Plenty of accounting firms in India serve US businesses, and from the outside they look alike. A good partner keeps your books accurate and your close on schedule for years; a poor one costs you time and money. Ask these ten questions before you sign.
1. Do you work with US GAAP and US businesses today?
Ask how many US clients they support and in which industries. The team should be comfortable with US GAAP, accrual and cash accounting, US bank feeds, sales-tax tracking, and year-end work such as preparing 1099 information for your CPA.
2. Will I get a dedicated accountant?
Find out whether one named person will handle your books or whether the work goes to a pool. A dedicated accountant learns your vendors, customers and quirks, so over time there are fewer questions and fewer errors.
3. What happens if my accountant leaves?
Turnover is the biggest hidden risk in outsourcing. Ask who carries that risk, how handovers are documented, and how fast a replacement gets up to speed. A firm that acts as employer of record and guarantees continuity takes that burden off you.
4. Which software do you already use?
Your partner should work inside your existing system. Check for hands-on experience with your platform, whether that's QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books, FreshBooks, Sage, Odoo, Dynamics 365 Business Central or NetSuite.
5. How do you protect our data?
Look for NDAs, individual role-based logins, multi-factor authentication, no local downloads of client data, and clear rules on who can approve payments. A good firm explains its controls without being pressed.
6. What are your working hours and turnaround times?
India is about 9.5 to 10.5 hours ahead of US Eastern time. Ask whether they keep overlap hours for calls, and what turnaround to expect on daily tasks, the month-end close and ad-hoc requests.
7. How is pricing structured, and what currency do you bill in?
Ask for a written quote that separates hourly, reserved-hour and dedicated options and confirms USD billing with no setup surprises. Some firms publish their price ranges, which makes comparison easier.
8. What does a typical month look like?
A professional firm can describe its monthly rhythm clearly: daily or weekly bookkeeping, reconciliations, a fixed close date, and a standard reporting pack with a P&L, balance sheet and cash-flow summary.
9. How do you work with our CPA?
Your offshore team should make your US CPA's job easier. Ask how they deliver tax-ready files at year end and how they handle the CPA's questions during tax season.
10. Can you grow with us?
You might need a few hours a month today and, next year, add entities, inventory or an ERP. Check whether the firm can grow from hourly support to a full-time accountant, and whether it has deeper skills such as NetSuite implementation, reporting and process optimization.
Red flags to watch for
- Vague answers about who will actually do the work
- Requests to share a single login or your bank passwords
- No written scope, deadlines or service agreement
- Prices that look too good to be true, with no explanation of what's included
How Oakridge answers these questions
Oakridge Global Consulting assigns each client a single dedicated accountant, takes on recruitment, payroll and turnover risk as employer of record, works directly in your software, and bills in USD with pricing agreed up front. For companies on NetSuite, we also offer consulting on customization, saved searches and reporting, SuiteScript development, and ongoing support.
Talk to Oakridge Global Consulting
Oakridge Global Consulting is an India-based accounting and NetSuite consulting firm working with US and international businesses. We keep your books in your own software, on your reporting calendar, and bill in USD. See our accounting services, read about our NetSuite consulting, or schedule a consultation.