Short answer: Los Angeles owners usually need one of three things: monthly upkeep, a cleanup of wrong books, or a catch-up of missing months. The table below matches your situation to the first service.
Bookkeeping cleanupWhen the books exist but nobody trusts them, cleanup finds what went wrong and fixes it at the source.
Catch-up bookkeepingMonths behind, or a full year, the missing months get entered and reconciled from your statements.
Emergency bookkeepingA deadline that will not move and books that are not ready. Here is how the work gets ordered.
Monthly bookkeepingEvery month categorized, reconciled and closed, so the numbers you look at are numbers you can trust.
QuickBooks cleanupA QuickBooks file that no longer matches the bank, fixed account by account and month by month.
QuickBooks bookkeepingQuickBooks Online kept the way it was meant to be used, so the reports it gives you are right.
Xero bookkeepingXero reconciliation, rules and month end kept current, by bookkeepers who work in Xero every week.
Bank reconciliationIf the books and the bank disagree, every other report is wrong. Reconciliation is where accuracy starts.
Small business bookkeepingFor owner-run companies with a few accounts, a few cards and no time to keep up with either.
Startup bookkeepingBooks an investor can read, kept from the first wire, so diligence is a download and not a rebuild.
Tax-ready booksYour CPA files the return. We hand them books that are finished, reconciled and documented.
R&D tax creditThe research credit rewards real development work. A claim stands on records, and records start with the books.
Guides
- The California LLC $800 tax for Los Angeles ownersAn LLC in the City of Los Angeles answers to the state and the city. Each one measures your business differently.
- Los Angeles business license: the BTRC and your booksIn the City of Los Angeles, the business license is the BTRC. Clean books make the yearly renewal a short job.
- Los Angeles sales tax: rates and what to bookThe LA County rate went up on October 1, 2026. Here is what that changes in your books.
- What to send your bookkeeperA checklist for starting, for each month and for year end, so nothing waits on a missing statement.
Keeping the books current
If your books are in decent shape and you want them to stay that way, start with monthly bookkeeping. Each month is categorized, reconciled to the bank and closed, so the reports mean something.
- Monthly bookkeeping
- Bank reconciliation
- Small business bookkeeping
- Startup bookkeeping
Match your situation to a service
| Your situation | Start with | What you have at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Books are current, but you do them at night | Monthly bookkeeping | A closed month and a P&L you can read by mid-month |
| The bank balance and QuickBooks never agree | Bank reconciliation | Each account tied to its statement, with the gaps listed |
| Reports look wrong and nobody knows why | Bookkeeping cleanup | Corrected balances and a list of what was changed |
| Nothing was entered since some month last year | Catch-up bookkeeping | Every missing month entered and reconciled |
| A CPA, lender or buyer needs numbers soon | Emergency bookkeeping | The reports that deadline asks for, first |
| Year end is close and the CPA sent a request list | Tax-ready books | The year-end package your CPA asked for |
A file can be behind and wrong at the same time. Then catch-up and cleanup happen together, and the first call sorts out the order.
Fixing books that went wrong
If the numbers are wrong, missing or a mystery, start here. Cleanup fixes what is in the file. Catch-up fills in what was never entered. Emergency work is for a deadline that will not move.
- Bookkeeping cleanup
- Catch-up bookkeeping
- Emergency bookkeeping
- QuickBooks cleanup
Software and tax season
We work in the two most common small business ledgers, and we hand your CPA what they need at year end.
- QuickBooks bookkeeping
- Xero bookkeeping
- Tax-ready books
- R&D tax credit support
Questions
Which service should I start with?
If you are more than two or three months behind, start with catch-up or cleanup. If you are current, start with monthly bookkeeping. The call will sort it out quickly.
Can I buy one service without the others?
Yes. Many owners only need a one-time cleanup before tax season. Monthly work is offered after, not required.
Do you serve businesses outside the City of Los Angeles?
Yes, including the Westside, the Valley, the San Gabriel Valley, the Gateway Cities and the South Bay. The work is remote, so location mostly matters for local tax rules.