Monthly bookkeeping

Monthly bookkeeping, kept current.

Monthly bookkeeping keeps your QuickBooks current every month: every bank and card account reconciled, every transaction categorized, the results reviewed, and a closed month-end package delivered. One specialist — never a rotating pool — owns your file, remote, on a fixed monthly fee, so your numbers stay reconciled month to month.

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Last reviewed October 2026 by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor

What this page is based on: our reconciliation-first methodology and our published monthly floor

Every account reconciled, every month
Fixed monthly fee, not by the hour
One specialist — never a rotating pool

What monthly bookkeeping is

Monthly bookkeeping is the recurring service that keeps your QuickBooks current: every bank and card account reconciled to its statement, every transaction categorized, and each month formally closed so your reports are true at any point in the year.

It is the ongoing counterpart to a one-time cleanup. Where cleanup and catch-up are projects with an end date, the monthly service is a standing cadence — the same disciplined pass over your file, period after period, so the numbers never drift out of date. The output is not just a tidy ledger; it is a set of reconciled, closed financials you can hand to a lender, a CPA, or a decision without a scramble first.

What you get: the month-end package

Month-end close package — sample

SPECIMEN· Sample Company LLC · March 2026 close

Sample month-end close: each account's statement or source balance, the documented timing items, the book balance and the unexplained difference
Account	Statement or source	Timing items	Books	Unexplained difference
Operating checking	$48,215.62	−$1,250.00 check 1047 outstanding; +$830.00 deposit in transit	$47,795.62	$0.00
Savings	$25,000.00	None	$25,000.00	$0.00
Business credit card (owed)	$3,148.90	None	$3,148.90	$0.00
Line of credit (owed)	$12,500.00	None	$12,500.00	$0.00
Payroll liabilities (owed; vs the provider's report)	$4,206.33	None	$4,206.33	$0.00
Sales tax payable (owed; vs the return)	$1,882.41	None	$1,882.41	$0.00

1Reconciliation reports for the four bank, card and loan accounts, each with zero unexplained difference; the checking report lists check 1047 and the March 31 deposit, which clear in April.
2Profit and loss and balance sheet for March, with February beside each for comparison.
3Adjusting entries: 3 (an accrued utility bill, one month of prepaid insurance, depreciation), each with its reason.
4Notes: two vendor bills are past 60 days; Undeposited Funds reconciled to the receipts awaiting deposit at month end (none this month); the period is closed with a closing date.

Illustrative example — not a client file. Every figure is a specimen value. Liabilities are shown as the amount owed. A reconciled account can still have outstanding checks and deposits in transit: documented timing items bridge the statement balance to the ledger balance, as the checking row shows, and the unexplained difference is zero. A real package has the same parts every month: the reconciliations, the two statements, the adjusting entries with reasons, and a short written note.

The month-end package delivered every month contains a reconciliation report for each account, a profit-and-loss statement, a balance sheet, and a short written note on anything unusual.

The same checklist we close against is on our month-end close template page, and as a spreadsheet you can download (CSV).

This is the same deliverable a formal month-end close produces, and it is the record a lender, a tax preparer, or a future you can actually rely on. Nothing is left implicit. If an account didn't reconcile cleanly, the note says why and what we did; if a number moved sharply from last month, it's flagged. The package is built to be picked up cold by your CPA at year-end without a single follow-up question. If you'd rather run the close yourself, the same sequence is public: our month-end close process guide documents each step, the month-end close checklist is the printable working list, and the month-end close template gives you the workpaper to fill in.

Who needs monthly bookkeeping

You need monthly bookkeeping once your business runs enough activity that the books drift when no one tends them — typically past a few dozen transactions a month, or as soon as you add payroll, inventory, or a line of credit.

The trigger is rarely revenue; it is complexity and volume. A consultant with one bank account and ten transactions a month does not need a monthly service. A contractor with a card, a loan, payroll, and job costing does, because every untended week compounds into a reconciliation problem. If you find yourself reconstructing months at tax time, or you can't answer "how did we do last month" without a day of work, you have already outgrown doing it yourself.

What's included every month

Every month of the service covers the same fixed scope, so nothing quietly falls out of your books. We reconcile each account to its statement, categorize the month's transactions, review the results against the prior period, and deliver a closed month-end package. Concretely, a standard month includes:

Reconciliation of every bank, credit-card, and loan account to its statement.
Categorization of every transaction to the correct account, coded consistently month to month.
A review of accounts receivable and payable so nothing is stranded or double-counted.
A profit-and-loss statement and balance sheet, checked against last month for anything out of pattern.
A short written note flagging anything that needs your attention or a decision.

The scope is the same whether the month was quiet or busy — you are paying for a closed, reconciled month, not a variable pile of hours.

How monthly bookkeeping works

The monthly service runs entirely remote: one specialist — never a rotating pool — owns your file, reconciles and closes each month, and uses QuickBooks' accountant access to make and log every correction — never your bank logins.

We pull each month's activity from your bank and card feeds, then reconcile and close it. Nothing moves off your systems: the work happens inside your QuickBooks under accountant access, where every change is logged, and the statements you provide are what the file is tied to. Every change is visible to you in the audit log, and every month is documented in writing, so you are never asked to take the result on faith. Because the same hands handle your file each month, context carries forward — we already know your vendors and categories, so questions get fewer over time rather than starting from zero.

The monthly cycle, close to close

The monthly cycle is the same loop every period: reconcile each account to its statement, categorize the month's transactions, review the P&L and balance sheet for anything out of pattern, then deliver the verified month-end package.

The loop repeats the next month, and the order matters. Reconciliation comes first because it proves the raw data is complete before anything is categorized or reviewed; a P&L built on an unreconciled account is a guess. Only once every account ties to its statement do we code and review, so the financials you receive rest on verified cash. The cycle is deliberately boring, and that is the point: a predictable, repeatable close is what keeps a healthy file healthy.

Working across your time zone

Because the monthly service is remote, your location never limits access. We keep Mon–Sat · 8am–6pm CT: 6am–4pm Pacific, 7am–5pm Mountain, 9am–7pm Eastern.

Remote does not mean absent: you get a written reply within one business day, and you can call during phone hours (Mon–Sat · 8am–6pm CT). You can see exactly where we work and how coverage lands across the map.

Time-zone coverage

Read this as text

Our hours are 8am to 6pm Central, Monday through Saturday. Shaded in each band is the same window in local time: 6am to 4pm Pacific, 7am to 5pm Mountain, 8am to 6pm Central, and 9am to 7pm Eastern. Illustrative.

We keep Mon–Sat · 8am–6pm CT: 6am–4pm Pacific, 7am–5pm Mountain, 9am–7pm Eastern. Illustrative, labeled.

Accrual vs. cash, multi-entity, and other edge cases

Monthly bookkeeping adapts to the harder cases: accrual books where a lender or CPA requires them, multiple entities kept on separate files, and a catch-up first when your file arrives behind.

Most small businesses keep books on a cash basis; we run accrual where a lender, investor, or CPA requires it, or where accrual reflects your operations more honestly than cash. Multiple entities stay on separate files, closed independently, with inter-company items handled deliberately rather than blended by accident. When you come to us behind, we don't start the monthly cycle on a broken file — we catch up the missing months first, as a fixed-scope engagement, and repair anything a cleanup would fix before the recurring close begins. And for seasonal businesses, the fixed monthly fee smooths the work: quiet months cost the same as busy ones, so you are never penalized for a strong season or forgotten in a slow one.

How we're different

QBSpecialist's monthly service differs in three verifiable ways: the same hands do the work start to finish, every account is reconciled before a month is called closed, and the fee is fixed rather than billed by the hour.

You are not handed to a junior each quarter or nickel-and-dimed for questions. If the alternative you're weighing is Intuit's built-in service, our side-by-side of QuickBooks Live vs. an independent bookkeeper is an honest look at where each fits. Our method is the same one we publish openly — every account tied to its statement, the reconciliation is the proof — so you can read exactly how we work before you hire us.

Every account is reconciled before we call a month closed — that is the standing commitment on every monthly engagement, and the reconciliation reports are yours to inspect at any time.

When not to hire us

Don't hire a monthly bookkeeping service — including ours — if your books are genuinely simple: a single checking account, a handful of transactions a month, no payroll, no inventory.

At that size, QuickBooks' own bank feed and an hour of your own time each month will keep you current for less than any service costs. The honest test is whether tending the books yourself costs you real time or real accuracy. If a month takes you fifteen minutes and always ties out, keep doing it — our bookkeeping workflow guide lays out the weekly and monthly routine that keeps a simple file current on your own. If it eats an afternoon, or if you're not sure it ties out at all, that's when a service earns its fee. Not sure which side you're on? Our bookkeeping health score will tell you where your file actually stands.

Which cadence fits

Monthly vs. quarterly vs. DIY

An honest comparison — a slower cadence is cheaper, and truly simple books need no service at all.

Monthly bookkeeping vs. quarterly vs. DIY
	Monthly	Quarterly	DIY
Books current at any moment			It depends
Every account reconciled monthly			It depends
Errors caught while still small		It depends
Lender- or tax-ready on demand		It depends
Demand on your time	Minimal	Some	Ongoing
Best fit	Volume, payroll, or inventory	Low, stable volume	Very simple books
Verdict	Current and hands-off	Cheaper but laggier	Free, if truly simple

The monthly cycle

How each month closes, day by day

Statements post
Days 1–3
Your bank and card statements close and the feeds finish importing the month's activity.
Reconcile
Days 3–6
Every account is tied back to its statement until the difference is zero.
Categorize & review
Days 6–8
Every transaction is coded, then the P&L and balance sheet are reviewed against last month.
Deliver the package
Days 8–10
Your closed month-end package arrives, with a written note on anything worth your attention.

Illustrative day numbers. Your written scope sets the schedule.

See how it works

Scope and acceptance

What monthly bookkeeping covers, and what done means

Monthly bookkeeping: From $400/mo. This is the written scope in short: what is in, what is not, what moves the quote, your part, and the test the work has to pass.

Included: Each month: every bank, card and loan account reconciled, every transaction categorized, receivables and payables reviewed, the profit and loss and balance sheet checked against last month, and a short written note.
Not included: Preparing or filing tax returns and tax advice, running payroll, and any one-time cleanup or catch-up a file needs before the monthly cycle starts.
What changes the quote: Monthly transaction volume, the number of bank and card accounts, and how often you need reports.
Your part: Statements and receipts each month, and answers to the questions in the month's note.
Done means: Each month: every bank, card and loan account in the agreed scope reconciled with zero unexplained reconciliation difference, remaining timing items and unresolved exceptions documented, the month closed, and the package delivered.

What it costs

A fixed monthly fee, set after a free review

Real ranges are set after a free review. The floors shown are published starting points, not a quote for your file. For a rough number first, the monthly bookkeeping cost calculator turns your account count and transaction volume into an estimated range, and what actually drives the fee is broken down on our bookkeeping cost page.

Monthly bookkeeping pricing
Engagement	Starting price	Planned timeline	What's included
Essential monthly	From $400/mo	Ongoing	Up to two accounts, cash basis, core reconciliation and categorization.
Standard monthly	Custom fixed quote	Ongoing	Several accounts, AR/AP review, and a full monthly P&L and balance-sheet package.
Complex / multi-entity	Custom fixed quote	Ongoing	Accrual, multiple entities, payroll, inventory, or class and job tracking.

Get your exact quote

How the fee compares

Our fee starts from $400/mo and is fixed after the free review. For a sourced side-by-side — Intuit's own Expert bookkeeping price, a typical provider (NerdWallet), an hourly freelancer and an in-house hire (Bureau of Labor Statistics) — see what QuickBooks bookkeeping costs elsewhere; the BLS figures themselves are on our bookkeeping statistics page.

What moves the monthly fee

How many accounts are reconciled each month — every bank, card, line of credit and loan is its own tie-out.
Transaction volume. This is the largest driver: the same two accounts at 50 transactions a month and 500 are different engagements.
Cash or accrual. Accrual adds cut-off work every period — accruals, prepayments and deferrals that cash basis never touches.
Payroll and inventory, each of which carries its own monthly reconciliation rather than riding along with the bank feed.
How many entities. Each company file is closed separately, with inter-company items handled deliberately and never netted.
Reporting depth — a P&L and balance sheet, or class, job and property-level reporting a lender or owner actually reads.

The fee is fixed after the free review and does not move because a month ran busy — a quiet month and a heavy one cost the same. If the file is materially behind or wrong, that is a catch-up or a cleanup first: starting a monthly cycle on top of bad opening numbers just carries the problem forward, and we will say so rather than sell you the recurring engagement.

How each month is documented

Who’s responsible for your file
A Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor handles your file from the review through the corrections to the hand-back — the same person throughout, never a rotating pool.
About QBSpecialist
Illustrative example — not a client file.
See a sample month-end package
The exact reconciliation reports and statements you receive at each month's close.
Our methodology
Every account tied to its statement before a month is closed. Read exactly how.
Read the full method
How your data is handled
QuickBooks' accountant access makes and logs every correction — never your bank logins — no data moves off your systems, and every month is documented in writing.

Remote-first, nationwide

Mon–Sat · 8am–6pm CT

We work entirely remote across every U.S. time zone — view-only access for the free review, QuickBooks' accountant access for the monthly work, every change visible to you in the audit log, and a written record of every month.

All 50 states
Remote-first
View-only review

Questions about monthly bookkeeping

How is monthly bookkeeping different from catch-up or cleanup?

A monthly engagement keeps a current file current, month after month. Catch-up enters months that were never recorded; cleanup corrects months recorded wrong.

Do I really need a bookkeeper, or can I do it myself?

If your books are simple — one account, a few transactions, no payroll — QuickBooks' bank feed and an hour a month will keep you current, and you don't need us. Volume, payroll, inventory, or lender reporting are what make a monthly service worth it.

I'm several months behind. Can you still take me on monthly?

Yes, but we catch you up first. We reconcile and close the missing months as a fixed-scope catch-up, then roll straight into the recurring monthly cycle so the file never falls behind again.

Do you keep my books on a cash or accrual basis?

Whichever your business needs. Most small companies run cash basis; we run accrual when a lender, investor, or CPA requires it, or when accrual reflects your operations more honestly than cash. We confirm the basis before the first close.

Do you work in QuickBooks Online and Desktop?

Both. In QuickBooks Online the monthly work runs on QuickBooks' accountant access, which logs every change we make; Desktop runs by screen-share or a hosted file. Fully remote either way, nothing moves off your systems, and every change is visible to you in the audit log.

What does a bookkeeper actually do each month?

Each month we reconcile every bank, card, and loan account to its statement, categorize every transaction, review receivables, payables, and the P&L and balance sheet against the prior month, then deliver a closed month-end package with a short written note on anything unusual. The scope is the same whether the month was quiet or busy.

What do you need from me each month?

Very little once set up: QuickBooks' accountant access so every correction we make is logged in your file — never your bank logins — your monthly bank and card statements, and a quick answer when a transaction needs context we can't infer. Most months need only a few minutes of your time.

How much does monthly bookkeeping cost?

From $400 a month. The fee is fixed after a free review — based on how many accounts you have, your transaction volume, and whether you need accrual, payroll, or multiple entities — and a quiet month costs the same as a busy one. How that compares with Intuit's own bookkeeping service, a typical provider, a freelancer and an in-house hire — each with its published price — is set out on our QuickBooks bookkeeping cost page.

Do you run payroll as part of monthly bookkeeping?

No. Your payroll provider runs payroll and files the payroll returns. Each month we record the payroll correctly in QuickBooks and reconcile the payroll liability accounts and the bank withdrawals to what was actually paid, so the books and the payroll reports agree.

When do I get my financials each month?

Once your bank and card statements post, we reconcile, categorize, and review, and the closed month-end package follows on the delivery day your written scope sets.

Do you file my taxes or act as my accountant?

No. We keep the books your tax preparer or CPA files from — reconciled, closed, and ready to be picked up cold at year-end. We don't file returns or give tax advice.

What time zone do you work in, and when can I reach you?

We keep Mon–Sat · 8am–6pm CT: 6am–4pm Pacific, 7am–5pm Mountain, 9am–7pm Eastern. You get a written reply within one business day.

Can you handle more than one business or entity?

Yes. Each entity is kept on its own file and closed separately, with inter-company items handled deliberately. Multi-entity work is scoped into the monthly fee so nothing is double-counted or blended by accident.

Related work: month-end close, QuickBooks cleanup, and catch-up bookkeeping — all part of our full range of QuickBooks services — or get your free review to scope the monthly fit.

Talk to a QuickBooks specialist.

Describe the file and a specialist will tell you which of these you are dealing with — including when the answer is that you don't need us.

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Monthly bookkeeping, kept current.

Statements post

Reconcile

Categorize & review

Deliver the package

How the fee compares

What moves the monthly fee

Who’s responsible for your file

See a sample month-end package

Our methodology

How your data is handled

More on this topic

Talk to a QuickBooks specialist.