How do we get started, and what do you need from me?
Getting started is straightforward, and you don’t need to have everything organized before reaching out. Most clients come to us with books that are behind or never quite set up right, and that’s fine. We’ll sort it out together.
The first step is a short phone call. We’ll talk through your business, what you’re selling, how many transactions flow through the bank accounts each month, whether you have employees or contractors, and what’s currently happening with your books. This helps us figure out what you actually need and what the work looks like.
After the call, we’ll need access to a few things. If you’re already using QuickBooks Online, we’ll need an accountant login to your file. If your books are in a shoebox or a spreadsheet, we’ll start fresh by connecting your bank and credit card feeds directly. Either way, you don’t need to organize years of receipts or reconcile anything yourself before we get in there. This is what small business bookkeeping services are built to handle.
Once we have access, we review where things stand. We look at what’s been categorized, what’s missing, and whether the bank accounts reconcile. This review tells us whether your books are current and clean or whether they need work before we can move to regular monthly bookkeeping.
If your books are behind or messy, the first step is catch-up bookkeeping to bring everything current. That might mean reconciling a few months or a few years depending on how far behind things have gotten. We price catch-up separately based on the scope, and once it’s done, you move onto ongoing monthly bookkeeping with clean records as the foundation.
From there, we handle the books every month. You get financial statements, clean records, and a clear picture of how the business is doing. If you need payroll, 1099s, sales tax, or help with your personal tax return, we add those on.
The whole onboarding process is designed to be low-friction. You don’t need to be an expert in accounting or have perfect records. That’s what we’re here for. Simona is a CPA and Enrolled Agent, and the firm works exclusively in QuickBooks Online, so your books are set up to the right standard from the start.
If you’re ready to talk through your situation, reach out for a consultation. We’ll figure out what you need and get you set up from there.
New England's CPA-Led Bookkeeping Partner
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More Questions
How do I handle payroll for a cleaning crew?
In Massachusetts, cleaning crew members are almost always employees, which means you need proper payroll with tax withholding, overtime tracking, and quarterly filings. Getting this right involves federal and state withholding, FICA taxes, unemployment contributions, and accurate hour tracking.
Read answerHow much does bookkeeping cost?
Monthly bookkeeping starts at $199 a month, with add-ons like bill pay and invoicing starting at $99 each. Pricing depends on your transaction volume, number of accounts, and whether you need payroll or tax work. Catch-up bookkeeping for past months is scoped separately.
Read answerWhat do you handle when you run my payroll?
Full-service payroll means we calculate pay, withhold and deposit federal and state taxes, pay your employees, file the quarterly and annual returns, and produce W-2s at year end. You approve hours and we handle everything else.
Read answerDo you file my business's tax return?
It depends on your business structure. For sole proprietors and single-member LLCs, we prepare your personal return including the Schedule C that reports business income. For S-corps, partnerships, and C-corps, we keep tax-ready books and handle your personal return, but the entity return itself needs a separate preparer.
Read answerI run a wealth management practice. Why is my QBI treated differently from an engineer's?
Wealth management falls into the specified service trade or business category under the tax code, which means the QBI deduction phases out above certain income thresholds. Engineers and architects are explicitly excluded from this limitation and keep the full deduction regardless of income.
Read answerCan I deduct my home office as a consultant?
Yes, if the space is used regularly and exclusively for your business. You can choose the simplified method at $5 per square foot up to $1,500, or the actual expense method that deducts a share of your housing costs. Which one saves more depends on your rent, utilities, and office size.
Read answer