Answers
Frequently asked questions.
Scope, pricing, software, security, and onboarding — the questions we hear most from finance leaders and founders.
General
- Why $199/month? How does this replace a full-time bookkeeper?
- Most small businesses have between 10 and 75 transactions a month. Hiring a full-time in-house bookkeeper at $60,000–$75,000/year ($5,000+/month plus benefits and taxes) means paying for 160 hours when you only need 5 to 10 hours of work. Our Essential plan ($199/mo) gives you a dedicated accounting professional who connects directly to your QuickBooks Online or Xero, reconciles your bank and credit card feeds every month, categorizes expenses, tracks 1099s, and delivers CPA-ready financials. You get 100% of the accuracy for a fraction of the cost.
- Who is the $199/month bookkeeping plan best suited for?
- It's built for US small businesses, single-member LLCs, solopreneurs, digital agencies, consultants, coaches, boutique eCommerce stores, and early-stage startups that generate up to 75 transactions/month and do not require a full-time in-house bookkeeper, but want spotless, CPA-ready financials without lifting a finger.
- I'm pre-revenue or early-stage. Do I need a bookkeeper?
- Yes. Setting up your chart of accounts and separating business from personal finances from day one prevents costly cleanup later. When you file taxes or pitch investors, having clean, reconciliation-backed books makes everything painless. Our $199/mo plan is specifically priced so early-stage businesses can afford institutional-grade books.
- Can I pause or cancel if my business needs change?
- Absolutely. Finendra operates on month-to-month retainers with no multi-year contracts or cancellation fees. Give us 30 days' notice. Your books remain clean, organized, and handover-ready in your cloud software.
- What's the difference between Essential ($199) and Growth ($499)?
- Essential ($199/mo) is cash-basis bookkeeping and monthly reporting for businesses with up to 75 txns/mo that don't need a full-time bookkeeper. Growth ($499/mo) handles up to 250 txns, multiple merchant feeds, accrual or modified cash accounting, monthly close by the 5th, AP bill pay, AR invoicing, multi-state payroll, and dedicated monthly strategy reviews.
- Do you work inside our existing QuickBooks Online or Xero?
- Yes, 100%. We work directly inside your QuickBooks Online or Xero account, connected with your bank feeds (Mercury, Chase, Brex, Ramp, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc.) and payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Shopify). You retain total ownership of your files.
- Can you work with my existing CPA for tax filing?
- Yes, seamlessly. We prepare GAAP-compliant trial balances, balance sheet reconciliations, and tax workpapers (Form 1040 Schedule C, 1120, 1120-S support) so your CPA can complete your tax return quickly without needing to reclassify messy transactions.
- How do you handle ASC 606 / revenue recognition for SaaS?
- For our Scale and Custom tiers, we maintain deferred revenue waterfall schedules, recognize subscription revenue ratably over service terms, record contract assets/liabilities, and reconcile Stripe billing directly to the general ledger.
- What about Form 5472 / 1120-F for foreign-owned US corps?
- If your US entity is 25%+ owned by a non-US individual or foreign parent (common with cross-border India, UK, and Singapore founders), we track all intercompany reportable transactions, loan transfers, and prepare audit-ready workpapers for Form 5472 compliance.
- How quickly can we get started?
- Most engagements begin within 24 to 48 hours. After a quick scoping call, we connect read-only access to your accounting and banking portals, verify your feeds, and start bookkeeping immediately.
- Do you work inside our existing accounting software?
- Yes. We work directly inside your QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Gusto, Rippling, Stripe, Brex, Ramp, or Bill.com accounts. You retain 100% ownership of your accounts and financial data.
- What if our books are months or years behind?
- Historical catch-up and cleanup is our specialty. We rebuild neglected ledgers, reconcile every bank and credit card statement, correct miscategorized expenses, and deliver an audit-ready balance sheet.
- How do you protect our financial data?
- We enforce role-based access, 2FA/MFA on all internal platforms, TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, and strict employee NDAs and Data Protection Agreements (DPAs).
Essential Bookkeeping & Small Business FAQ
- Why $199/month? How does this replace a full-time bookkeeper?
- Most small businesses have between 10 and 75 transactions a month. Hiring a full-time in-house bookkeeper at $60,000–$75,000/year ($5,000+/month plus benefits and taxes) means paying for 160 hours when you only need 5 to 10 hours of work. Our Essential plan ($199/mo) gives you a dedicated accounting professional who connects directly to your QuickBooks Online or Xero, reconciles your bank and credit card feeds every month, categorizes expenses, tracks 1099s, and delivers CPA-ready financials. You get 100% of the accuracy for a fraction of the cost.
- Who is the $199/month bookkeeping plan best suited for?
- It's built for US small businesses, single-member LLCs, solopreneurs, digital agencies, consultants, coaches, boutique eCommerce stores, and early-stage startups that generate up to 75 transactions/month and do not require a full-time in-house bookkeeper, but want spotless, CPA-ready financials without lifting a finger.
- I'm pre-revenue or early-stage. Do I need a bookkeeper?
- Yes. Setting up your chart of accounts and separating business from personal finances from day one prevents costly cleanup later. When you file taxes or pitch investors, having clean, reconciliation-backed books makes everything painless. Our $199/mo plan is specifically priced so early-stage businesses can afford institutional-grade books.
- Can I pause or cancel if my business needs change?
- Absolutely. Finendra operates on month-to-month retainers with no multi-year contracts or cancellation fees. Give us 30 days' notice. Your books remain clean, organized, and handover-ready in your cloud software.
- What's the difference between Essential ($199) and Growth ($499)?
- Essential ($199/mo) is cash-basis bookkeeping and monthly reporting for businesses with up to 75 txns/mo that don't need a full-time bookkeeper. Growth ($499/mo) handles up to 250 txns, multiple merchant feeds, accrual or modified cash accounting, monthly close by the 5th, AP bill pay, AR invoicing, multi-state payroll, and dedicated monthly strategy reviews.
What's included & Deliverables
- What do I actually get with the $199/mo Essential plan?
- A dedicated human bookkeeper who reconciles all bank and credit card accounts every month, categorizes all business expenses and revenue, keeps your Chart of Accounts pristine, prepares monthly P&L and Balance Sheet reports, and tracks 1099 vendors so you're 100% tax-ready.
- Are reviews and quality checks included?
- Yes. Even on our $199/mo plan, every month's reconciliations are reviewed by a senior controller before deliverables are finalized.
- Is software or subscription cost included?
- QuickBooks, Xero, Gusto, and bank fees remain billed to you directly so you always own your data, history, and licenses.
Billing & Contracts
- When am I billed?
- Monthly plans are billed in advance on the 1st of each month. No long-term contracts — cancel or upgrade with 30 days' notice.
- Can I upgrade or downgrade as transaction volume changes?
- Yes. Move between Essential ($199), Growth ($499), and Scale ($1,299) seamlessly as your transaction volume and operational complexity evolve.
- How do payments work?
- We accept US ACH bank transfer, international wire, and major corporate credit cards (Brex, Ramp, Visa, Mastercard).
Still have a question about your specific setup?
Ask our teamFree Founder Resource
The 27-Point Founder Month-End Close Checklist
The step-by-step operating checklist used by seed-stage startups and VC-backed companies to close their books by the 5th of every month. Reconcile Stripe, clear AP, track deferred revenue, and calculate true cash runway.
- ASC 606 Rev Rec Guidelines
- Runway & Burn Formulas
- Multi-State Payroll Steps
- Audit-Ready Workpapers
Ready to simplify your finances?
Talk to a Finendra specialist about your books, your systems, and what a dedicated finance pod would handle for you.