Accountant Services for Small Business: Bookkeeping, Tax, and Payroll From One Team
Most firms sell you one slice: a bookkeeper here, a tax preparer there, a payroll vendor somewhere else, and you carry the story between them. Taxstra runs the whole back office. One team closes your books every month, keeps your ADP payroll in sync, files your taxes in-house, and flags planning moves while there is still time to act. Small business bookkeeping and tax services, plus payroll coordination, from one accountable team.
Most clients reclaim 12-20 hours a month and can save tens of thousands in taxes.
Book a free 30-minute consultation with our team to discuss your needs, our services, and whether Taxstra is a fit. Tax advice, document reviews, and analysis require a paid engagement.
Common Questions We Answer
- What accountant services does a small business actually need?
- How do QuickBooks Online and ADP payroll work together?
- How do my books, my taxes, and my planning stay connected?
- What would accounting, tax, and advisory cost for my business?
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Accountant services for small business, done properly, are three services that only work when they share one set of books: bookkeeping that closes every month on a calendar, tax preparation and planning that run on those current numbers, and payroll that posts into the same ledger without anyone re-keying it. Buy them from three vendors and you become the messenger between them. Buy accounting and tax services for small business as one engagement and problems get caught in the month they happen, not at filing time.
This page covers Taxstra's full-stack engagement: who it fits, exactly what you get, how onboarding works, and what drives the price. If you are only comparing the monthly accounting operating model itself, the close process, controls, and reporting, see our outsourced accounting services page. If you want the bookkeeping layer on its own first, start with small business bookkeeping services. For the broader picture of what an accountant does for an owner-led company, see the accountant for small business hub.
More than bookkeeping: everything connected
You get a complete, done-for-you accounting function: your books, your taxes, and year-round advice, handled by the same team, not a basic app that categorizes transactions and stops there.
Never touch QuickBooks again
Hand off the whole file. We own categorization, monthly reconciliations, and a clean close every period, delivered by the 20th of the following month, without you lifting a finger.
Payroll that just reconciles
Your ADP payroll flows straight into your books. Wages, taxes, and liabilities post automatically, so there is no double entry and no quarter-end cleanup landing on you.
Books, taxes, and advice: one team
The same people who keep your books file your return and flag planning moves during the year, so nothing gets lost in a handoff and April brings no surprises.
Numbers you can act on
A full monthly financial package, profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, with plain-English commentary, so you always know what you can safely pay yourself.
The full stack: bookkeeping, tax, and advisory
Three layers, one set of books, one accountable team. Each layer has its own deep-dive page if you want the detail.
Bookkeeping: the monthly close
Every account reconciled, every transaction categorized, and your financial statements delivered by the 20th of the following month on a fixed close calendar. This is the data layer everything else stands on.
See how the monthly close worksTax: preparation plus planning
Your business and owner returns prepared in-house by the team that already knows your books, and planning conversations during the year, entity structure, owner compensation, estimated payments, purchases, while there is still time to act.
See business tax planningAdvisory: what the numbers mean
Plain-English monthly commentary comes standard. When you need forecasting, KPI reporting, and modeled decisions on hiring, pricing, or financing, the CFO layer bolts onto the same books.
See fractional CFO servicesEvery month ends with the three financial statements, profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow, reconciled, CPA-reviewed, and delivered by the 20th of the following month with plain-English commentary.
Small business accounting and bookkeeping services: what is included
The monthly scope is the same for every client. Transaction volume, entities, and payroll change how much work it takes, not what you receive.
Books more than a couple of months behind? We start with a separately quoted bookkeeping cleanup so the monthly service begins from reconciled numbers. If you only need the ledger kept and want to keep your current tax preparer, outsourced bookkeeping is the smaller scope.
Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services from one team
Who owns what, how often it happens, and what lands in your inbox. Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services run on one calendar because they run on one set of books.
| Function | Cadence | Deliverable | Who owns it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping | Monthly close on a fixed calendar | Reconciled accounts, categorized transactions, and the profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow statement by the 20th of the following month | Your dedicated bookkeeping team |
| Payroll coordination | Every pay run, plus quarterly and year-end filings | ADP payroll posted to QuickBooks Online, wages and liabilities reconciled, quarterly Form 941 and year-end W-2 and 1099 filings coordinated | ADP processes; Taxstra reconciles and coordinates |
| Tax preparation | Annually, on books that are already closed | Business return (Form 1120-S, Form 1065, or Schedule C) and the owner's return, prepared and reviewed in-house | Taxstra CPAs |
| Tax planning | Quarterly, and whenever a decision comes up | Estimated payment calculations, entity and owner compensation review, and purchase or timing decisions modeled before year end | Taxstra CPAs |
| Advisory | Monthly commentary standard; CFO layer optional | Plain-English notes with every statement package; forecasting and KPI reporting on the fractional CFO tier | Your accounting manager, with a CPA |
| Compliance calendar | Ongoing | One list of federal and state filing deadlines, tracked and met by the team instead of by you | Taxstra |
Planning questions that outgrow the monthly commentary, such as entity changes, owner pay, retirement plan design, or multi-state exposure, route to a small business tax advisor on the same team, working from the same books.
Payroll and accounting services for small business
Payroll is where a two-vendor setup breaks most often. The payroll company files the returns, the bookkeeper never sees the liabilities, and the tax preparer discovers in April that officer wages on the W-2 do not match the books. Payroll and accounting services for small business have to share a ledger, which is why we run payroll through ADP and post it straight into QuickBooks Online. Wages, employer taxes, and withholding liabilities land in the right accounts every pay run, with no double entry.
The split is simple. ADP processes the pay runs, makes the tax deposits, and files the quarterly and year-end payroll returns. We map the integration, reconcile every payroll liability against the bank each month, keep contractor payments tracked for year-end 1099 reporting, and make sure officer salary and owner benefits are coded so the return is right the first time. If you are not on ADP yet, we set it up during onboarding.
What doing your own books is really costing you
Whether it's you at midnight or your receptionist squeezing it in between calls, DIY books carry a hidden price.
Lost deductions
Untrained eyes miss the S-corp salary review, the QBI deduction, and home-office or vehicle write-offs, so you quietly overpay the IRS every year.
Lost hours
The 12 to 20 hours a month spent categorizing transactions and chasing receipts is time you never get back.
Lost focus
Every hour you or your team spend on the books is an hour not spent on sales, customers, and the work that actually grows revenue.
Want the comparison in dollars for your own volume? Run the bookkeeping cost calculator.
Why one team for books and taxes saves you money
A basic bookkeeping app categorizes transactions and stops there. Then a separate CPA does your taxes, and the two never talk. You forward emails, re-explain your business twice, and find out about problems at filing time, when it is too late to fix them. At Taxstra, the same team does your books and your taxes, so we catch the missed S-corp salary, the QBI deduction, or the payroll-tax slip before the return, not after.
How they compare
Basic bookkeeping app
DIY / doing nothing
Who This Is For
Our accounting service is built for established businesses that want a proactive partner, not just a number-cruncher: typically owner-led companies with real monthly activity, payroll or contractors, and a tax return that deserves better than a March scramble.
Growing Businesses
Clean, monthly-closed books that keep you tax-ready year round and surface the numbers that drive decisions.
Owners Tired of DIY Bookkeeping
Hand off the QuickBooks Online file, reconciliations, and month-end close to a dedicated team.
Companies Running Payroll
Your ADP payroll synced straight into your books, with no double entry and no quarter-end surprises.
Clients Who Want One Firm
One team for accounting, tax, and advice, so your books and your return are always in sync.
Who this is not for
We'd rather tell you now than be the wrong fit later. This probably isn't for you if you're:
Pre-Revenue Businesses
If there is little or no monthly activity yet, you do not need a full monthly close just yet.
Bargain Hunters
If you only want the cheapest possible data entry, a basic app will beat us on price.
Committed DIYers
If you would rather keep doing the books yourself, this is not it. We take the work off your plate.
Tied to Other Software
We run on QuickBooks Online and ADP. If you will not move off other tools, we are not the fit.
How We Onboard Your Accounting
Switching your accounting to a new firm should feel easy. Here's exactly what happens from the moment you book until your books are running on autopilot.
Switching from your current bookkeeper or QuickBooks takes you about an hour. We migrate your file and map out any catch-up work, which is quoted separately.
Understand Your Needs
We start with what your business actually needs: your transaction volume, how you pay your team, the entities involved, and the reporting that would help you make decisions. That shapes the right QuickBooks Online and ADP setup for you, whether you're already running them or starting fresh.
Setup & Integration
We get QuickBooks Online dialed in and connect your ADP payroll so it posts automatically, so your books, payroll, and tax records all start speaking the same language. Any backlog catch-up is a separate, quoted project. If you want to see how we structure the accounts before we touch your file, our chart of accounts setup guide walks through it.
Monthly Close & Reporting
Every month we reconcile, close the books, and deliver your profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow statement by the 20th of the following month. Your dedicated team keeps everything accurate and answers questions as they come up.
Year-Round Tax Sync
Because the same team handles your taxes, your books stay tax-ready all year. When filing season comes, there's no scramble and no outside CPA, just a return built on numbers we already know cold.
What it costs, and what doing nothing costs
Most owners don't pay for accounting on an invoice. They pay for it in penalties, overpaid tax, and lost weekends, usually more than the fee itself.
The cost of standing still
- IRS penalties and interest for late or incorrect filings, which can run into the thousands
- Tax overpaid on deductions no one caught, often $5,000 to $15,000 a year for an S-corp owner
- Rush CPA fees to clean up the books in April, often $150 to $400 an hour
- 12 to 20 hours a month buried in QuickBooks, time typically worth $200 an hour or more to you as the owner
Your flat monthly price
One flat fee
Scoped to your transaction volume and payroll, and quoted after a free initial consultation: books, taxes, and ADP coordination handled by one team. No hourly billing, no April surprises.
- Monthly bookkeeping and a clean close by the 20th
- Your business return, filed in-house
- ADP payroll kept in sync
- A team that catches problems monthly
What moves the price
Four factors: transaction volume across your accounts, payroll and contractor headcount, the number of entities involved, and how much advisory and planning responsibility the engagement carries. We quote a flat fee after a fit assessment on your free call, and any historical cleanup is a separately quoted one-time project.
Want to see the underlying tools first? Our free business budget template and AR aging template and collections workflow show the same structure we build into a monthly close.
Deeper in the industries we know best
Generic accounting misses industry economics. These are the niches where our accounting and tax work goes deepest.
Real Estate Investors
Property-level books, depreciation strategy, and portfolio reporting.
Learn More →Physicians & Practices
Practice accounting and high-income owner tax planning.
Learn More →Dental Practices
Production-to-collections reconciliation and location reporting.
Learn More →Professional Services
Firms that sell expertise and time, including law and consulting.
Learn More →Outgrowing accounting and into forecasting? See fractional CFO services, or browse everything on the services page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do accountant services for a small business cost at Taxstra?
Fees are fixed after a introductory consultation about the service scope. Scope, entity count, transaction volume, and payroll drive the price, and any historical cleanup is quoted separately as a one-time project. You get one flat monthly fee that covers the books, the payroll coordination, and the return, with no hourly billing.
What do full-service small business accounting services include?
Your books, your taxes, and year-round advice, handled by one team: full-service QuickBooks Online bookkeeping with monthly reconciliations and a clean month-end close delivered by the 20th, ADP payroll integration, monthly financial statements (profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow), and the same team preparing your return and flagging planning moves year round.
What accountant services does a small business need?
Most owner-led businesses need four things: bookkeeping that closes every month, payroll that reconciles to the books, tax preparation for the business and the owner, and someone looking ahead at estimated payments and entity decisions before year end. Small business accounting and bookkeeping services cover the first two; CPA services for small business cover the tax side. Running all four from one set of books is what keeps them from contradicting each other.
Can one firm handle bookkeeping, tax, and payroll?
Yes, and it is the setup we recommend for any business with payroll or more than one entity. At Taxstra, a dedicated bookkeeping team keeps the ledger, ADP processes the pay runs and posts them to QuickBooks Online, and our CPAs prepare and review the returns from those same books. Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services on one calendar means every deadline is tracked by one team.
My current books are a mess. Can you still take me on?
Yes. Getting your books current is a one-time catch-up and cleanup project, priced separately from your monthly service, that we complete before the monthly work begins. Once your QuickBooks is clean and reconciled, we keep it that way every month.
I'm behind on bookkeeping or tax filings. Can you help?
Yes. We handle back books and prior-year returns as a separate catch-up project, then keep you on time going forward. The free 30-minute consultation with our team covers service fit; a detailed backlog assessment requires a paid engagement.
Can I switch to Taxstra in the middle of the year?
Anytime. We migrate your QuickBooks file, pick up where things stand, and reconcile the year so far. You don't have to wait for January 1 to get clean books and one team that owns them.
How do QuickBooks Online and ADP payroll work together?
Your ADP payroll integrates directly with QuickBooks Online. Wages, payroll taxes, and liabilities post automatically into your books, eliminating double entry and keeping payroll and accounting reconciled every period.
Are my books and taxes handled by the same team?
At Taxstra, one team handles both your books and your taxes under a single roof. Because the people doing your accounting are the same people filing your return, your books stay tax-ready all year with no handoffs to an outside CPA.
Do you work with clients outside of Illinois?
Yes. We work with clients in all 50 states. Our fully digital process means location is never a barrier.
See what you're leaving on the table
Book a free 30-minute consultation with our team to discuss your needs, our services, and whether Taxstra is a fit. Tax advice, document reviews, and analysis require a paid engagement.
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