Question 1

What's the difference between a CPA and a bookkeeper?

Accepted Answer

A bookkeeper records and categorizes transactions; a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a state-licensed accountant who can also represent you before the IRS, sign tax returns, audit financial statements, and provide tax strategy. Bookkeepers cannot legally do those last four. I am a licensed Florida CPA who also handles your monthly bookkeeping — same person on the books and on the tax return.

Question 2

Can a CPA do my bookkeeping?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I am a Florida CPA (license #AC62625) and I personally handle monthly bookkeeping for my small-business clients. Most CPA firms delegate bookkeeping to a junior staff member or refuse it entirely. I built my practice around doing both, because the person who prepares your tax return should be the same person who built the books it is based on.

Question 3

Do I need both a CPA and a bookkeeper?

Accepted Answer

Usually no. Hiring a separate monthly bookkeeper and an annual CPA typically runs $400 to $900 per month for the bookkeeping side alone, plus a tax return on top — and leaves a hand-off gap at year-end where deductions and planning opportunities get missed. I handle the monthly bookkeeping myself starting at $500 per month (CPA review built in), and I prepare your tax return at year-end as a separate quoted engagement. Same person on both sides, no hand-off.

Question 4

Is it cheaper to hire a CPA for bookkeeping?

Accepted Answer

Often yes. A bookkeeper-only service runs $200 to $500 per month, and a CPA then charges $800 or more at tax time to clean up the books before filing. I combine both for a flat $500 per month and up, software included, with no year-end cleanup fee because I am already inside your books all year.

Question 5

Should I hire a bookkeeper or a CPA?

Accepted Answer

Most small businesses do not need both. A bookkeeper alone misses tax planning and cannot represent you before the IRS; a CPA without their hand in the books is reacting to numbers they did not build. If you are trying to decide whether to hire a bookkeeper, the better question is whether you can hire a CPA who also does the bookkeeping — same monthly cost, broader scope, no year-end hand-off.

Question 6

Do you offer bookkeeping services near me?

Accepted Answer

I am based in Mount Dora, FL and work with small businesses across Central Florida — Sanford, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Tavares, Leesburg, and Apopka — plus remote clients nationwide. Everything runs through a secure client portal, so distance is never a barrier.

Question 7

What bookkeeping software do you use?

Accepted Answer

I run client books on Forty Two Six, my in-house bookkeeping platform built specifically for CPA-managed engagements. You do not pay a separate QuickBooks subscription, and you see clean, reconciled monthly financials in your client portal. If you have an existing QuickBooks file you would prefer to keep, I can also work in that.

Question 8

How much does your bookkeeping service cost?

Accepted Answer

CPA-managed monthly bookkeeping starts at $500 per month with no setup fees and no long-term contracts. Pricing scales based on transaction volume, number of accounts, and whether payroll is included. Catch-up bookkeeping is billed at a flat project rate so you know the total cost upfront.

Question 9

What's included in monthly bookkeeping?

Accepted Answer

Daily transaction categorization, bank and credit card reconciliation, monthly Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow statements, in-house bookkeeping software, and ongoing CPA review — all handled by me, a licensed Florida CPA. Many plans also include quarterly tax planning check-ins.

Question 10

What makes this different from outsourced or app-based bookkeeping?

Accepted Answer

Every engagement is handled directly by me, a licensed CPA. I am not a team of bookkeepers overseas, not an app that auto-categorizes without context, and not a junior associate reporting to a partner. Because I handle both your books and your taxes, I catch deductions and planning opportunities bookkeeper-only services miss.

Question 11

Do you offer catch-up bookkeeping?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you are months or years behind, I clean up and reconcile historical records at a flat project rate. Once current, we can transition to monthly service at the standard rate.