A California small business accountant who keeps the whole thing straight.
Your TechBrot team for your California small business — bookkeeping, QuickBooks, CDTFA sales tax, AB5 contractor tracking, and payroll coordination, kept CPA-ready every month in your own file. Fixed-fee, all 58 counties.
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.
California rule: an LLC with total California income of $250,000 or more owes an LLC fee on top of the $800 annual tax, from $900 up to $11,790 at $5,000,000 or more; the books track total California income against those bands. Source: Franchise Tax Board, LLCs.
California small business bookkeeping from TechBrot keeps the whole back office straight in your own QuickBooks file: books, CDTFA sales tax, AB5 contractor tracking and payroll coordination, for a fixed fee of $500–$2,500+/mo. LLCs also budget the $800 annual tax, plus an LLC fee from $900 once California income reaches $250,000. Your CPA files the returns.
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.
Three California facts that change how your books are kept.
California small businesses get tripped up by these more than anything else — so we build them into the setup from day one.
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.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 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.One accountant, the whole back office.
Bookkeeping, QuickBooks, sales tax, payroll coordination, and CPA-ready statements — handled by your TechBrot team, with every close reviewed by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor so you can run the business.
Bookkeeping that stays current
QuickBooks, set up right
Sales tax handled
AB5 contractor clarity
Payroll coordination
CPA-ready, every month
What we do — and what we don’t.
What TechBrot does
- Keep your QuickBooks file reconciled and current every month
- Build a California-correct chart of accounts and sales-tax setup
- Track AB5 contractor classification — W-2 vs 1099
- Accrue the $800 franchise tax and prepare CPA-ready statements
- Coordinate California payroll with your provider
- Be your single point of contact for the books
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 your California situation at no cost. - Step 2
Written fixed-fee scope
A written scope and fixed fee within 3 business days — cleanup, monthly, or both. - Step 3
Get current
If the file needs it, we bring it to a CPA-ready standard before the monthly cadence starts. - Step 4
One accountant, every month
Your senior bookkeeper keeps the back office straight and hands CPA-ready statements to your CPA, with every close reviewed by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor before it reaches you.
Automation handles the data entry. We handle the judgment.
A California small business doesn’t need five vendors — it needs one accountant who keeps the books accurate, the sales tax configured, and the contractor mix defensible, and who can tell you what the numbers mean.
That’s the TechBrot model: accurate books first, your TechBrot team, and — when you’re ready — fractional-CFO advisory in coordination with your CPA.
Around California.
California QuickBooks ProAdvisor & bookkeeping
The state page: services, industries, cities and the California tax terms in one place.Small-business accountant, 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.
California small business accountant questions.
What does a California small business accountant do?
Keeps a small business’s whole back office straight — bookkeeping, QuickBooks, CDTFA sales tax, AB5 contractor tracking, payroll coordination, and CPA-ready statements — prepared by a senior bookkeeper who works in your software, or by a signed specialist practice when your books need one, in your own file. TechBrot is a bookkeeping and advisory firm; we do the bookkeeping and your CPA files the returns.
Do I need a bookkeeper, an accountant, or a CPA?
Most California small businesses need all three roles. In practice a ProAdvisor/bookkeeping firm like TechBrot handles the day-to-day books and QuickBooks, and a CPA handles tax filing, audit, and representation. We keep the books CPA-ready and coordinate directly with your CPA, so the two roles fit together cleanly.
Which California taxes affect my small business?
The $800 FTB minimum franchise tax (owed even at a loss), CDTFA district sales tax at the correct combined rate by location, and AB5 worker classification. We build all three into how the books are kept from day one; the filings and any agency disputes stay with your CPA or EA.
Do you serve my city or county?
All 58 California counties, delivered remotely on QuickBooks — from Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diego to the Central Valley and Sacramento. Your location changes the tax context but never the service or the ProAdvisor on your file.
How much does it cost?
Fixed-fee against a written scope, never hourly. Monthly bookkeeping runs $500–$2,500+/mo by volume and accounts; one-time bookkeeping cleanup runs $1,200–$15,000+. You get the exact fee in writing within 3 business days of a free discovery call and the file information needed to quote.
Can you take over messy books?
Yes — it’s a common starting point. We scope a one-time cleanup to a CPA-ready standard — correcting district sales tax, reconciling accounts, cleaning up classification — then keep the file clean every month so it doesn’t happen again.
Are you a CPA firm?
No — we’re a bookkeeping and advisory firm. TechBrot handles QuickBooks operations and bookkeeping; your California CPA handles tax filing and representation. You may need both, and we coordinate directly with your CPA.
Checked against the California Franchise Tax Board and the CDTFA.