Startup CPA
One CPA who handles 83(b), R&D credit, SaaS accounting, founder payroll, and Delaware franchise tax.
A startup CPA does more than file your return. The right one sets books on accrual from day one, owns the 30-day 83(b) clock, files the federal R&D credit and §174 capitalization, runs founder payroll across states, and produces the financials investors expect.
Best for pre-seed through Series B founders who need one accountable CPA across tax, books, and equity.
Entity
Get the legal wrapper right before you raise. A startup CPA models entity types against your fundraising plan, files in Delaware, and protects QSBS from day one.
Books
Accrual books built for investors and auditors — not a generic small-business template.
SaaS
ASC 606 done right — deferred revenue scheduled per contract, recurring revenue rolled forward, retention reported cleanly.
Investors
The monthly pack your board and investors expect — delivered in the first 10 business days of every month.
Payroll
Founder pay, multi-state registration, equity exercises, and the R&D payroll-tax credit — coordinated, not siloed.
83(b)
A missed 83(b) is unfixable and can cost founders six or seven figures at exit. Your CPA owns the 30-day clock.
Tax credits
Qualifying startups can offset up to $500,000/year in payroll taxes using the federal R&D credit — even pre-revenue.
Calendar
The filings every Delaware C-Corp startup needs on the calendar. Miss Mar 1 and you trigger penalties and a bad-standing flag that complicates fundraising.
| Date | Filing |
|---|---|
| Jan 31 | W-2s and 1099-NECs to employees and contractors. |
| Mar 1 | Delaware franchise tax + annual report (use assumed-par to lower the bill). |
| Mar 15 | S-corp and partnership federal returns (1120-S, 1065). |
| Apr 15 | Federal C-corp return (1120), Q1 estimated taxes, FBAR. |
| Apr / Jun / Sep / Jan | Quarterly estimated taxes for C-corps and pass-through founders. |
| Jul / Oct / Apr | Quarterly Form 8974 to claim R&D payroll-tax credit. |
| Oct 15 | Extended C-corp return (1120) — best time to finalize R&D credit study. |
Fundraising
What an institutional lead investor expects to find in your data room — and what your CPA or fractional CFO should produce by default.
Startup playbook
The ten workstreams a venture-backed or high-growth startup needs from its CPA — from pre-revenue close to the fractional CFO upgrade path.
Set books, payroll, and tax IDs up before the first dollar so you don't pay catch-up fees later.
ASC 606 done per contract — not estimated at the invoice level.
Shopify, Amazon, and multi-channel sellers handled with real inventory and sales-tax discipline.
Investor-grade books from the seed round forward — closed and circulated inside 10 business days.
Federal §41 credit, the pre-revenue payroll-tax offset, and §174 capitalization handled together.
A missed 83(b) is unfixable and routinely costs founders six or seven figures at exit.
Reasonable comp, multi-state registration, and equity exercises — coordinated, not siloed.
Most venture-backed startups are Delaware C-Corps — they have their own filing calendar and traps.
A repeatable close inside 10 business days — the cadence investors and auditors expect.
When the books are clean, the next dollar of finance spend should buy strategy — not data entry.
Directory
Specialists vetted on R&D credit, ASC 606, equity compensation, and investor reporting.
Startup cluster
CPA for Startups
The hub — how to vet and choose a startup CPA.
Read guideStartup Accounting Services
Monthly close, GAAP-leaning reporting, advisory.
Read guideStartup Bookkeeping
Accrual COA, ASC 606, Stripe & Shopify recs.
Read guideStartup Payroll
Gusto, Rippling, Deel, multi-state, equity comp.
Read guideStartup Tax Planning
Delaware franchise, §174, R&D credit, QSBS.
Read guideStartup Accounting Checklist
Stage-by-stage finance setup, pre-seed → Series A.
Read guideFractional CFO Services
Runway, board pack, KPI dashboards, fundraising.
Read guideFractional CFO Cost
Pricing tiers and what's included by stage.
Read guideFind a Startup CPA
Tell us your stage, sector, and fundraising plan. We'll match you to vetted startup CPAs and accounting firms who already do this work.
FAQ
Engage a startup CPA before incorporating or right after closing a pre-seed or seed round. Waiting until tax season usually means catch-up bookkeeping fees and missed R&D credits worth up to $500K/year in payroll-tax offset.
Pre-revenue startups typically pay $400–$1,500/month for bookkeeping and tax. Seed-stage runs $1,500–$4,000/month bundled with controller work. Series A+ companies usually pay $4,000–$15,000/month including fractional CFO, audit prep, and R&D credit studies.
An 83(b) election lets founders and early employees pay ordinary-income tax on the value of restricted stock at grant — when it is usually near zero — instead of as it vests. You must file it with the IRS within 30 days of the grant date. Missing the 30-day window is unfixable and can cost founders six or seven figures at exit.
Yes. A strong startup accounting firm files the federal R&D credit, claims the pre-revenue payroll-tax offset (up to $500K/year on Form 8974), and handles §174 R&D capitalization on the income-tax return. Ask for redacted past R&D credit studies before signing.
An investor update typically includes an accrual P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, burn and runway, cash position, MRR/ARR (for SaaS), and a brief KPI commentary. Your CPA should deliver this pack within 10 business days of month-end.
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