Accounting, payroll and tax
Small business accounting and tax in one monthly package
Monthly packages from $800 to $6,000 a month. Every package includes tax planning, your business tax return and the owners’ individual returns, so you can run the business with confidence in your numbers.
- One monthly fee, quoted in writing
- Tax returns included in every package
- $800–$6,000per month, depending on your package
- 3 packagesStarter, Accelerate and Launch
- Tax includedtax planning and owners’ returns in every package
- Nationwideremote team, clients across the US
What’s included
What’s in every package
One team keeps your books, runs payroll if you add it, and prepares your returns, so year-end isn’t a separate project.
Monthly bookkeeping and accounting
Books reconciled and closed every month.
1099 filing
1099s filed on schedule. Payroll through Gusto is an optional add-on.
QuickBooks support
Help with QuickBooks Online included.
Tax planning
Planning during the year, not just at filing time.
Your business tax return
Built from books we’ve kept all year.
Owners’ individual returns
Included, not billed separately.
We prepare business tax returns only for our monthly accounting clients. We don’t take on tax-only work.
More detail: Bookkeeping and accounting · Payroll · Business tax.
Packages
Choose your package
Your package sets what’s included. Transaction volume, entities and payroll set where you land in the range.
Starter
$800–$1,500
per month
Simple, cash-basis businesses
- Monthly accounting (cash basis)
- 1099 filing
- QuickBooks support
- Business tax return and tax planning
- Owners’ individual tax returns
- Quarterly advisory calls
Accelerate
$1,500–$3,500
per month
Growing businesses that need accrual books and weekly bookkeeping
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Full accrual accounting
- Weekly bookkeeping adjustments
- Weekly accounts payable
- Custom management reporting
- Receipt management
Launch
$3,000–$6,000
per month
Owners who want forecasting, budgets and monthly advisory
- Everything in Accelerate, plus:
- Monthly advisory calls
- Weekly cash forecasting
- Financial dashboard
- Annual budget
- In-depth financial analysis
One-time onboarding is 1–2× your monthly rate. If your books are behind, catch-up work is quoted before we start.
Beyond the package
When you need more
Quoted by scope
Fractional CFO
Forecasting, budgeting and decision support for owners who need more than the Launch package.
Quoted by scope
Accounting system setup
A new entity, a recent acquisition, or systems you’ve outgrown. We set up accounting that fits how you run the business.
Just bought a business?
From diligence to monthly books
Many of our monthly clients started with a quality of earnings report. The team that did your diligence can keep your books after the close.
Getting started
How it works
- 1
Free call
We look at your books, payroll and entities and recommend a package.
- 2
Package and price in writing
You get a monthly quote before we start, plus any one-time onboarding or catch-up work.
- 3
Onboarding
We review your existing books, connect QuickBooks Online (and Gusto, if you add payroll), and clean up your chart of accounts.
- 4
Monthly close, payroll and tax
Books closed each month, payroll on schedule if you add it, and tax planning and returns built from the same books.
Client perspectives
From owners who work with us every month
“Been working with Chris at Midwest CPA for a few months now. Whenever we have a question Chris is quick to respond. We find him to be very meticulous and efficient in all aspects of our business. Our only regret is that we didn’t find him sooner.”
“Chris ran our quality of earnings engagement and we kept him on for bookkeeping post-close. … Gonna handled some time-sensitive cleanup right before close and turned it around fast enough that we didn’t push the closing date.”
“He started as my financial due diligence provider, putting together a comprehensive QoE, and has become a trusted partner that I plan to use for all bookkeeping and financial operations post-acquisition.”
“We are now using them for our other company and utilizing CFO services they offer.”
Guides
Related reading
Pricing
What determines your accounting quote
How packages, volume and catch-up work set your monthly price.
Accounting
Cash vs. accrual: why revenue recognition matters
When cash-basis books stop telling you the full story.
Contractors
Your jobs look profitable. So why is cash tight?
How a WIP report shows over- and underbilling before it hits cash.
FAQ
Small business accounting: frequently asked questions
How much does monthly accounting cost?
At Midwest CPA, monthly accounting runs $800 to $6,000 a month and includes bookkeeping, 1099 filing, tax planning, your business tax return and the owners’ individual tax returns. Payroll through Gusto is an optional add-on. Where you land depends on your package and your transaction volume, entities and payroll. See pricing.
Is tax preparation included?
Yes. Your business tax return, tax planning and the owners’ individual tax returns are included in every package: Starter, Accelerate and Launch. There’s no separate year-end bill.
Do you prepare tax returns without monthly accounting?
No. We prepare business tax returns only for our monthly accounting clients, because the return is built from books we’ve kept all year.
Is payroll included?
Not automatically. Payroll through Gusto is an optional add-on, available only to monthly accounting clients and quoted with your package. We don’t offer payroll on its own. 1099 filing is included in every package.
What does it cost to get started?
There’s a one-time onboarding fee equal to 1–2 times your monthly rate, depending on complexity. It covers reviewing your existing books, connecting QuickBooks Online (and Gusto, if you add payroll), and cleaning up your chart of accounts. If your books are behind, catch-up work is your monthly rate times the months we’re catching up, quoted before we start.
What size businesses do you work with?
Most of our monthly clients do between $500,000 and $10 million or more in annual revenue. If you’re under about $500,000 with simple books, you may not need a CPA firm yet, and we’ll tell you so.
Can I change packages as my business grows?
Yes. Your price changes when the work changes, for example when you add an entity, start carrying inventory or move up to Accelerate or Launch.
Do you only work with businesses in one state?
No. We’re a remote firm serving clients nationwide.