Small business bookkeeping guides. Straight answers about your finances.
These small business bookkeeping guides give owners straight answers about costs, catch-up, cleanup, payroll, 1099s and the monthly routine, written for owners, not accountants.
- Do I need a bookkeeper? 8 signs it’s time to hire oneHiring help
- How much does a bookkeeper cost in 2026?Costs
- 1099 threshold for 2026: the $2,000 ruleTax dates
22 guides, each with a “Last reviewed” date
Choosing and hiring a bookkeeper
Whether you need one yet, which kind, remote or in-house, and what changes when your business is an LLC.
Hiring helpDo I need a bookkeeper? 8 signs it’s time to hire one
A quick yes or no checklist, the eight signs, what doing it yourself really costs, and how to hand off without losing control.
- QuickBooks
Do you need a bookkeeper with QuickBooks?
What the software does on its own, what it cannot do, and where AI fits in.
RolesBookkeeper vs accountant vs CPA: what’s the difference?
What each one does, who can prepare and file your taxes, and which your business needs first.
Hiring helpRemote bookkeeper vs in-house bookkeeper
What each really costs, how remote bookkeeping works day to day, and when an in-house hire still makes sense.
- LLCs
Bookkeeping for LLCs
What a single-member, multi-member or S corp LLC has to keep, and how to keep it organized.
What bookkeeping costs
Market prices for monthly bookkeeping, and how a catch-up is priced.
CostsHow much does a bookkeeper cost in 2026?
Monthly and hourly prices for small businesses, what each level includes, and how to tell if you are overpaying.
Catch-upHow much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?
What drives the price, how long it takes, and how a fixed quote works, whether you are months or years behind.
Behind, or books that don’t add up
What to do first when you are behind, and how to fix a file that is there but wrong.
Catch-upBehind on bookkeeping? What to do first
Start with the deadlines that carry penalties, gather statements for every account, and work newest period first.
CleanupHow to clean up QuickBooks Online
The seven signs your books are wrong, a step-by-step cleanup with a checklist, and when to get help.
QuickBooks and Xero how-tos
Giving an accountant access, and recording sales the right way.
Payroll, 1099s and tax dates
The new 1099 thresholds, and what they mean for your books.
Michigan
For businesses located in Michigan: sales tax, and city income tax on wages.
The monthly routine
The month-end close, what to send your bookkeeper each month, and a year-end checklist to finish 2026 cleanly.
- Month-end close
Month-end close checklist
The short monthly routine that turns a month of transactions into numbers you can trust.
Month-end closeWhat does a bookkeeper need from you?
What to send every month, what you should get back, and how to automate most of it.
- Year-end
Year-end bookkeeping checklist
Close out 2026 cleanly: accounts, payroll, 1099s and the records your tax preparer will ask for, as a free printable checklist.
Bookkeeping by industry
Where generic bookkeeping goes wrong for contractors, restaurants, agencies and landlords.
ConstructionConstruction bookkeeping guide: job costing, WIP and retainage
Construction bookkeeping is job costing first and everything else second. How it works in practice.
RestaurantsRestaurant bookkeeping guide: prime cost and tips
Margins are thin enough that the books decide whether you see a problem in week two or month six.
AgenciesBookkeeping for marketing agencies
Retainers recognized when earned, profit by client, and pass-through ad spend kept out of revenue.
Real estateRental property bookkeeping guide
Every property on its own, mortgage payments split correctly, deposits held as a liability, and Schedule E ready.
How we write, check and update these guides
Each guide is written by the Remote Bookkeepers team for owners, checked against primary sources, and dated so you can see how fresh it is.
Read our editorial standardsWritten by our team
Published under the firm’s name. No invented authors or personas.
Primary sources, linked
Tax and payroll rules come from the IRS, state agencies and the law itself, linked in each guide.
Dated, with change notes
Every guide shows a “Last reviewed” date. When a rule changes, such as the 1099-NEC threshold rising from $600 to $2,000 for 2026 payments, the guide says what changed.
Corrections made openly
Spotted an error? Email hello@remotebookkeepersllc.com and we fix it on the guide.
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