What Determines Your Accounting Quote at Midwest CPA?
Chris Barrett
How Midwest CPA Pricing Works for Small Business Accounting Services
Starting or running a small business means balancing growth, cash flow, and operational priorities. One key partner in that journey is your accountant or CPA.
Perhaps you’re just looking into your small business accounting options, or maybe you’ve already decided to check out our pricing guide to compare it with other options out there, and want to know why different firms charge so differently.
In this post, we’ll walk you through the details from our recent video on how Midwest CPA determines pricing for monthly accounting services. You’ll learn what drives the costs, what’s included in each of our service tiers, and why our fixed‑fee model offers clarity and consistency for business owners.
What Determines Your Monthly Accounting Quote
When we build your monthly accounting proposal, we don’t use a one‑size‑fits‑all formula. Instead, we assess several key factors to understand your needs and scope the work appropriately.
Key Factors That Influence Pricing
- Volume of transactions — The number of sales, expenses, transfers, etc.
- Number of bank accounts, credit cards, and loans to reconcile
- Complexity and frequency of reconciliations or adjustments
- Sales tax and multi‑state filing requirements
- Whether your business sells in multiple states or has nexus concerns
Each of these elements adds workload, risk, and oversight, which is reflected in the final quote.
Scope of Required Tax Services
We also assess your tax needs, including:
- How complex your business tax return is
- How many states are involved
- Whether you need sales tax returns, quarterly estimates, and more
- Whether you have any special deductions, credits, or industry-specific complications
Additional Advisory Services
Beyond bookkeeping and tax compliance, many clients require higher-level guidance. That’s where add-on service considerations come in:
- Fractional CFO support (strategy, cash management, financial leadership)
- 13‑week rolling cash forecasts and weekly updates
- Budgeting, scenario modeling, and KPIs tracking
All of these increase the level of involvement, foresight, and responsiveness we provide.
Because of the many variables, we prefer to connect with each prospective client individually. That way, we can make sure your package fits your situation, not someone else’s.
Understanding Our Tiered Service Packages
We’ve structured our service into three tiers so you can choose the level of support that matches where you are in your business journey.
Starter Package ($650 – $1,200 / month)
- Monthly accounting
- Payroll/1099 filings
- Business Tax prep
- Quarterly meetings to review financials
- Proactive tax planning
This tier is ideal if you want dependable financials, accurate taxes, and a baseline level of support without advanced advisory.
Accelerate Package ($1,200 – $2,500 / month)
- Full accrual accounting (not just cash basis)
- Weekly accounts payable support
- Weekly bookkeeping adjustments
- Customized management reports each month
- Receipt and expense management
This is for businesses growing in complexity, where clean, actionable reporting matters, and cash basis accounting no longer suffices.
Launch Package ($2,500 – $5,000 / month)
- Weekly cash flow forecasts
- Monthly advisory calls
- Ongoing fractional CFO guidance aligned with your goals
- In-depth financial analysis and dashboard
- Annual budget creation
This is for businesses that want to use their accounting as a strategic tool, not just a compliance necessity.
The exact price depends on complexity, scale, systems, and how many moving parts your business has.
Additional Costs to Consider
Even with your primary monthly accounting fee set, there are two other common expenses new clients often encounter.
Onboarding Fee
To integrate your systems, set up QuickBooks (or your accounting software), configure your chart of accounts, and get everything aligned, we charge an onboarding fee. In most cases, this is about two times your monthly service fee.
Cleanup Fee
If your books are behind or have errors, we’ll need to get you caught up. Cleanup is billed by the number of months behind × your monthly bookkeeping rate. For example, if your cleanup involves six months and your monthly rate is $1,000, cleanup would cost $6,000.
Why Midwest CPA Is Different
Fixed Fee Model
We believe in predictability. Unlike firms that charge by hour or slip in extra billing, you pay one flat, agreed-upon rate. No surprise bills for brief calls or emails.
Year-Round Engagement
We don’t do just annual tax work for any clients. Our model is built to partner with you every month. That way we can be proactive for you and your business accounting. We’re here offering insight, preventing issues, and responding quickly when things change.
Small Business Expertise & Responsiveness
We focus on small business owners. You’ll always deal with someone who understands your challenges, not just a tax preparer. We pride ourselves on fast responses, clear communication, and aligning with your goals.
Clients often tell us that this structure gives them peace of mind, freeing them to focus on what they do best.
Ready to Get Started? Let’s Talk
Curious to see what it would look like for your specific business? Let’s schedule a call. We’ll review your current bookkeeping, prior tax returns, your goals, and your challenges. Then we’ll craft a custom quote so you know exactly what you’d pay—and get—month to month.
Click here to book a discovery call. We look forward to helping you build financial clarity and confidence.
Disclaimer
The content contained in this blog post is intended for general informational purposes only and is not meant to constitute legal, tax, accounting, or investment advice. You should consult a qualified legal or tax professional regarding your specific situation.