Monthly Bookkeeping
Transaction categorization, bank and credit-card reconciliation, a monthly close, and financial reports delivered on a predictable schedule.
Why it matters
Monthly bookkeeping is the recurring work that keeps the accounting file usable — transactions reviewed and categorized, bank and credit-card accounts reconciled to their statements, the general ledger brought current, ordinary bookkeeping questions resolved, and the agreed reports delivered on a consistent schedule. The standard is to close the books by the 10th each month, so the business gets a predictable reporting rhythm instead of finding out at tax season whether a year of bank-feed activity was ever reconciled.
Transactions are reviewed and categorized
Connected bank feeds make importing transactions easier, but imported activity isn’t automatically good bookkeeping. Purchases, deposits, transfers, refunds, fees, and owner activity still get reviewed and recorded consistently, with questions asked rather than a guess made on anything unclear.
Bank and credit-card accounts are reconciled to statements
Each statement-period transaction is matched to the books, and differences — missing entries, duplicates, bank fees, transfers, uncleared activity — get investigated instead of relying on the bank-feed balance alone.
The general ledger is brought current
Duplicates, misclassifications, and transfers identified during the close get cleaned up. If a file has problems that go back further than the current month, that gets scoped as separate catch-up or cleanup work rather than quietly folded into the monthly fee.
Monthly financial statements are delivered
A profit & loss statement and balance sheet, plus a plain-language summary that calls out anything that needs attention — not just spreadsheets attached to an email.
Bookkeeping questions get resolved while the month is still recent
A charge is easier to identify three weeks later than eleven months later. Unclear transactions get surfaced and resolved during the close, which also means a cleaner handoff to whichever CPA or tax professional the business uses.
What monthly bookkeeping actually includes
Transactions are reviewed and categorized
Connected bank feeds make importing transactions easier, but imported transactions aren’t automatically good bookkeeping. Purchases, deposits, transfers, card payments, refunds, fees, owner activity, and other entries still need to be reviewed and recorded consistently. The chart of accounts stays useful enough to understand the business without creating a new category for every vendor or purchase, and when a transaction is unclear, we ask rather than guessing at a material accounting treatment.
Bank and credit-card accounts are reconciled to statements
Reconciliation is the control step that confirms the accounting file agrees with the bank and card issuer. Each applicable statement-period transaction is matched to the books, and differences such as missing entries, duplicate transactions, bank fees, transfers, card payments, or uncleared activity get investigated. This statement-level reconciliation happens as part of the monthly close rather than relying on the bank-feed balance alone.
The general ledger is brought current
Once the transaction activity and reconciliations are addressed, the ledger should reflect the month in a consistent way — cleaning up ordinary duplicates, misclassifications, transfers, and bookkeeping errors identified during the close. If the file has historical problems that go beyond the current month, that work may need to be scoped as catch-up or cleanup rather than quietly absorbing a large prior-period reconstruction into the monthly fee.
You receive monthly financial statements
For ongoing monthly bookkeeping, the core reports are a profit and loss statement and balance sheet, plus a plain-language monthly summary so the reports aren’t simply attachments in an email. The summary calls attention to material bookkeeping changes or items that need the owner’s attention, without pretending to be a CFO-level financial analysis.
Bookkeeping questions are resolved while the month is still recent
A charge is easier to identify three weeks later than eleven months later. During the close, unclear transactions or account activity that can’t be categorized confidently from the available records get surfaced, and the client is asked for the information needed to finish the books. That monthly rhythm reduces year-end reconstruction and creates a cleaner handoff to the CPA, enrolled agent, or other tax professional the business uses.
What we need from you each month
A fast close depends on timely access and timely answers. The business needs to keep the agreed bank and credit-card connections available, provide statements or supporting records when a connection doesn’t supply enough detail, and respond to bookkeeping questions that can’t be resolved from the accounting file alone.
If statements, payroll information, loan records, merchant reports, or transaction explanations arrive late, the monthly close may also be delayed. The goal is to close by the 10th, but the books can’t be completed accurately without the information needed to reconcile them.
QuickBooks Online and NetSuite
Balanced On Time Books works in QuickBooks Online and NetSuite, using the platform as the system of record and working through accountant- or user-level access rather than a shared master password. We can work with the structure already in the file when it’s useful.
If the chart of accounts, bank feeds, vendor records, or historical entries are materially disorganized, a cleanup engagement is usually the better first step before normal monthly bookkeeping begins.
If your books are already behind
Monthly bookkeeping is built to keep a current file current. If several months or years are unreconciled, transactions are sitting uncategorized, opening balances are wrong, or the chart of accounts has become hard to use, catch-up bookkeeping or a QuickBooks/NetSuite cleanup may be needed first — scoped separately, so the recurring service starts from a file that’s actually usable instead of carrying old errors forward indefinitely.
Tell us how far behind the books are and we can talk through whether catch-up work, a cleanup, or both should happen before the recurring monthly service begins.
What monthly bookkeeping does not include
Balanced On Time Books specializes in cash-basis bookkeeping. Ordinary monthly bookkeeping doesn’t include tax-return preparation or filing, audit or assurance work, legal advice, accrual-basis accounting, or specialized accounting such as trust, fund, or percentage-of-completion accounting, unless a separate engagement says otherwise.
It also doesn’t give the bookkeeper independent authority to move money — payroll, vendor payments, transfers, refunds, credits, and write-offs stay subject to the business’s approval.
Cincinnati, New York City, and remote monthly bookkeeping
Balanced On Time Books is based in Cincinnati and building a presence in New York City, but most of this work happens through QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, and connected bank and card feeds rather than an in-person visit. A business in either city, or somewhere else entirely, gets the same monthly close, reconciliation, and reporting, with statements and questions handled by phone, email, or text rather than requiring an office visit.
Who monthly bookkeeping is for
This service is built for small businesses that want the books handled consistently throughout the year rather than catching up only when a lender, tax deadline, or owner forces the issue. It can work for businesses with relatively simple monthly activity as well as businesses with several bank and card accounts, payroll, merchant deposits, vendor bills, and a higher transaction volume.
Pricing depends on the actual workload, including transaction volume, number of accounts, which services are needed, and the condition of the books when the engagement begins — see Services & Pricing for the main factors, or get a callback and leave with an actual number.
What determines scope and pricing for monthly bookkeeping
Every business that comes to Balanced On Time Books has a different mix of bank accounts, credit cards, and monthly transaction volume, and that mix is what shapes the scope of the work rather than a flat fee that ignores what’s actually involved. A business with one checking account and a few dozen transactions a month is a different job than one with several accounts, multiple credit cards, and hundreds of line items to categorize each period.
Add-on services affect scope too. Some clients need only transaction categorization, reconciliation, and monthly financial statements. Others also want accounts payable and receivable tracking, payroll support, or coordination with an outside CPA at tax time. The starting condition of the books matters as well — a business with clean, current records going in requires less setup work than one that needs several months of catch-up before monthly bookkeeping can settle into a normal schedule.
Because these variables differ from one business to the next, scope and pricing are worked out directly with each client after a look at the current books and a conversation about account count and transaction volume, not quoted sight unseen.
Monthly bookkeeping questions
What counts as "behind" enough to need catch-up work first?
If several months are unreconciled, transactions are sitting uncategorized, or opening balances look wrong, catch-up or cleanup is usually worth scoping separately before ongoing monthly bookkeeping begins — tell us how far behind things are and we can talk through it.
Do you close the books on the same day every month?
The standard is by the 10th of the following month, assuming the necessary statements, access, and answers are available on time. Late information on your end can push that date back.
Can you work with a business that already has an in-house bookkeeper?
It depends on what’s needed. Some businesses use this service to take over the recurring monthly work entirely, while others use it for a specific piece such as reconciliation or reporting — that scope gets worked out during onboarding.
Do you prepare our tax return at year end?
No. Balanced On Time Books specializes in cash-basis bookkeeping and doesn’t prepare or file tax returns. The monthly close is meant to make the handoff to your CPA or tax professional cleaner, not to replace them.
What do you need from us to get started?
Access to the bank and credit-card connections already used for the business, and answers to bookkeeping questions that can’t be resolved from the accounting file alone. The rest depends on how current the books already are.
How long does onboarding take before I get my first month-end close?
Onboarding typically starts with a call to review the current books, bank and credit-card accounts, and QuickBooks Online or NetSuite setup. Once access is granted and any catch-up work is scoped, most businesses receive their first full monthly close within a few weeks, depending on how current the books already are.
Can you take over monthly bookkeeping mid-year from another bookkeeper or firm?
Yes, switching mid-year is common. The existing QuickBooks Online or NetSuite file is reviewed, the last reconciled period is confirmed, and the work picks up from there rather than restarting the whole year, as long as the prior records are usable.
Do you handle monthly bookkeeping for more than one business under the same owner?
Yes. Each business is set up and closed out as its own file with its own monthly reconciliation and statements — separate entities aren’t combined into one set of books, even when they share an owner.
Want this handled for your business?
Fill out a few details for a personal callback, usually within 30 minutes.