Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If you have questions, you are in the right place. Our FAQ section provides clear answers to some of the most common questions about our firm, services, processes, and what it’s like to work with us.

The Accountant’s Palette is a boutique, CPA-led accounting and advisory firm that provides personalized financial support to service-based businesses. We offer far more than basic bookkeeping—we deliver strategic insight, hands-on guidance, and a true financial partnership.

Our headquarters is located in Alabama, but we are a fully remote and cloud-based firm. We proudly serve clients nationwide, using secure, modern platforms for all communication, document sharing, and collaboration.

As a boutique firm, we build slowly and intentionally so that we can remain highly responsive, deeply involved, and fully committed to each client we serve. This allows us to maintain a level of care and strategic focus that larger firms often can’t match.

General

  • Yes. Our founders are both licensed CPAs and we operate in full compliance with national and state requirements for certified public accountants.

  • We specialize in supporting service-based businesses, especially those operating on a project-based model, including:

    • Creative Services — Marketing, Advertising, and Design

    • Building & Construction Services

    • Specialized Professional Services including law firms

    • Business Consulting & Training

    • Videography, Photography & Film Production

  • At The Accountant’s Palette, you’re getting more than a traditional bookkeeper—you’re partnering with a CPA-led, boutique firm that offers both high-level financial insight and dependable day-to-day support.

    Here’s why choosing us is often a smarter, more strategic choice than hiring in-house:

    CPA-Led, Strategic Expertise

    Your financials are overseen by a licensed CPA with a deep understanding of accounting and financial strategy.

    We don’t just keep your books—we help you understand them and use them to guide smarter business decisions.

    More Value Than a Single Employee

    Hiring in-house can be expensive and limiting. With us, you get dedicated support and expert-level oversight at a fixed monthly rate—without the costs, turnover, or training that come with hiring a full-time employee.

    Boutique-Level Attention

    As a boutique firm, we work with a limited number of clients at a time to ensure responsive, personalized service. You’re not one of hundreds—we know your business, your goals, and your financial story.

    Cloud-Based Convenience

    Our remote, paperless model means you have secure, 24/7 access to your financials, reports, and communications—powered by modern accounting tools that simplify your life.

    A Trusted Financial Partner

    We don’t just process transactions—we act as an extension of your business, offering clarity, confidence, and proactive support to help you grow and thrive.

Services

  • We provide virtual accounting, bookkeeping, and fractional CFO services tailored to small and mid-sized businesses across a variety of industries. Our services are designed to streamline your financial operations and provide the insight you need to make confident business decisions.

    Core Services include:

    • Bookkeeping

    • Month-End Close

    • Financial Reporting

    • Payroll Management, including payroll tax filings and 1099 compliance

    • Bill Payments & Client Invoicing

    • Insurance Audit Support (General Liability, Worker’s Compensation, etc)

    • Fractional CFO Services (budgeting, forecasting, cash flow strategy, KPI tracking, and more)

    For a full breakdown of everything we offer, click here to explore our services in more detail.

  • Yes! We offer one-time projects that can be scoped separately.

  • We currently offer select tax services, including:

    • 1099 Preparation & Filing

    • Sales Tax Filing & Compliance

    • Quarterly Estimated Tax Planning

    Business income tax return preparation may be available on a case-by-case basis, depending on your needs.

    We don’t necessarily replace your current tax preparer. While our firm is CPA-led and we provide clean, tax-ready books, many of our clients choose to continue working with their existing tax professionals for year-end income tax filing—and we fully support that.

    We’re easily able to collaborate directly with your tax preparer to ensure they have everything needed for a smooth and timely filing process.

  • Yes. We process payroll through cloud-based platforms like Gusto, ADP, or Rippling.

    Generally, most payroll service platforms remit payroll taxes directly to tax agencies on behalf of the client. We oversee this process including setting up any required new tax accounts with state & local payroll tax agencies.

  • Yes - we offer support for customer invoicing and accounts receivable management as part of select plans.

    This typically includes:

    • Creating and sending customer invoices

    • Tracking outstanding receivables

    • Sending payment reminders to customers

    We do not provide formal or aggressive collections services like those offered by a collection agency. This includes actions such as issuing payment demands or pursuing delinquent accounts through escalated efforts.

    Our role is to support your internal billing process and help you stay organized and proactive with receivables.

  • Absolutely. Through our fractional CFO services, we help businesses build budgets, forecast revenue, analyze KPIs, and improve cash flow. This is a key part of our value.

  • We’re happy to discuss additional services as your needs evolve. Any work outside the scope of your package will be quoted separately and agreed upon before proceeding

  • Of course! We help businesses clean up months or years of backlogged bookkeeping.

    Clean-up work is scoped and priced separately after a review of your current books.

Pricing & Billing

  • We charge a fixed monthly recurring fee that’s customized based on your business size, transaction volume, complexity, and the level of support you’re looking for.

    We aim to earn your business every month—you’re never locked into a long-term contract and you’re free to cancel at any time with 30 days’ notice

    • For businesses seeking comprehensive, full-service financial support, packages typically range from $4,000 to $6,000 per month. These plans include:

      • Accrual-Based Bookkeeping

      • Month-End Close

      • Monthly Financial Reports

      • Bill Pay

      • Payroll Management

      • Customer Invoicing & Accounts Receivable Support

      • 1099 Tax Form Preparation & Filing

      • Sales Tax Return Management (if applicable

      • Priority Support

      • Dedicated CPA Oversight

      • CFO-Level Advisory
        (Budgeting, Forecasting,Profitability Analytics, and Cash Flow Management)

      • Collaboration with Your Tax Preparer
        (Income tax return preparation may be available on a case-by-case basis and scoped separately)

    • We also work with businesses that are earlier in their growth journey or have more focused needs. Packages in this range typically fall between $1,500 and $3,000 per month and provide a strong financial foundation with the flexibility to scale as your business grows.

    • We also offer fixed-price, one-time projects for clients with specific needs.

  • No, we work on a fixed-fee basis to provide predictable pricing and clear value for our clients. This approach allows us to focus on outcomes rather than the clock. However, if you're not seeking ongoing services, we're happy to discuss fixed-fee one-time projects tailored to your needs.

  • No! We don’t believe in locking clients into long-term contracts. You’re free to cancel at any time with a 30-day notice.

Technology & Security

  • We exclusively support QuickBooks Online for ongoing accounting services to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and seamless collaboration. If you're not currently using QBO, we're happy to discuss how we can assist with setup or migration to get you started on the right track.

  • Security is a top priority at The Accountant’s Palette, and we take extensive measures to safeguard your personal and financial data.

    We operate in a fully cloud-based and paperless environment, using secure platforms with industry-standard encryption and strict access controls. Our internal systems and workflows are designed to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and protection of all client information.

    Our security protocols include:

    • 100% Paperless Systems

    • Encrypted, Secure Client Portals

    • Cloud-Based Accounting Software (QuickBooks Online)

    • Industry-Standard Cybersecurity Protocols and Firewalls

    • Controlled User Access & Permissions

    You can rest assured that your data is handled with the utmost care using trusted technologies and best practices for modern accounting firms.

  • We’re always evaluating the latest tools to improve our workflows and deliver a seamless client experience. Our tech stack is carefully chosen to support efficiency, accuracy, and secure collaboration.

    Here’s an overview of the platforms we currently use:

    • QuickBooks Online – Our accounting software of choice for all client bookkeeping and financial management. We do not support QuickBooks Desktop or alternative platforms for ongoing services.

    • Payroll – We typically recommend Gusto or Rippling for payroll processing due to their user-friendly interfaces and seamless integrations with QBO. However, we also have experience working with ADP and other payroll platforms based on client preference.

    • Client Portal – We use Financial Cents to provide clients with a secure portal for document uploads, approvals, task tracking, and communication.

    • Financial Reporting – We utilize advanced reporting tools like Fathom and Syft Analytics to create custom financial dashboards, KPI tracking, and visually rich performance reports.

    • Bill Pay – For businesses with a higher volume of accounts payable, we recommend the use of bill payment platforms like Bill.com to streamline bill payment workflows.

    • Remote Collaboration Tools – We use Zoom for virtual meetings, Slack for internal team communication, and secure cloud-based platforms for document sharing and storage.

    Our goal is to ensure our tech stack not only works well for our team—but enhances the experience for you as a client, making it easy to stay informed, connected, and compliant.

Client Experience

  • Getting started with The Accountant’s Palette is simple, seamless, and designed to help us understand your business from day one. Here’s what the process looks like:

    1. Contact Us

    Submit an inquiry through our website or email us directly to express interest in working together.

    2. Complete a Preliminary Questionnaire

    We'll send you a short form to gather basic information about your business, your goals, and the services you’re interested in. This helps us tailor our initial conversations to your needs.

    3. Schedule a Discovery Call

    If we believe we’re a good fit, we’ll invite you to a free Discovery Call via Zoom. We’ll dive deeper into your business, challenges, and goals to see how we can help.

    4. Receive a Custom Proposal

    After the call, we’ll send a customized proposal with one or more service plan options. You’ll also receive a short Loom video walkthrough so you can review everything at your own pace.

    5. Accept & Onboard

    Once you accept the proposal, you'll enter your payment details and electronically sign the engagement letter. From there, you’ll receive your Welcome Email and access to your personalized onboarding checklist and client portal.

    6. Meet Your Accountant & Get Started

    We’ll schedule your initial onboarding call, connect the necessary systems, and begin delivering the accounting support your business deserves.

  • To ensure a smooth transition, we’ll request access to key systems and a few important documents during onboarding.

    Don’t worry—we’ll guide you through everything step-by-step.

    Here’s an overview of what we’ll typically request:

    1Account Access

    • Add The Accountant's Palette as an accountant user in QuickBooks Online

    • Set up guest or view-only access to business bank, credit card, and loan accounts

    • Grant accountant access to your payroll provider (if applicable)

    • Provide online access to tax accounts (IRS, state payroll tax portals, etc.)

    • Provide access to accounts payable platforms (e.g., Bill.com, Melio, Relay) if applicable

    • Provide access to merchant accounts (e.g., Stripe, Square, PayPal)

    • Provide access to other management tools as needed if applicable

    Business Documentation(Uploaded to Your Secure Portal)

    • Entity formation documents

    • Signed W-9 form

    • EIN letter from the IRS

    • S Corp Election Form 2553 (if applicable)

    • Operating Agreement or Partnership Agreement (if applicable)

    • Prior years' tax return(s) & 1099 tax forms

    • Most recent sales tax filing (if applicable)

    • Sales tax license or permit

    • State business license or registration certificate

    • Company logo in PNG or JPEG format (used for customized reporting)

    • Current pricing structure or client contract template (for invoicing and AR support)

    • Current internal budget or projections (if available)

    • Existing internal reports, dashboards, or KPIs (if transitioning from another advisor)

    • Any open IRS or state tax notices or correspondence

    Payroll Documentation(If Payroll Support is Included)

    • Employee census including names, hire dates, roles, and pay rates

    • Access to time tracking system (if applicable)

    • Current pay schedule

    • Payroll reports from prior periods (if transitioning from a previous provider)

    Accounts Payable / Vendor Compliance(If AP or 1099 Support is Included)

    • List of active vendors and contractors

    • W-9 forms for all contractors

    • Payment history or summary of prior contractor payments

    We’ll walk through each of these steps with you during onboarding to make the process as simple and stress-free as possible.

  • We provide regular check-in meetings via Zoom, scheduled based on the cadence agreed upon in your service plan (monthly, quarterly, or as needed).

    In between meetings, you’ll have access to:

    • Priority Email & Portal Chat Support for any bookkeeping or financial questions

    • A Secure Client Portal where you can easily upload documents, view reports, and communicate with our team

    Our goal is to keep communication clear, consistent, and convenient—so you always know where things stand and feel fully supported.

  • Yes! Client satisfaction is our top priority.

    If you’re unhappy for any reason, we’ll work to resolve the issue. If you still want to part ways, we’ll refund your previous month’s fee—no questions asked.