Getting started
From a shoebox to a closed month
We look at what exists
Whatever state the books are in. There is no version of this we have not seen before.
Cleanup, if needed
Catch-up work is quoted separately and honestly — it is usually the bulk of the first invoice, and then it is done.
A chart of accounts that answers questions
Set up so it can show sourcing and profitability, not just a profit figure.
A closed month, every month
Reconciled, categorized, statements issued. Filing season becomes a review rather than an excavation.
Where Katie is strongest
Construction and professional services
Two of the harder sets of books to keep well, and the two Katie has spent most of twenty-five years in. Both are businesses where the books either answer the profitability question by job or by client, or they do not answer it at all.
- Construction — job costing, retainage, progress billing and work in progress
- Professional services — trust tax returns, unbilled time and entity choice
- Farm — Schedule F, seasonal payroll and the equipment decisions that follow
- Rentals — Schedule E, depreciation and the Portland registration rules
Who does this work
Bookkeeping here is run by Katie Wells, who has kept books for small businesses for more than 25 years — QuickBooks, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, reconciliations and monthly reporting. That matters more than it sounds. A bookkeeper who has seen twenty-five year-ends knows which accounts go wrong and where a number that looks fine is hiding a problem.
Bookkeeping services
Why it matters more here than in most states
Portland-area businesses file more separate returns than businesses almost anywhere else — federal, Oregon, CAT, Portland Business License Tax, Multnomah County Business Income Tax and Metro SHS. Each has its own base and its own apportionment. Books that cannot tell you where revenue was sourced cannot support those filings without a scramble every March.
- CAT is assessed on Oregon-sourced commercial activity — your books have to be able to show sourcing
- City and county business taxes apportion on their own basis
- Payroll data has to reconcile to what was actually filed with Oregon and the local jurisdictions
- Cross-border businesses may have Washington B&O exposure on the same revenue
What good books look like
- 1Every bank and credit card account reconciled monthly, not annually
- 2A chart of accounts that reflects how the business actually operates
- 3Revenue coded so that sourcing questions can be answered without re-reading invoices
- 4Payroll flowing through cleanly and reconciling to filed returns
- 5Owner draws, distributions and loans kept distinct — the single most common S-corp mess
- 6A closed prior period, so last month does not change after it has been reported
Do you work in QuickBooks only?
QuickBooks Online is where most of our clients are and where we work fastest, but we can work with what you have. If your system is genuinely wrong for the business we will say so before you spend another year in it.
How far behind is too far behind?
There is no too far. We have picked up businesses three years behind. See catch-up bookkeeping.
Can you do the bookkeeping and the tax return?
That is the point of doing both under one roof — the books are built to support the returns, so filing season is a review rather than an excavation.
Do you handle payroll too?
Yes, separately — see payroll services. Oregon payroll compliance in particular has a lot of moving parts.
By city
Talk it through before filing season starts
Start with a complimentary 15-minute introductory call about your situation and whether we are a good fit. No tax advice is given on that call.
Written by
Bookkeeper, 25+ years
Katie has kept books for small businesses for more than 25 years — QuickBooks, payroll, AP, AR, reconciliations and monthly reporting.
Reviewed by
Heather Perkins
Enrolled Agent, Oregon Licensed Tax Consultant
Last reviewed
This page is general information about Oregon, Washington and federal tax rules, not advice about your own return. Thresholds and rates change every year. Figures were verified as of August 2026 — check the linked official sources, or talk to us about your situation.