Home/Bookkeeping/Monthly Bookkeeping
Know What The Month Actually Did
A closed set of books every month, so the numbers stop moving and the decisions you make on them hold up.
What A Monthly Close Produces
Monthly bookkeeping is the most common arrangement in this practice. Every bank and credit card transaction for the month is categorized, every account is reconciled against its statement, and the period is closed so nothing shifts underneath you afterward. Payroll entries and sales tax land inside the same close, which is what keeps the three from drifting apart over a year.
- Bank and credit card transactions categorized
- Every account reconciled to its statement
- Payroll and sales tax entries posted in period
- Profit and loss statement and balance sheet delivered
- A short note on anything that looked unusual
The deliverable is a finished month, not a data dump. If something in the numbers does not look right, you hear about it while it is still small enough to fix.
When A Business Outgrows Doing It Itself
The switch usually happens for a practical reason rather than an accounting one. Volume climbs past the point where an evening a month covers it. A lender asks for statements and the file is not ready. An owner realizes the only time anyone looks at the numbers is in March.
- Transaction volume grew past what a spreadsheet handles
- A bank, bonding company, or investor needs current statements
- Payroll started and the entries never made it into the books
- The tax return keeps being assembled from a shoebox
How The Month Runs
Bank feeds are connected once at the start so statements do not have to be chased every cycle. Work begins after the month closes and the statements post, categorization runs first, reconciliation second, and the period is locked when both agree. You get the statements and a plain summary of what changed.
Questions do not wait for the next close. If a purchase needs a category decision or a deposit needs an explanation, the question comes to you during the month, not three weeks after.
Monthly Bookkeeping In Huntsville, AL And North Alabama
Most monthly clients here are owner-operated businesses in Huntsville, AL, Harvest, AL, Athens, AL, and the surrounding communities, working in the trades, professional practices, real estate, and nonprofit and church administration. Records move by secure exchange, so the drive is optional. Work is available in English and Spanish.
Before You Call About Monthly Bookkeeping
How soon after month end are the books finished?
Work starts once the bank and card statements have posted, which is usually the first week. A normal month is finished and delivered inside that same month.
Do I need to use QuickBooks Online?
No. QuickBooks Online is the most common file here and QuickBooks Desktop and Wave are supported as well. If you are already working in something else, bring it up and we will look at it before anything is moved.
What if my books are behind before we start?
Catch-up work is scheduled separately so getting current does not delay the first ongoing month. Start with catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping, then the monthly cycle picks up from a clean opening balance.
Can you handle payroll and sales tax at the same time?
Yes, and it is better when the same person does. Payroll and sales tax entries posted inside the close is what keeps the payroll filings, the sales tax returns, and the financial statements agreeing with each other.
Frequently Paired Services
Quarterly Bookkeeping
A lighter cycle for low-volume and seasonal businesses.
Read moreCatch-Up & Cleanup Bookkeeping
Prior months and prior years brought current, oldest period first, with every account reconciled before the next one opens.
Read moreMonthly Financial Reporting Package
Profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, aging, and prior-period comparisons built from the closed month, delivered with a written summary of what moved and what to watch.
Read moreTalk To The Owner, Not An Intake Screener
Sara Humphrey handles the first conversation herself, so nothing has to be explained twice.