India vs Philippines — Compared for US CPA Firms
| India (ICAI CA firm) | Philippines | |
|---|---|---|
| Professional body | ICAI — statutory body, established by Parliament, ~350,000 members | PICPA — comparable professional body |
| Qualification vs US CPA | ICAI CA = equivalent professional standing | Philippines CPA = broadly comparable |
| Supply of US-experienced firms | Very high — large established outsourcing industry for US CPA firms | Moderate — growing but less mature for US CPA white-label work |
| English proficiency | High — English is the medium of professional education | High — strong English fluency |
| QBO / Xero experience | Strong — deep QBO penetration among India CA firms serving US clients | Moderate |
| Cost per client/month | $200–$450 | $200–$400 (broadly similar) |
| Time zone overlap with US | IST (UTC+5:30) — morning overlap with US West Coast | PHT (UTC+8) — early morning overlap only |
The 5 Criteria for Choosing an Offshore Bookkeeping Firm
- Professional qualification: For India — look for ICAI CA, not just a commerce graduate or bookkeeper. ICAI CA means the firm has passed professional examinations equivalent to the CPA exam. Sharma Jyoti and Co is ICAI registered.
- References from US CPA firms: Not consumer references from small businesses — references specifically from US accounting firms who use them as back-office support. This confirms they understand the white-label model.
- QuickBooks ProAdvisor or Xero adviser status: Confirms platform competency. Any firm claiming QBO experience should hold ProAdvisor certification.
- NDA and data processing agreement: Signed before any client data is shared. No exceptions. This protects you and your clients regardless of what your engagement letter says.
- Month-to-month contract: Never sign a long-term contract with a back-office provider you have not tested on real files. A reputable firm offers monthly terms because they are confident in their work quality.
Red flag: Any offshore firm that asks you to sign a 6–12 month contract before you have tested their work on a single client. That is not confidence in quality — that is risk transfer to you. Sharma Jyoti and Co operates on month-to-month terms with no exit penalty.
How Sharma Jyoti and Co Works With CPA Firms
We do not work with consumer clients directly. We work with accounting and CPA firms as their white-label back office. Your client files stay under your firm name. We sign an NDA before receiving access to any client data. Our work is delivered to you for review and sign-off — not directly to your clients.
Most CPA firms start with 2–3 pilot clients, review the quality over 2 months, and expand to their full client load over 4–6 months. We have no minimum client volume requirement — a single-client trial is fine.