Frequently asked questions

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.

It depends on the amount of work, the size of the business, and the time involved. How many months you’re behind, whether you run payroll, and whether the records need rebuilding all change the answer — so we ask a few questions first, then give you one price. Every quote is in writing and 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.

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. There’s more than one plan, and we’ll tell you which one fits once we’ve seen your books. Like a cleanup, the monthly rate depends on the amount of work, the size of the business, and the time involved — and it’s agreed in writing first.

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 you can reach, based in Covina, serving the San Gabriel Valley and Long Beach–Signal Hill.

Not yet — but we’re working on it. Karla is completing her tax license now, and personal and small-business returns are coming once it’s in hand. Until then we do bookkeeping and payroll, and we hand your tax preparer a clean year-end packet that makes filing faster.

No. We’re based in Covina and work with businesses across the San Gabriel Valley and Long Beach–Signal Hill, but everything we do works remotely. Local clients get a local relationship; everyone else gets the same work done securely online.

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.

Email customerservice@squareoneallbiz.com. We read and reply to every message.