Monthly bookkeeping
Transactions categorized, accounts reconciled, and the books closed every month, so you have current numbers while the year is still happening.
- Income and expense categorization
- Monthly close
Santa Barbara bookkeeping
Santa Barbara
bookkeeping services.
Outsourced monthly bookkeeping, reconciliations, and financial statements, kept by the firm that prepares your tax return. Based in Santa Barbara, serving businesses nationwide.
Small business bookkeeping
Books you can make decisions from.
Santafino keeps the books for small businesses and nonprofits in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, and Carpinteria every month: transactions categorized, accounts reconciled to statements, and financial statements ready when you need them.
Outsourcing your bookkeeping to us means you get a CPA team instead of hiring a bookkeeper. It fits owners still doing the books themselves at night, businesses that have outgrown a part-time bookkeeper, and nonprofits that need clean reports for their board.
Because the same CPA firm prepares your tax return, your books are kept with the return in mind all year. We also work remotely with businesses across the country.
- CPA reviewed
- Your books are kept and reviewed by our own CPA team, never passed to another firm.
- Tax-ready
- Fixed assets, owner activity, and loans are recorded the way your return needs them.
- QuickBooks
- We work in QuickBooks, including files we did not set up.
What we do
From monthly close to cleanup.
Ongoing bookkeeping keeps the year current. Catch-up and cleanup projects bring a neglected file back to a reliable starting point. Fractional CFO support helps you plan from the numbers once they are right.
Account reconciliations
Bank, credit card, and loan accounts tied back to their statements, so the ledger matches the bank.
- Bank and credit cards
- Loans and lines of credit
Financial statements
A profit and loss statement and balance sheet you can use for decisions, lenders, and the year-end return.
- Profit and loss
- Balance sheet
Payroll setup
Registrations, accounts, and your payroll system set up correctly from the start. Ongoing payroll runs stay with you or your provider, and we record the activity.
- State and federal registrations
- Payroll recorded in your books
Catch-up bookkeeping
For months or years with no records. We work through the missing periods in order and bring the books to today.
- Missing periods recorded in order
- Quoted as its own project
QuickBooks cleanup
For a file that was used but not maintained: duplicate entries, wrong categories, and balances that never tied. We correct and reconcile it.
- Entries corrected and reconciled
- Quoted as its own project
Nonprofit bookkeeping
Books for nonprofits that keep gifts with donor restrictions separate from general funds, with financial statements your board can read and a Form 990 prepared from the same records.
- Restricted and unrestricted gifts tracked
- Form 990 preparation
Fractional CFO
Part-time CFO support for a business that needs more than bookkeeping but not a full-time hire: cash flow forecasts, budgets, and a regular review of the numbers with you.
- Cash flow forecasts and budgets
- Quoted as its own engagement
Bookkeeping fees
One monthly fee, quoted upfront.
Business Bookkeeping
Starting from$450/mo
CPA reviewedNever outsourcedTax-efficient accountingDepreciation strategyMonthly reconciliationsTax-ready financials
Complimentary consultationGetting started
From first call to current books.
The first conversation is complimentary. We look at your accounts and activity, then quote one monthly figure in writing.
One
A complimentary 30-minute phone call about your business, your accounts, and where the books stand.
Two
We review your account activity and quote your monthly fee in writing. Your fee reflects transaction volume, accounts, and payroll needs.
Three
If the books are behind or unreliable, catch-up or cleanup comes first, quoted as its own project.
Four
Each month we categorize, reconcile, and close the books, and your financial statements stay current.
Books & taxes
One set of books,
one tax return.
Your return is prepared from the same records by the same CPA team, with no outside bookkeeper handing files to a separate preparer.
Santa Barbara CPAsBusiness owner guides
Guides for business owners.
Business Owners
7 Signs Your QuickBooks Needs Cleanup
QuickBooks needs cleanup when balances, transactions, owner activity, or reports cannot be trusted. These seven signs show when to get help.
Read article
Santa Barbara
Do I Need a Business License in Santa Barbara?
Most businesses in the City of Santa Barbara, including home-based and part-time ones, need a business tax certificate before they start. Here's the cost.
Read article
Business Owners
S Corp Owner's Salary: How Much Should You Pay Yourself?
Reasonable compensation is what you'd pay someone else to do your job. Pay yourself too little and the IRS can reclassify your distributions as wages.
Read article
Common questions
What clients ask before they start.
What is included in monthly bookkeeping?
Transaction categorization, bank and credit card reconciliations, and monthly financial statements. We also record fixed assets and owner activity so your tax return can be filed from the same records.
What does monthly bookkeeping cost?
Monthly bookkeeping starts at $450 per month. The fee depends on transaction volume, how many accounts we reconcile, and payroll needs, and it is quoted in writing before work begins.
My books are months behind. Where do we start?
With catch-up bookkeeping. We work through the missing periods in order and bring the ledger to today, then monthly bookkeeping continues from there.
What is the difference between catch-up and cleanup?
Catch-up creates records that were never made. Cleanup corrects records that were made incorrectly. A file can need both, and each is quoted separately.
Can you take over from our current bookkeeper?
Yes. We start from your existing QuickBooks file and the last month that was reconciled. If the file needs correcting, cleanup comes first, quoted as its own project.
Do you keep books for nonprofits?
Yes. We keep gifts with donor restrictions separate from general funds and prepare financial statements your board can use. Our CPAs also prepare your Form 990, the annual return most nonprofits file with the IRS, from the same books.
What is a fractional CFO, and do I need one?
A fractional CFO is a part-time chief financial officer. It fits a business with current books that needs help with cash flow forecasts, budgets, and planning, without a full-time hire. We quote it as its own engagement after a call.
Do you run payroll?
We set up payroll for a new business. Ongoing payroll runs stay with you or your payroll provider, and we record that activity in your books.
