01
Businesses outgrowing a part-time bookkeeper
Revenue has grown, the transaction volume has grown with it, and the monthly close keeps slipping. You need a team, not a single point of failure.
Accounting
Accounting and bookkeeping services, kept current all year.
Books kept correctly and closed on time, with reporting clear enough to act on.
Most accounting problems are not accounting problems. They are timing problems: a close that lands six weeks late, a reconciliation nobody finished, a report that arrives after the decision has already been made.
Alinea runs your accounting function as an ongoing relationship rather than a seasonal cleanup. Your books are maintained on a set cadence, closed within a defined number of business days, and reviewed by a CPA-led team before anything reaches you.
We work with businesses nationwide from our office in Beverly Hills, California, with secure document exchange and remote collaboration built into every engagement.
What’s included
Bookkeeping & close
- Monthly cash- or accrual-basis bookkeeping
- Bank and credit card reconciliations
- Income and expense categorization
- Month-end and year-end close
- Custom chart of accounts
- Class, program, and location tracking
Reporting
- Income Statement & Balance Sheet
- Statement of Cash Flows
- Management reporting packages
- Year-end tax-ready books
- Multi-entity reporting
Operations
- Accounts payable and bill pay
- Accounts receivable and customer invoicing
- Payroll coordination and processing
- Sales tax compliance
- QuickBooks consulting and support
Who this is for
02
Owners who cannot get a straight answer from their numbers
The reports exist but nobody can explain them. We rebuild the chart of accounts so the statements answer the questions you actually ask.
03
Companies preparing for a lender, investor, or sale
Clean, accrual-basis books with documented reconciliations hold up under diligence. We get them there and keep them there.
04
Multi-entity businesses that need consolidated reporting
Several entities, intercompany activity, and elimination entries make the close harder than it should be. We design a reporting structure that shows the real picture.
05
Owners spending too much time on back-office work
If you are the one chasing invoices, reconciling accounts, or answering payroll questions, the accounting function has outgrown your desk. We take the operational burden off you.
06
Companies moving from cash to accrual accounting
Growth makes cash-basis reporting misleading. We manage the transition, set up the right schedules, and close the books on an accrual basis you can rely on.
Service & price comparison
Find the right level of accounting support.
Every set of books is different. Our three service levels reflect increasing close speed, reporting depth, and day-to-day accounting operations. Final scope and pricing are tailored to each engagement.
| Capability | Bookkeeper | Senior Accountant | Controller |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Fee | From $350 | From $850 | From $1,750 |
| One-time Implementation fee | From $500 | From $1,000 | From $2,000 |
| Monthly bookkeeping | Cash-basis | Cash or accrual | Cash or accrual |
| Bank & credit card reconciliations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Income & expense categorization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monthly Income Statement & Balance Sheet | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Year-end tax-ready books | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monthly close | 15 business days | 10 business days | 7 business days |
| Balance Sheet account reconciliations | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accruals & adjusting entries, as applicable | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Statement of Cash Flows | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom chart of accounts | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Class / Program / Location tracking | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accounts Payable & Bill Pay | — | — | ✓ |
| Accounts Receivable & Customer Invoicing | — | — | ✓ |
| Payroll coordination & processing | — | — | ✓ |
| AP & AR aging oversight | — | — | ✓ |
| Month-end close & accounting oversight | — | — | ✓ |
| Enhanced monthly financial reporting | — | — | ✓ |
| Communication | Email (48 hours) | Email & phone (24 hours) | Email, phone & Slack |
Starting fees represent the minimum engagement for each service level. Final pricing is based on the complexity and workload of your books, including entities, transaction volume, bank and credit accounts, payroll, sales tax requirements, reporting needs, and the level of ongoing accounting operations required.
Implementation
Every engagement begins with getting the foundation right.
Before Alinea can run your accounting on a set cadence, we need to understand how your books are built today. Every accounting engagement begins with a structured implementation.
Implementation may include
- Accounting System Review & Setup
- Chart of Accounts Design
- Bank & Credit Account Inventory
- Opening Balance Review
- Historical Financial Review
- Reconciliation Baseline
- Class / Program / Location Structure
- Payroll & Benefits Setup Review
- AP & AR Workflow Design
- Payment Approval Procedures
- Reporting Package Design
- Close Calendar & Cadence Setup
Final implementation fees depend on complexity. Historical cleanup, catch-up bookkeeping, or accounting remediation identified during implementation is scoped separately.
Common questions
What's the difference between the Bookkeeper, Senior Accountant, and Controller plans?
Bookkeeper covers accurate books and core monthly statements. Senior Accountant adds accrual-basis reporting, cash flow statements, a faster close, and custom tracking. Controller adds a fully managed accounting function — bill pay, invoicing, payroll coordination, and a 7-day close.
How quickly will my books be closed each month?
Within 15 business days on the Bookkeeper plan, 10 on Senior Accountant, and 7 on Controller. Faster closes mean you're making decisions on current numbers rather than last quarter's.
Do you work with cash or accrual basis?
The Bookkeeper plan is cash basis. Senior Accountant and Controller support either cash or accrual, depending on what your business, lenders, or investors require.
Can you clean up books that are behind or disorganized?
Yes. Catch-up and cleanup work is common at onboarding. We scope it separately as a one-time project so your ongoing monthly fee reflects the steady state, not the backlog.
I have a bookkeeper who costs very little. Why would I pay more?
Inexpensive bookkeeping is usually cash-basis data entry into generic accounts, delivered late enough that the numbers are already stale. We're a CPA-led firm that understands accounting, not just software — you get statements that show margin and profitability by revenue stream, in time to act on them, and a firm that can grow into planning and advisory as you do.
Do you handle payroll, bill pay, and invoicing?
Bill pay, customer invoicing, and payroll coordination are included on the Controller plan. On lower plans we integrate with your existing payroll and payment platforms and keep the records clean — we can also add these services individually if you need them sooner.
How much of my time will this take each month?
For most clients, well under an hour — answering a short list of questions and forwarding the occasional document. Businesses that run personal spending through business accounts should expect that to take longer until the two are separated.
What does the implementation fee cover?
Implementation covers the initial setup required to transition your accounting into Alinea's ongoing workflow, including account and reporting setup, system configuration, workflow design, and opening review. Historical cleanup, catch-up bookkeeping, or accounting remediation identified during implementation is scoped separately.