Bookkeeping for consultants, freelancers and independent professionals
Simple, accurate books for consultants, freelancers and solo professionals, with personal and business separated, client payments matched and the numbers your estimated taxes and Schedule C depend on.
Independent consultants · Freelance designers and developers · Coaches and trainers · Writers and creatives
- Operating checking Reconciled
- Business credit card Reconciled
- 412 transactions categorized June
- 3 open questions For you
What makes consultants books different
Personal and business mixed
One card for everything means every year starts with sorting hundreds of charges and guessing which were business.
Client payments from many places
Checks, ACH, PayPal, Stripe and platform payouts each arrive differently and must match invoices.
Owner draws vs. expenses
Money you take out is not an expense. Recording it as one understates profit and creates problems if you're ever examined.
Estimated taxes
Without current profit numbers, quarterly estimates are guesses, and underpayment penalties follow.
Home office and vehicle
These deductions need consistent records: square footage, expenses and a mileage log.
Time is money
Every hour spent on bookkeeping is an hour not billed to a client.
What we do
- Business and personal transactions separated
- Client payments matched to invoices
- Payment platform fees recorded
- Owner draws and contributions tracked
- Expenses categorized to Schedule C lines
- Home office and vehicle records organized
- Monthly P&L and year-to-date profit
- Quarterly profit numbers for estimated taxes
- 1099-NEC and 1099-K amounts compared with income
- Reasonable-salary data for S corporation owners
- Year-end package for your return
- Simple receipt-capture routine
Example: a consultant with one card for everything
A marketing consultant paid personal and business costs from one card and estimated taxes from memory. We set up a business card and rules for recurring vendors, matched client payments to invoices, and sent year-to-date profit each quarter. The estimates were based on real numbers, and year-end took one email instead of a weekend.
Most solo professionals fit Essential. See pricing or estimate your cost.
Preparing your 1040 or S corporation return and calculating estimated tax payments are separate services that use these books.
Who we work with
- Independent consultants
- Freelance designers and developers
- Coaches and trainers
- Writers and creatives
- Fractional executives
- Single-member LLCs and S corporation owners
How monthly bookkeeping works
- 1
Onboarding
We learn the business and set up secure, read-only access where possible.
- 2
Transaction review
Income and expense activity is reviewed every month.
- 3
Categorization
Each transaction goes to the right account, with rules for repeat items.
- 4
Reconciliation
Every bank and card account is matched to its statement.
- 5
Reporting
P&L, Balance Sheet and agreed reports, plus a short summary.
- 6
Monthly review
Open questions answered and anything unusual flagged for you.
Books built for consultants businesses
Tell us about your business. We'll recommend a package or send a written quote, free.
Get consultants bookkeeping support
A few details help us come back with the right package or a written cleanup quote. There is no cost and no obligation.
- Reply within one business day
- Fee confirmed in writing before any work
- CPA-led, QuickBooks ProAdvisor certified team
Please don’t send bank passwords, SSNs or statements through this form. Once you’re a client, documents go through our secure client portal.
Bookkeeping questions
Bookkeeping reports are management reports for running the business and preparing tax returns. They are not audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements; those are separate engagements.