Your books, closed by the 10th.
Software sorts every transaction the day it clears. A bookkeeper reviews what the software isn't sure about. By the 10th business day of each month you get reconciled books and monthly financial statements, for one flat price.
Plans from $149 a month. Month to month. No setup fee for businesses already on QuickBooks Online or Xero.
| Revenue | |
| Service revenue | 24,326.86 |
| Operating expenses | |
| Wages & payroll taxes | 11,027.54 |
| Rent | 3,200.00 |
| Contract labor | 2,073.58 |
| Software, ads, travel, other | 4,177.85 |
| Total operating expenses | 20,478.97 |
| Other income (expense), net | (45.88) |
| Net income | 3,802.01 |
Books your CPA can file from, without a cleanup bill in March.
Every account tied out
Checking, savings, credit cards and loans reconciled to the statement balance, to the cent.
P&L, balance sheet, cash flows
Accrual-basis statements follow US GAAP. Essentials uses the cash basis, which is not GAAP and is labeled as such. Prepared for management use, with month-over-month comparison.
Accruals posted for you
Depreciation, prepaid expenses, open invoices and sales tax reclasses, booked the same way every month.
Contractor tracking
We track which contractors reach $2,000 in 2026 payments (the IRS threshold from 2026), collect W-9s and prepare your 1099-NEC forms for the February 1, 2027 deadline.
One short list, not twenty emails
Anything the software can't classify comes to you once a month as a single checklist you answer in a few minutes.
Tax package for your CPA
Trial balance, fixed asset list and 1099 summary, delivered by January 31 so your tax preparer can start early.
Software does the volume. A person signs off.
Connect read-only
Link your bank and cards with read-only access. We never move money. Bring your QuickBooks Online or Xero file, or start fresh in ours.
Auto-categorized
Each transaction is matched to your chart of accounts. Every correction teaches the rules for your business, so the review list shrinks month after month.
Reviewed
Your bookkeeper checks every low-confidence item, posts adjusting entries and reconciles each account to its statement.
Closed and locked
The month is locked so numbers can't drift. Statements and a short note on what changed go to you and your CPA.
What it costs to keep clean books
| Do it yourself in software | Local part-time bookkeeper | Closewell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $38–$340 for QuickBooks Online or $27–$97 for Xero (list prices, October 2026), plus your time | Hourly; often several hundred dollars a month | $149–$500 flat, published below |
| Who catches mistakes | You, or your CPA at tax time | One person, when they have time | Rules plus a reviewer every month |
| When books are done | Whenever you catch up | Depends on their schedule | 10th business day, in writing |
| Accrual-basis statements | If you know how to set them up | Sometimes | Included from Growth up |
| 1099 tracking | Manual | Varies | Included |
Bookkeeper, CPA, enrolled agent: three different jobs
We keep the books. Licensed professionals do the work only they are allowed to do. Here is where the lines sit.
| Work | Closewell (bookkeeping) | CPA | Enrolled agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed by | No license required for bookkeeping | A state board of accountancy | The IRS |
| Record, categorize and reconcile transactions | Yes, every month | Can, often refers it out | Can, often refers it out |
| Monthly financial statements for management | Yes, with no assurance | Yes | Yes |
| Prepare 1099-NEC and W-9 tracking | Yes (no PTIN needed for the 1099 series) | Yes | Yes |
| Prepare and sign federal tax returns | No | Yes | Yes |
| Represent you before the IRS | No | Yes, any matter | Yes, any matter |
| Audit, review or compilation reports | No | Yes, through a licensed CPA firm | No |
Sources: IRS, Understanding tax return preparer credentials and PTIN requirements.
Priced by how many transactions you have. Nothing hidden.
Essentials
- 1 bank and 1 credit card account
- Monthly reconciliation and close
- Profit & loss and balance sheet
- Cash basis
- 1099 contractor tracking
- Email support, 1 business day
Growth
- Up to 5 accounts
- Accrual basis (US GAAP) with invoices and bills
- Statement of cash flows
- Sales tax tracking, 1 state
- 1099-NEC form preparation
- Quarterly 30-minute review call
Scale
- Unlimited accounts
- Class or location tracking
- Weekly reconciliation
- Budget vs. actual report
- Sales tax, up to 3 states
- Monthly review call
Know your cash three months ahead
Clean books are the start. Add a part-time CFO who turns them into a cash forecast, a budget and a short list of decisions. Available on top of any bookkeeping plan.
CFO Essentials
- 13-week cash forecast, updated monthly
- Annual budget and monthly budget vs actual
- KPI dashboard: margins, cash runway, days sales outstanding
- 60-minute CFO review call each quarter
CFO Plus
- Everything in CFO Essentials
- Cash forecast updated weekly
- Three-statement model with hiring, pricing and expansion scenarios
- Monthly lender or investor reporting package
- 60-minute CFO meeting every month
Our CFO work covers planning, forecasting and reporting for your business. We don't recommend investments in securities, raise or sell securities for you, or give tax advice; those need a registered investment adviser, a registered broker-dealer, or your CPA.
Owner-run businesses with $150k to $3M in revenue
Agencies and studios
Retainers, invoices and contractors, booked on accrual so your margin is real.
E-commerce
Shopify and Square payouts split into sales, fees and sales tax collected.
Home and field services
Job income, materials and vehicles kept apart, with equipment depreciated properly.
Consultants and clinics
Clean owner draws versus payroll, ready for an S-corp conversation with your CPA.
Your financial data, handled like it matters
Read-only connections
Bank and card links can read transactions and balances. They cannot move money, and you can revoke them at any time.
Encrypted and logged
Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, access requires multi-factor sign-in, and every change in your books is logged with who made it. Our written security plan follows IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule.
You own your books
Export your full general ledger and statements whenever you like. If you leave, you take everything with you.
We work alongside your CPA
Closewell is a bookkeeping service, not a CPA firm. We don't prepare tax returns, give tax advice, represent you before the IRS, or audit, review or compile financial statements. We give your CPA or enrolled agent clean, closed books.
Questions owners ask before switching
What happens when the software gets a transaction wrong?
Anything below our confidence threshold goes to a reviewer, not straight into your statements. When a category is corrected, the rule updates for every future transaction from that vendor. Reports for an open month are marked as draft until the review is done.
Do I have to leave QuickBooks or Xero?
No. We can keep your books in your existing QuickBooks Online or Xero file, so your CPA's access doesn't change. If you don't have bookkeeping software yet, we keep your books in ours and export them to your CPA in the format they prefer.
Cash basis or accrual?
Many small businesses use the cash method for their tax return. US GAAP requires accrual accounting, and lenders and investors usually ask for accrual-basis statements. Essentials keeps cash-basis books, a special-purpose framework rather than GAAP, and titles the statements that way. Growth and Scale keep accrual books. Your CPA decides which method your tax return uses.
Are your financial statements audited?
No. Our statements are prepared for your management use and carry no assurance. An audit, review or compilation can only be issued by a licensed CPA firm. If a bank or investor needs one, your books will be ready for the CPA who does it.
Who does the work, and where?
Your books are kept by HRM Global, a bookkeeping firm in Maharashtra, India. We work with a daily overlap with US business hours, and only your assigned bookkeeper and reviewer can open your data.
Is there a contract?
Plans are month to month. Cancel before your next billing date and you won't be charged again. Your data export is yours to keep.
Who does the review?
A trained bookkeeper assigned to your account, following a written monthly close checklist. A senior reviewer checks every first close and any month with unusual activity.
What do you need from me each month?
Answers to the short question list, usually five to ten items, plus receipts for anything over $75 if you want them attached. Most owners spend under 15 minutes.
Find out where your books stand in one call
Tell us about your business. We'll look at a recent bank statement, tell you how many months need catching up, and quote a fixed monthly price. No obligation.