger lived in one office, and reviewing the books meant sitting at the same desk.
None of that is true now. Bank feeds are direct, documents arrive by upload, and the accounting system is the same cloud instance whether the person using it is across town or across the country. The question worth asking is not where they sit, but what you actually need somebody present for.
Where local genuinely still matters
We would rather name these honestly than argue that geography never counts.
- State and local tax nuance, which is a tax engagement rather than a bookkeeping one, and worth having somebody who knows your state
- Physical inventory counts and fixed asset verification, which someone has to attend in person
- Businesses handling significant cash, where physical controls need eyes on site
- A genuine preference for in-person meetings, which is a legitimate reason and worth being honest with yourself about
- Local relationships: a banker or a referral network in your city has real value, though that is usually your CPA or your banker rather than your bookkeeper
The distinction that resolves most of this
Tax and audit are regulated, jurisdiction-specific engagements where local knowledge counts. Bookkeeping, accounting operations, controllership and FP&A are not. Most companies need both, and they do not have to come from the same firm or the same city.
What remote actually changes for the better
- You hire from a national talent pool rather than whoever is available in your metro
- You get a team rather than one person, because the economics of a distributed firm support specialisation
- Industry depth is easier to find, since a firm serving construction nationally has seen more construction than a generalist down the road
- Coverage does not evaporate when one person takes leave
- Cost is usually lower, because the firm is not paying for one metro salary band and an office
How to evaluate a remote firm properly
The right questions are about process and access, not postcode.
- Who specifically will be on my account, and what is each person role and seniority
- What is your close calendar, and what date do I get statements each month
- Do I have direct admin access to my own accounting system
- What happens when my primary contact is on leave or leaves the firm
- How many clients in my industry and my size band do you currently serve
- What does your review layer look like, and who checks the work of the person doing it
- What is the escalation path when something is wrong
The setup most companies land on
A local CPA for tax filing and any state-specific work, and a specialist firm for the ongoing accounting operations: bookkeeping, close, controllership and reporting.
That split works because the two engagements have genuinely different requirements. Tax is periodic, jurisdictional and compliance-driven. Accounting operations are continuous, process-driven and benefit from a team. Trying to buy both from one small local practice is how companies end up with a slow close and a tax return that is fine.