Monthly bookkeeping checklist
The month-end sequence — every bank and card account reconciled, bills and invoices current, payroll tied out — in the order that catches errors earliest.
OpenCalifornia · Bookkeeping Services
California bookkeeping services — reconciled, sales-tax-ready, CPA-ready.
Monthly bookkeeping, cleanup, and catch-up for California businesses, prepared by a senior bookkeeper who works in your software, or by a signed specialist practice when your books need one — reconciled accounts, CDTFA district sales tax configured by location, the $800 franchise tax accrued, and CPA-ready statements, in your own QuickBooks file across all 58 counties.
Monthly bookkeeping: $500–$2,500+ a monthWhat sets the price
If your file needs our paid diagnostic first, its fee is credited in full against the cleanup. Either way, you get a fixed fee in writing before any work starts.
State rule
California rule: anyone engaged in business in California who sells or leases tangible personal property ordinarily taxable at retail must obtain a seller’s permit, wholesalers included; the books split taxable, resale and exempt sales so the CDTFA return ties. Source: CDTFA, obtaining a seller’s permit.
§ The short version
California bookkeeping services from TechBrot cover monthly bookkeeping ($500–$2,500+/mo), cleanup and catch-up in your own QuickBooks file, across all 58 counties. Every account is reconciled, CDTFA district sales tax is applied by customer location (the statewide 7.25% plus district add-ons), and the $800 franchise tax is accrued before your CPA files.
They took something that felt overwhelming to me as a first-year business owner and made it simple.
What stood out the most was TechBrot Inc’s attention to detail.
Intuit QuickBooks Certification Level 2 and QuickBooks Workforce Certification,
§ 01 · California tax realities we build into your books
Three California facts that change how your books are kept.
Bookkeeping in California isn’t generic — these three realities shape the chart of accounts and the sales-tax setup from day one.
$800
California’s $800 FTB franchise tax
Every LLC and corporation owes the Franchise Tax Board $800 a year to do business in California — even at a loss — plus an income-based LLC fee.10.25%+
District sales tax by location
California’s statewide rate is 7.25%, and local district add-ons push the combined rate past 10.25% in places. QuickBooks must apply the correct combined rate by customer location, not a flat statewide rate.AB5
AB5 worker classification
The ABC test reclassifies many core-work contractors as employees, with penalties of $5,000–$25,000 per violation plus back payroll taxes. We separate W-2 from 1099 and surface the exposure; disputes go to your CPA or counsel.§ 02 · What California bookkeeping includes
Three ways we keep California books.
Whether you’re behind, current, or scaling, the engagement is scoped to where your books actually are.
01
Monthly bookkeeping
A recurring close — reconciliation, categorization, district sales tax, and CPA-ready statements every month.Monthly bookkeeping
02
Cleanup
A file with structural problems — flat-rate sales tax, unreconciled accounts, misclassified contractors — brought to a CPA-ready standard.Cleanup
03
Catch-up
Months or years behind, scoped and brought current so your CPA can file and you can see where you stand.Catch-up
04
District sales tax built in
CDTFA rates configured by customer location and reconciled, so the sales-tax return ties.Sales tax help
05
$800 franchise tax accrued
The FTB minimum tax and LLC fee tracked in the books so it’s planned for, not a year-end surprise.California overview
06
CPA-ready statements
Clean monthly financials your CPA files from and a lender or investor can rely on.Financial statements
§ 03 · The scope
What we do — and what we don’t.
What TechBrot does
- Reconcile and categorize every account, every month
- Build and maintain a California-correct chart of accounts
- Configure CDTFA district sales tax by location and reconcile it
- Accrue the $800 franchise tax and track AB5 classification
- Deliver CPA-ready monthly statements
- Run cleanup or catch-up first when the file needs it
What your CPA does
- File California or federal income, franchise, or sales-tax returns
- Represent you before the FTB, CDTFA, or EDD
- Resolve worker-classification disputes or audits
- Provide legal or tax advice
- Step 1
Free file review
A QuickBooks ProAdvisor reviews your books and tells you whether cleanup, catch-up, or monthly is the right start. - Step 2
Written fixed-fee scope
A written scope and fixed fee within 3 business days — no hourly billing. - Step 3
Get to CPA-ready
We bring the file to a CPA-ready standard — district rates corrected, accounts reconciled. - Step 4
Monthly cadence
Your senior bookkeeper keeps the file clean every month and hands statements to your CPA, with every close reviewed by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor before it reaches you.
§ 05 · The advisory line
Automation handles the data entry. We handle the judgment.
Good California bookkeeping isn’t just tidy — it’s books where the district sales tax ties to the CDTFA return, the franchise tax is planned for, and the contractor mix is defensible.
Once that foundation is in place, fractional-CFO advisory turns it into decisions — forecasting and board reporting, in coordination with your CPA.
§ 06 · Around this page
Around California.
California QuickBooks ProAdvisor & bookkeeping
The state page: services, industries, cities and the California tax terms in one place.Bookkeeping services, nationally
The national engagement this page is the California version of — same scope, same written fixed fee.Also in California
California cities
Not sure where your file stands? Start with the free QuickBooks file review · how California compares: state-by-state tax quirks.
§ 07 · Around the engagement
Before you engage anyone.
Bookkeeping cost calculator
An estimate of the monthly fee from your transaction volume, accounts, and payroll — the same inputs a written scope uses.
OpenTechBrot bookkeeping pricing
What the engagement costs — the fixed-fee bands by scope, and what moves a quote up or down, before the discovery call.
OpenCalifornia small-business accountant
Bookkeeping is the monthly work; this is the person who reads it back to you — what a California small-business accountant does beyond keeping the books current, and when you need one.
Open§ 08 · Common questions
California bookkeeping services questions.
What do your California bookkeeping services include?
Reconciliation and categorization, a clean chart of accounts, CDTFA district sales tax configured by location, the $800 franchise-tax accrual, AB5 contractor tracking, and CPA-ready monthly statements — by your senior bookkeeper in your own QuickBooks file.
Do I need monthly bookkeeping, cleanup, or catch-up?
Cleanup fixes a period that’s structurally wrong; catch-up brings months or years of behind-books current; monthly keeps a current file clean. When the file needs it, cleanup or catch-up comes first to get it to a CPA-ready standard, then a monthly cadence. The free file review tells you which one you need.
Which California taxes do you build into the books?
The $800 FTB minimum franchise tax (accrued so it’s never a surprise), CDTFA district sales tax at the correct combined rate by customer location, and AB5 worker classification with W-2 and 1099 pay separated. The filings and any disputes stay with your CPA or EA.
How much do California bookkeeping services cost?
Fixed-fee against a written scope: monthly bookkeeping $500–$2,500+/mo by volume and accounts; one-time bookkeeping cleanup $1,200–$15,000+; catch-up $2,000–$20,000+. You get the exact fee in writing within 3 business days of a free discovery call and the file information needed to quote.
Do you work in my own QuickBooks file?
Yes — your file, your data, in QuickBooks Online or hosted Desktop, with a senior bookkeeper assigned to your file, and every close reviewed by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor before it reaches you. We don’t lock you into proprietary tooling, and we can set up or migrate the file if you need it.
Do you serve my California city or county?
All 58 California counties, delivered remotely on QuickBooks — LA, the Bay Area, San Diego, the Central Valley, Sacramento and beyond. Your location changes the tax context but never the service or the ProAdvisor on your file.
Can you fix a file where sales tax was set up wrong?
Yes — it’s a standard California cleanup. When QuickBooks was set to a flat statewide rate instead of the correct district rate by location, the sales-tax liability drifts. We rebuild the sales-tax setup to CDTFA district rates and reconcile it, then keep it clean monthly.
Checked against the California Franchise Tax Board and the CDTFA.
California businesses start here