Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions we hear most. If yours isn’t here, email us.
What is catch-up bookkeeping?
It’s getting books that stopped being maintained back to current: every transaction categorized, every account reconciled, and a clean set of monthly statements for the period you were behind. It’s project work with a start and an end — you’re not signing up for anything monthly.
How much does a cleanup cost?
Simple books with no payroll start at $300 for every month you’re behind. A small business with payroll starts at $600 per month behind. If your records need real rebuilding — missing paperwork, no bank feeds — that’s billed at $125 an hour with a written not-to-exceed. The minimum project is $750, and most catch-up projects run $1,000–$3,600. Every quote is in writing and paid upfront.
Why is a cleanup paid upfront?
Because it’s a fixed-scope project. We agree the scope and the price in writing, you pay, we do the work, and you get current books. That keeps the price honest in both directions: no hourly meter running while we work, and no surprise invoice at the end.
Do I have to sign up for monthly bookkeeping?
No. If the cleanup goes well and you’d like your books kept current, we’ll talk about a monthly plan then — after we’ve worked together once, not before. Plans run $350, $700 or $1,300 a month, and we’ll tell you which one fits once we’ve seen your books.
Why not just use a cheap online bookkeeping service?
Some cost less on paper. But a subscription is software with a support queue behind it. One of the best-known, Bench, shut down without warning in December 2024 and left its customers looking for a new bookkeeper overnight; it has since relaunched under new ownership. That’s the risk of handing your books to software instead of a person. Square One is a real person in Covina you can reach.
Do you prepare tax returns?
Not at this time. We do bookkeeping and payroll. What we can do is hand your tax preparer a clean year-end packet ($250), which makes filing faster and usually cheaper.
Do I need to be in Covina?
No. We’re based in Covina and work with businesses across the San Gabriel Valley, but everything we do works remotely. Local clients get a local relationship; everyone else gets the same work done securely online.
What do you need from me to get started?
Bank and credit card statements for the period we’re catching up, access to your accounting software and bank feeds, and a short conversation about how your business runs. We’ll send you a checklist first — it’s also in the Forms Library.
How do I reach you?
Email customerservice@squareoneallbiz.com. We read and reply to every message.
Didn’t find your answer? Email us.