Monthly bookkeeping for Cleveland small businesses, done by a local CPA, for a flat fee that starts at $350 a month. Your books are reconciled every month, your financial statements arrive on a schedule, and the same person who keeps the books prepares the tax return, so nothing gets rebuilt in March.
Call (216) 249-6013 or request a quote. Most quotes go out the same day.
Who this is for
Owner-run businesses across Cleveland and Cuyahoga County that have outgrown a shoebox or a part-time bookkeeper: contractors and trades, restaurants and cafes, medical and dental practices, consultants and agencies, e-commerce sellers, and landlords with a handful of properties. If you have somewhere between 50 and 1,000 transactions a month and you are tired of not knowing your numbers until tax time, this is built for you.
What is included every month
- Every bank, credit card, and loan account reconciled to the statement
- Transactions categorized correctly for Ohio and federal tax purposes, not just “close enough”
- Profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash summary delivered by the 15th of the following month
- Sales tax tracked by county so Ohio filings are right the first time
- Payroll liabilities and 1099 contractors tracked all year, so January is quiet
- RITA, CCA, and Ohio CAT obligations flagged before they are due
- A short note each month on anything unusual: a margin that moved, a vendor that doubled, cash that is tightening
- Questions answered within one business day, by me, not a ticket queue
What it costs
Bookkeeping starts at $350 per month and is quoted as a flat fee before any work begins. The price depends on transaction volume, the number of accounts, and whether you need accrual-basis reporting, inventory, or job costing. There are no hourly charges and no surprise invoices. Catch-up bookkeeping for prior months or years is quoted separately as a one-time project.
Tax return preparation is priced on its own: individual returns from $800 and business returns from $1,500. Tax planning is a separate engagement. Full pricing is on the Services page.
QuickBooks Online and Xero
I work in QuickBooks Online and Xero, whichever you already use. If your file is a mess, the first month includes a cleanup of the chart of accounts, duplicate transactions, and old uncleared items. If you are starting fresh, I set the file up correctly for an Ohio business from day one, including the cash versus accrual decision, which I have written about in detail: cash vs accrual in QuickBooks and Xero.
Why a local CPA instead of a national bookkeeping service
National services assign you a rotating bookkeeper in another state who has never heard of RITA. Ohio has layers that trip up out-of-state bookkeepers every year: municipal net profit tax that depends on where your employees work, the Commercial Activity Tax with its own thresholds, county-by-county sales tax rates, and Ohio’s pass-through entity tax election. I grew up in Cleveland, I have practiced here for more than fifteen years, and my office is on Enterprise Parkway in Beachwood, a short drive from most of my clients. When something needs a conversation, we have it in person.
How we start
- A 20-minute call. You describe the business and send read-only access to your accounting file and the last tax return.
- A written quote within a day. Flat monthly fee, what is included, and a one-time catch-up price if prior months need work.
- Onboarding in the first two weeks. Bank feeds connected, chart of accounts fixed, prior months reconciled.
- A monthly rhythm after that. Statements by the 15th, a short note on what matters, and a call whenever you want one.
Service area
Based in Beachwood, serving all of Cleveland and the east side: Beachwood, Shaker Heights, Solon, Chagrin Falls, Pepper Pike, Mayfield Heights, and Cleveland Heights, and on the west side Strongsville and Rocky River, plus the rest of Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake counties. Everything runs on secure cloud software, so clients anywhere in Northeast Ohio get the same service.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bookkeeper cost in Cleveland?
Freelance bookkeepers in the Cleveland area typically charge by the hour, and national online services run several hundred dollars a month with a rotating team. My bookkeeping starts at $350 a month, flat, with a CPA doing the work.
Can you catch up two years of books?
Yes. Catch-up work is quoted as a one-time project based on the number of months and accounts, and it usually takes two to six weeks.
Do I have to switch software?
No. I work in QuickBooks Online and Xero. If you are on desktop QuickBooks or spreadsheets, I will recommend a move and handle the migration.
Do you handle payroll?
I track payroll liabilities and reconcile payroll reports every month. Payroll processing itself runs through your existing provider, and I make sure it ties out.
Will you also do my taxes?
Yes, and that is the point. Clean books all year mean the return is prepared from numbers I already trust, for a flat fee quoted in advance.
Get a quote
Call (216) 249-6013, email, or use the contact form. Josh Katz, CPA, 3401 Enterprise Pkwy, Suite 340-387, Beachwood, OH 44122.
