BOOKKEEPING
Bookkeeping Services
Clean books, clear picture, confident decisions.
Professional bookkeeping services for small businesses in Washington State — whether you need your books kept current every month or brought up to date first.
QuickBooks · Xero · Virtual across Washington State · Bothell Office
TWO WAYS WE HELP
Monthly or Catch-Up?
Most clients need one of these first. Many need both — catch-up, then monthly.
Monthly Bookkeeping
Your books are current or close to it, and you want them kept that way — reconciled every month with statements you can use. See monthly bookkeeping.
Catch-Up Bookkeeping
Your books are months or years behind, or were never set up. We reconstruct and reconcile the backlog, then move you to monthly. See catch-up bookkeeping.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
What Professional Bookkeeping Covers
Every Month
- Bank and credit card reconciliation
- Transaction categorization
- Profit & loss statement
- Balance sheet
- Cash flow statement
All Year
- Accounts receivable tracking
- Accounts payable tracking
- Clean records for tax season
- Coordination with your tax return
- QuickBooks or Xero setup
WHO WE WORK WITH
Businesses We Keep Books For
Plans are sized by transaction volume, so they fit a solo consultant and a busy retail store alike.
- Freelancers & Consultants
- Gas Stations & Convenience Stores
- Medical & Dental Clinics
- Small Retail
- Restaurants
- Contractors & Trades
- Real Estate Investors
- Multi-Entity Businesses
WHY IT MATTERS
Clean Books Make Everything Else Work
Bookkeeping is the record everything else depends on. Your business tax return is prepared from it, your Washington B&O and sales tax returns are filed from it, and a lender or buyer will judge your business by it. When the books are reconciled every month, each of those becomes a routine task instead of a scramble.
We work in QuickBooks Online and Xero — in your existing file, or in a new one we set up for you — and connect your bank feeds so transactions flow in automatically.
In Washington, the chart of accounts matters more than most owners expect. B&O tax is charged on gross receipts, and different revenue streams can fall under different classifications. Sales tax you collect is a liability, not revenue. A setup that separates these from the start keeps your excise returns accurate.
Industry details matter too. Our pages for gas stations and convenience stores and general contractors explain what their books need to track. We work in person through our Bothell bookkeeping office and virtually across the state; many bookkeeping clients also file through our Bothell tax preparation practice.
Clean books also make the year-end work simpler. Contractor payments are easy to total when every vendor is coded consistently, so 1099-NECs go out on time. Fixed asset purchases are easy to find when they are recorded as assets rather than expenses, so depreciation and Section 179 decisions can be made on real numbers.
If you are deciding whether to hire help, read what a bookkeeper actually does for your business and our monthly bookkeeping checklist.
COMMON MISTAKES
Bookkeeping Errors That Cost Money
These are the problems we find most often when we take over a set of books.
Personal and Business Spending in One Account
Commingled accounts make every deduction harder to support and every month harder to reconcile.
Deposits Recorded Net of Processing Fees
Recording only what the card processor deposits understates revenue and hides the fee expense.
Sales Tax Booked as Income
Sales tax you collect belongs to the state. Booking it as revenue overstates income and your B&O base.
Equipment Expensed Instead of Capitalized
Large purchases coded as supplies can distort profit and cause depreciation choices to be made on the wrong numbers.
Books Reconciled Once a Year
Annual reconciliation hides missing and duplicate transactions until they are months old and hard to trace.
SIGNS IT'S TIME
When to Bring in a Bookkeeper
You Find Out How the Year Went in April
If your first look at profit is when the tax return is prepared, you are making decisions all year without the numbers.
Your Bank Balance Is Your Only Metric
Cash in the bank is not profit. Reconciled statements show what you actually earned and owe.
Tax Season Means Rebuilding the Year
If every return starts with sorting a shoebox or a year of statements, the books need a regular owner.
You Need Financial Statements for a Lender
Banks and landlords ask for profit and loss statements and balance sheets. Clean books produce them on request.
You Are Hiring or Adding Locations
More employees, more accounts, and more revenue streams multiply the transactions to track. Growth is the point where do-it-yourself books usually start to slip.
WHAT TO HAVE READY
For Your Free Consultation
Bring what you have. We use it to size your plan and quote an exact price.
- List of bank and credit card accounts
- Recent bank statements
- Access to QuickBooks or Xero, if you use it
- Last year's business tax return
- Payroll provider, if you have one
- Number of entities you own
- Rough monthly transaction count
- Any sales tax or B&O returns filed
How It Works
- 01
Free consultation — we review your accounts, entities, software, and the current state of your books
- 02
Catch-up first if needed — we clear any backlog under a separate quote
- 03
Monthly service — we reconcile, categorize, and report every month
- 04
Tax-ready at year end — your books flow straight into your business return
PRICING
What It Costs
Your price is based on transaction volume and business complexity. Every engagement starts with a free consultation so we can give you an exact number before any work begins.
View full bookkeeping pricing →Final pricing is confirmed during your free consultation after we review your accounts, number of entities, software setup, and current state of your books. No surprises.
Common Questions
RELATED SERVICES
GET STARTED
Get Your Books Working for You
Start with a free consultation. We'll review your books and give you an exact number before any work begins.
Last updated September 2026