The short answer: There is no single best country for offshore accounting staff. Compare a specific candidate and supplier against the responsibility, qualifications, working hours and support your firm needs. India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and South Africa have different local professional pathways and clock offsets. None of those facts proves that an individual knows your market’s accounts or can work your required schedule.
A country shortlist can help you organise the search. It becomes less useful when it turns into a ranking of nationalities: one country for technical work, another for communication, another for low prices. Those generalisations do not assess the person who will join your team.
Begin with a role brief, then compare arrangements that can meet it. This guide gives you a wider country-screening method. Our Sri Lanka versus South Africa guide looks more closely at the two locations used in Around People’s staffing offer.
First decide what the hire needs to own
A bookkeeper preparing routine reconciliations, a senior accountant reviewing files and a client manager running a portfolio need different evidence of suitability. Decide which responsibility is missing before asking which country has the right people.
Write down the systems used, the accounting level required, your client market and the decisions that need live contact. Include what the person must already know and what your firm can teach. A broad instruction to find somebody “experienced in accounting” leaves too much room for mismatched candidates.
Use the same assessment across locations. That makes the shortlist a comparison of relevant evidence rather than the confidence of each supplier’s pitch.
Compare professional pathways without assuming equivalence
The International Federation of Accountants maintains country profiles explaining local professional organisations and regulatory arrangements. These are useful starting points for understanding a claimed designation. They do not certify a particular candidate’s ability or confer authority in your firm’s jurisdiction.
| Location | Examples to investigate | Candidate check |
|---|---|---|
| India | ICAI and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India | Exact designation, membership and relevant experience |
| Pakistan | ICAP, ICMAP and PIPFA | Qualification completed, training and work actually performed |
| Philippines | CPA registration through PRC; PICPA professional organisation | Registration claimed and experience relevant to your role |
| Sri Lanka | CA Sri Lanka, CMA Sri Lanka and AAT Sri Lanka | Level reached, designation and applicable practical experience |
| South Africa | SAICA and SAIPA | Exact professional status and responsibilities previously held |
These examples are not an exhaustive list. Candidates may have other qualifications, including international pathways. Ask for the issuing body and verify the claim through the relevant body’s process.
Also establish whether the person prepared accounts, reviewed work or held final approval authority. A qualification gained in one country does not by itself authorise signing accounts or audits elsewhere. Assign your firm’s technical decisions and professional approvals explicitly.
Check the clock before comparing the shift
The following current offsets provide a starting point. They show local time ahead of UTC, not available working hours. Check the exact location and proposed schedule before selecting a person.
| Example location | Current UTC offset | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg, South Africa | +2 hours | Overlap with your firm’s day and required meetings |
| Karachi, Pakistan | +5 hours | Actual start and finish times |
| Kolkata, India | +5 hours 30 minutes | Schedule and sustainable shared window |
| Colombo, Sri Lanka | +5 hours 30 minutes | Hours needed for preparation or live contact |
| Manila, Philippines | +8 hours | Any later shift, breaks and absence arrangements |
Offsets checked against IANA’s Asian time-zone data and African data on 11 October 2026. Your own seasonal clock changes can alter the difference.
In my post about hiring in South Africa, being online with clients was part of the fit for our Irish practice. A US firm needs to make that assessment against its own office location. Ordinary local hours and a shift aligned to a US day are different arrangements.
Ask suppliers for a written schedule, not “good overlap”. For US firms, our time-zone guide shows the implications for New York and Los Angeles and how to plan handovers.
Test market knowledge and communication directly
Ask for examples of relevant work without requesting confidential client files. What type of clients did the candidate support? Which accounting framework and tax environment did they work in? What did a reviewer expect from their file?
Then use a fictional or appropriately sanitised work sample. Give the candidate a ledger, supporting information and an unresolved item. Ask them to explain the balance and the question they would raise. For a client-facing role, assess how they clarify the issue in a short conversation or written response.
This tests the person rather than a claim about a country’s English proficiency or accounting culture. Apply the same standard to every candidate and allow for training your firm can realistically provide.
Compare the supplier and employment arrangement
The country does not tell you whether the person is employed by the supplier, directly employed by you or engaged as a freelancer. Establish the employing entity, payroll and leave responsibilities, management boundaries and process for performance concerns.
Check the office or remote-work setup, equipment, connectivity support and continuity arrangements. Ask what happens during an outage, absence or change of person. Evaluate the specific provider’s answer; do not infer its controls from national infrastructure claims.
Our employee versus contractor guide explains the questions to ask before choosing a model. Your firm’s data-access and cross-border processing arrangements also need assessment before the person starts.
Compare full role costs
Request quotes for the same level, responsibility, hours and support. Confirm the currency, included employment and equipment costs, setup charges, software licences, fee review terms and any shift-related charges.
Include the time your firm will spend training and reviewing the person. A lower quote for a junior preparation role cannot be compared directly with an experienced reviewer expected to reduce partner involvement. These are different purchases.
Around People’s cost guide and indicative US pricing provide context for its own offer. They are not country-wide salary benchmarks.
Make the shortlist about evidence
For each proposed hire, record verified qualification and experience, work-sample findings, agreed hours, employment arrangement, data controls and complete fee. Note unanswered questions separately. This produces a shortlist you can discuss with the people who will supervise and review the work.
Around People offers dedicated accounting staff based in South Africa and Sri Lanka. We do not claim to place people in every country covered here. The wider comparison helps you evaluate the decision; a placement discussion establishes the candidates and arrangements available for your role.
Plan the role before choosing the person
Bring your role brief, client market and required working hours. We can discuss suitable candidates and arrangements within our South Africa and Sri Lanka offer.
Staffing for Irish and UK practices, staffing for US firms, or book a role-planning call.
Frequently asked questions
Which country is best for offshore accounting staff?
The best fit depends on the candidate, responsibility, hours and supplier model. Compare those directly. A country-wide ranking cannot establish whether a particular person will suit your firm.
Should we compare India, Pakistan and the Philippines?
They can form part of a wider search. Apply the same qualification, work-sample, schedule and supplier checks to each option. Include Sri Lanka and South Africa where suitable arrangements are available.
Does a local CPA or CA designation mean the person knows our tax rules?
No. Verify the qualification and assess experience in your client market separately. Identify training needs and retain the appropriate technical review and approval process.
Does Around People recruit in all five countries?
Around People’s offer covers dedicated accounting staff based in South Africa and Sri Lanka. This guide compares a wider set of locations to help firms evaluate their options.
