When should bookkeeping actually begin?

The moment the entity has a bank account and the first business transaction. Waiting until year-end forces reconstruction from receipts and memory, which is the most expensive path.

What must exist before the first close?

Chart of accounts, opening balances, bank and card connections, payroll provider records if applicable, and a documented owner for exceptions.

Which decisions remain with founders?

Anything strategic: hiring, spend, pricing, capitalization, and any decision requiring a legal, tax, or investment position.

How are historical expenses handled?

We inventory them, reconcile what has support, and keep unsupported items on a cleanup register until they are resolved instead of folding them into current months.

Which payroll records are required?

Provider access, a payroll journal, and the tax filings the provider produces. Institution reconciles these into the ledger and the compliance calendar.

Which records are retained for diligence?

Reviewed statements, supporting schedules, entity and cap-table evidence you provide, tax filings, and a preserved evidence index tied to each close.

What stays with legal, tax, and investment professionals?

Formation opinions, tax positions, cap-table structuring, and any securities matter. Institution prepares the evidence packet and hands it over.

Is this suitable for bootstrapped, pre-seed or pre-revenue companies?

Start with the actual transactions and next filing or reporting obligation. Dashboard access is $0/month, with a separate QuickBooks Online subscription required for connected accounting. Tax Desk fits businesses keeping their own books; Finance Desk adds a dedicated bookkeeper.

How do we scope SaaS, subscription or AI-startup accounting?

Provide billing exports, customer contracts, annual prepayments, credits and refunds, payroll and contractor costs, and cloud or model-provider invoices. Agree the accounting basis, deferred-revenue schedules, cost allocation and management metrics before choosing a reporting package.

What changes after seed funding or Series A?

Identify the investor's required statements, close calendar, budget, cash runway and board schedules. Managed Accounting can provide accrual accounting and senior close oversight. Controller or CFO work, a cap table, technical accounting and formal assurance require their own confirmed scope.

Is Carta or Pulley administration included?

Stock administration on Carta or Pulley is a published $299 / hour add-on. The engagement should identify the records and administrative work required. Legal structuring, securities advice and ownership decisions remain with counsel and authorized company leaders.

Startups

Set up finance properly from day one.

Formation records, banking readiness, bookkeeping, compliance, and reporting stay connected as the company grows, with clear owners for recurring work and open questions.

Get started Request demo

Illustrative workflow

Company record

Delaware · Formed

FormationRetained
Company recordsRetained
Reg. AgentActive
Bank readinessAssembled

Bookkeeping

Monthly cadence

Ready

Payroll

Provider journal

Reconciled

Compliance

Franchise + annual

Assigned

Reporting pack

Reviewed monthly

Needs review

Diligence archive

FormationOwnership recordCap table (provided)Reviewed statementsPayroll filingsCompliance record

Operating story

The formation record becomes the foundation for everything after.

Banking readiness, payroll, bookkeeping, compliance, tax evidence, and reporting all draw on the same record. They do not restart every quarter.

Entity record

Company · Delaware C-Corp

Responsible party assigned

Formation confirmation Retained
Ownership record Retained
Registered Agent Active
Ownership evidence On file

Banking readiness

Application packet

Ready

Identity, entity, and source-of-funds records assembled. Approval remains with the institution.

Payroll provider

Reconciled to ledger

Reconciled

Provider journal, tax filings, and benefit deductions folded into monthly close.

Compliance calendar

First-year obligations

Assigned

Franchise tax, annual report, and federal deadlines routed to a named owner.

Tax evidence packet

Books-to-return

Waiting on records

Assembled continuously so the licensed preparer receives one clean handoff.

Founder-managed finance ends here

Every request finds its owner, not the founder's inbox.

A question enters. The responsible owner is assigned. The source record is identified. Institution prepares or coordinates. The external professional receives only the relevant evidence. Completion is retained.

Incoming request

Investor asked for last month's operating expense by category.

Founder forwarded to operating record
Received
Institution assigned owner: Bookkeeping
Assigned
Bookkeeping identified source: reviewed close pack
Source identified
Reviewer approved the extract
Reviewed
Founder shared with investor
Delivered

Responsibility inspector

Current ownerInstitution · Bookkeeping

Source recordReviewed close

ReviewerController

External handoffNone required

Completion retainedComplete

First close

What the first monthly close looks like.

Sources are collected, missing items get an owner, review is completed, and the reporting pack is released when the close is ready.

Source collection

Operating bank Reconciled
Corporate card Reconciled
Payroll journal Ready
Founder reimbursements Waiting on records

Exception register

Missing vendor invoice
Owner: Founder · Impact: 1 line
Classification review
Owner: Reviewer · Impact: 2 lines
Intercompany transfer
Owner: Controller · Impact: 1 line

Release

Coverage Complete
Review In review
Reporting pack Assigned
Diligence archive Ready

Records retained

The record that remains after the first year is configured.

FILE 01

Entity record

Formation and ownership evidence

FILE 02

First-year obligation map

Federal, state, and franchise items

FILE 03

Close calendar

Cadence and named owners

FILE 04

Reviewed reporting pack

Statements plus commentary

FILE 05

Diligence record index

Preserved evidence trail

Connected services

Where the startup workflow goes next.

Company Incorporation

Input: Founder intent
Handoff: Filed entity records
Output: Entity record

See how the entity record begins

Registered Agent

Input: Entity of record
Handoff: Notice routing
Output: Preserved notices

See notice routing

Bookkeeping & Close

Input: Source records
Handoff: Reconciled ledger
Output: First monthly close

Review the first monthly close

Financial Reporting

Input: Reviewed close
Handoff: Reviewed pack
Output: Reporting recipients

See the reporting relationship

CFO Advisory

Input: Reviewed record
Handoff: Scenario framing
Output: Decision context

Explore advisory context

Pricing

Published prices, with no funding minimum.

Plans are the same whether or not the company has raised venture capital. Start with incorporation, add tax filing, then add a dedicated bookkeeper when the company has regular activity.

Launch incorporation: $499 one time; State fees and one year of Registered Agent service are included.
Tax Desk: $199/month or $1,799/year; Business tax filings and compliance for companies that keep their own books. State fees are additional.
Finance Desk: $299/month or $2,799/year; Tax Desk plus a dedicated bookkeeper and monthly close. State fees are additional.

See every plan and add-on

Questions from founders in their first year.

When should bookkeeping actually begin?
The moment the entity has a bank account and the first business transaction. Waiting until year-end forces reconstruction from receipts and memory, which is the most expensive path.
What must exist before the first close?
Chart of accounts, opening balances, bank and card connections, payroll provider records if applicable, and a documented owner for exceptions.
Which decisions remain with founders?
Anything strategic: hiring, spend, pricing, capitalization, and any decision requiring a legal, tax, or investment position.
How are historical expenses handled?
We inventory them, reconcile what has support, and keep unsupported items on a cleanup register until they are resolved instead of folding them into current months.
Which payroll records are required?
Provider access, a payroll journal, and the tax filings the provider produces. Institution reconciles these into the ledger and the compliance calendar.
Which records are retained for diligence?
Reviewed statements, supporting schedules, entity and cap-table evidence you provide, tax filings, and a preserved evidence index tied to each close.
What stays with legal, tax, and investment professionals?
Formation opinions, tax positions, cap-table structuring, and any securities matter. Institution prepares the evidence packet and hands it over.
Is this suitable for bootstrapped, pre-seed or pre-revenue companies?
Start with the actual transactions and next filing or reporting obligation. Dashboard access is $0/month, with a separate QuickBooks Online subscription required for connected accounting. Tax Desk fits businesses keeping their own books; Finance Desk adds a dedicated bookkeeper.
How do we scope SaaS, subscription or AI-startup accounting?
Provide billing exports, customer contracts, annual prepayments, credits and refunds, payroll and contractor costs, and cloud or model-provider invoices. Agree the accounting basis, deferred-revenue schedules, cost allocation and management metrics before choosing a reporting package.
What changes after seed funding or Series A?
Identify the investor's required statements, close calendar, budget, cash runway and board schedules. Managed Accounting can provide accrual accounting and senior close oversight. Controller or CFO work, a cap table, technical accounting and formal assurance require their own confirmed scope.
Is Carta or Pulley administration included?
Stock administration on Carta or Pulley is a published $299 / hour add-on. The engagement should identify the records and administrative work required. Legal structuring, securities advice and ownership decisions remain with counsel and authorized company leaders.