Startup accounting
Startup Accounting Services
Accrual bookkeeping, monthly close, tax, and investor-ready financials — built for venture-backed and high-growth startups from pre-seed through Series A.
What you get
The four pillars of startup accounting
Accrual bookkeeping
Chart of accounts built for SaaS, marketplace, hardware, or biotech — not a generic template.
Monthly close in 10 days
Bank, credit card, payroll, equity, and revenue tied out by the 10th business day.
Investor-ready reporting
P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, burn, runway, and KPI pack delivered every month.
Tax + R&D credit
Federal, state, Delaware franchise, §174, and the R&D payroll-tax offset — coordinated, not siloed.
Scope
Included in a typical engagement
Most startup accounting retainers bundle bookkeeping, payroll posting, tax, and reporting under one fixed monthly fee.
- Cloud accounting setup (QuickBooks Online or Xero) and chart-of-accounts design
- Bank, credit card, Stripe, and merchant processor reconciliations
- Accrual revenue recognition under ASC 606 (per contract)
- Accounts payable workflow with Bill.com or Ramp
- Payroll posting + equity comp expense from Gusto / Rippling / Deel / Carta
- Monthly P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, and management commentary
- Sales-tax nexus monitoring and registration support
- Annual federal + state income tax preparation (1120 / 1120-S / 1065)
- Delaware franchise tax filed under the assumed-par method
- R&D tax credit study and Form 6765 / Form 8974 filing
Pricing
What startup accounting typically costs
Pricing is bundled, not hourly. Tier depends on revenue, headcount, payroll states, equity activity, and audit readiness.
Pre-seed
$400–1,500 / mo
Founder + 1–3 teammates, pre-revenue or early MRR. Books, payroll posting, year-end tax.
Seed
$1,500–4,000 / mo
Closed seed round, 5–15 employees. Adds R&D credit, deferred revenue, KPI pack, fractional controller.
Series A+
$4,000–15,000+ / mo
Audit-ready financials, board reporting, multi-state payroll, 409A coordination, fractional CFO option.
FAQ
Startup accounting questions
What's included in startup accounting services?+
Cloud bookkeeping, monthly close, accrual revenue recognition, payroll and equity-comp posting, AP workflow, sales-tax tracking, and annual tax filings — all coordinated by a single team.
How is this different from a bookkeeper?+
A bookkeeper records transactions. A startup accounting service closes the books to accrual GAAP, ties out equity and revenue, files taxes, and produces the reports investors and auditors actually expect.
Do you work in QuickBooks Online, Xero, or NetSuite?+
Most pre-seed and seed startups run on QuickBooks Online or Xero. NetSuite or Sage Intacct usually only makes sense after Series B or with complex multi-entity needs.
Can you clean up months of behind books?+
Yes — most firms scope a fixed-fee catch-up project before starting the monthly retainer so opening balances are reliable from day one.
How quickly do you close the month?+
A well-run startup accounting team closes books by the 10th business day. Anything past day 15 usually means the chart of accounts or revenue recognition is still being patched.
Do you also handle taxes, or do I need a separate CPA?+
Strong startup accounting firms file federal, state, Delaware franchise, sales tax, and the R&D credit in-house. That avoids handoff errors between bookkeeper and CPA.
Vetting checklist
Questions to ask a startup CPA
- 1How many venture-backed or high-growth startups do you currently work with?
- 2Do you handle R&D credit, §174 capitalization, and Delaware franchise tax in-house?
- 3What's your monthly close timeline, and what does the deliverable pack include?
- 4Can you support a future audit, 409A valuation, and equity comp accounting?
- 5How is pricing structured as we grow from pre-seed to Series A?
Featured Professionals
Featured startup CPAs and firms
Verified professionals will appear here as profiles are claimed and reviewed.
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By city
Find this service by city
Houston, TX
Houston CPAs serve energy, healthcare, and the city's vast small-business community.
Dallas, TX
Dallas accounting firms anchor finance, real estate, and corporate headquarters across DFW.
Los Angeles, CA
LA's accountants specialize in entertainment, real estate, and creative-industry tax planning.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco CPAs serve startups, venture-backed companies, and complex equity-comp clients.
New York City, NY
NYC's accountants cover Wall Street, media, real estate, hospitality, and the small businesses of all five boroughs.
Miami, FL
Miami's CPAs specialize in international tax, real estate, hospitality, and Latin American business.
Chicago, IL
Chicago accountants serve professional services, manufacturing, logistics, and the Midwest's largest corporate base.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta's CPAs support film, fintech, logistics, and one of the country's most dynamic small-business scenes.
Boston, MA
Boston-area accountants serve life sciences, higher education, financial services, and innovation-economy startups.
Seattle, WA
Seattle CPAs serve tech, aerospace, and the Pacific Northwest's deep entrepreneurial bench.
Washington DC, DC
Washington DC accountants serve federal contractors, nonprofits, associations, and the law firms that anchor the capital's economy.
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore CPAs serve healthcare systems, port and logistics operators, biotech, and the city's deep nonprofit and higher-ed community.
Startup cluster
Explore related startup guides
CPA for Startups
Hub: find startup CPAs and accounting firms.
Read guideStartup Bookkeeping Services
Accrual books, ASC 606, and Stripe / Shopify clean-up.
Read guideStartup Payroll Services
Gusto, Rippling, Deel, equity comp, multi-state.
Read guideStartup Tax Planning
Delaware franchise, §174, R&D credit, QSBS.
Read guideStartup Accounting Checklist
Stage-by-stage finance setup, pre-seed through Series A.
Read guideCPA for SaaS Startups
ASC 606, MRR/ARR, NRR, Rule of 40.
Read guideCPA for Tech Startups
Marketplace, hardware, AI, fintech tax and books.
Read guideCPA for Funded Startups
Audit prep, 409A, board reporting, fractional CFO.
Read guideFree download
Startup CPA-Ready Finance Checklist
A founder's checklist for bookkeeping, payroll, tax planning, financial statements, and investor-ready accounting — what your CPA wishes you had before your next close, board meeting, or fundraise.
- Bookkeeping foundations & monthly close
- Payroll, equity comp & 1099 workflow
- Tax planning: §174, R&D credit, QSBS
- Investor-ready statements & KPI pack
Find a Startup CPA
Browse vetted CPAs and accounting firms that already serve venture-backed and high-growth startups.
Find a Startup CPAStartup Accounting Checklist
The stage-by-stage finance setup founders use from incorporation through Series A — bookkeeping, payroll, tax, and reporting.
Download the Checklist