Why one team instead of three
Most small businesses end up with someone entering transactions who does not talk to the tax preparer, a tax preparer who sees the books once a year, and an owner in the middle carrying spreadsheets back and forth. Things fall through the gap. Usually in March.
Our packages put all of it in one engagement:
- The books are closed on a schedule, reconciled to the bank, and ready for tax
- Your business return and your personal return are included in every package
- Tax planning is built in, so the person looking at your numbers every month is also thinking about your tax bill
You pay one predictable price instead of three invoices.
Watch: Monthly outsourced accounting in 2 minutes
What a monthly close includes, which of the four tiers fits your business, and how it compares to hiring in-house.
Read the transcript
Most business owners only look at their numbers once a year, at tax time. By then, it's too late to change much.
So, what's included? Each month, we categorize your transactions, and reconcile your bank and credit card accounts to the statements, so the numbers are clean and complete.
It's a fit for established businesses that want clean numbers and real tax planning. If you're just starting out with a handful of transactions, tax preparation alone may be enough for now.
Here's what we'll do for you. Catch up your books if you're behind, then close them every month, reconcile every account, send your statements, prepare your business and personal tax returns, and plan taxes with you during the year.
Which tier fits? Essentials and Foundation cover clean books and reporting, usually under $1 million in revenue. Growth fits around $1 to $3 million, when you're deciding on headcount, pricing and cash, with a 13-week cash forecast, custom KPIs, a budget and a live monthly call. CFO is for $3 million and up, when you don't want to touch accounting at all. We run payables and receivables, payroll oversight, sales tax, lender and board reporting, and a call every two weeks.
And on every plan, you get Next Level Live, a live dashboard where you can see cash, profit and your KPIs any time, instead of waiting for month-end.
What it costs. Essentials starts at $458 a month, Foundation at $833, Growth at $1,997, and CFO at $3,997 a month. Tax returns are included, and one-time onboarding starts at $400. The final price is confirmed after we look at your situation.
Now compare that to hiring. Building controller capacity in-house runs an estimated $94,000 a year. Growth with us starts at $1,997 a month. In-house finance leadership is closer to $197,000. CFO with us starts at $3,997 a month. And there's no recruiting, and no turnover.
On the free discovery call, we look at your numbers, confirm it fits, and you leave with a clear next step and a price. Book yours at nxtlevelcpa.com.
General education, not tax advice for your situation.
Watch: Fractional CFO in 2 minutes
What a fractional CFO does, who it fits, the two levels and their starting prices, and how it compares to a full-time hire.
Read the transcript
Profitable on paper, but cash is always tight. And the big calls, like hiring, pricing and taking on a loan, get made on gut feel.
So, what does a fractional CFO actually do? Outsourced accounting tells you what happened. A CFO helps you decide what to do next, with cash, pricing, hiring and growth. And it's part-time, so you get senior guidance without a full-time salary.
It's a fit for businesses doing about one to six million in revenue, especially if you're growing, hiring, carrying a bank loan, or tight on cash. Under a million, our outsourced accounting is usually the better fit. And if you want reports but won't meet and act on them, this isn't for you.
Here's what we'll do. Close your books every month, put your numbers on a live dashboard, build a rolling thirteen-week cash forecast, track the KPIs that drive your business, set your Profit First targets, and meet with you to go over budget versus actual, and your next move.
There are two levels. Growth is for about one to three million, with one CFO call a month. CFO is for about three to six million, or when there's a lender or several entities. You get a call every two weeks, scenario forecasts, pricing and margin work, lender and board reporting, and we run payables, receivables and payroll oversight.
What it costs. Growth starts at nineteen ninety-seven a month, and CFO from thirty-nine ninety-seven. Both include your monthly close, and your business and personal tax returns. One-time onboarding is fifteen hundred, and it's waived if you sign within forty-eight hours of your free discovery call. The final price is confirmed after we look at your situation.
Now compare that to hiring. A full-time financial manager earns a median of about one hundred sixty-seven thousand dollars a year, and that's salary alone, before benefits and recruiting. Growth with us starts at nineteen ninety-seven a month, with your books and tax returns included.
On the free discovery call, we look at your numbers, confirm it fits, and you leave with a clear next step and a price. Book yours at nxtlevelcpa.com.
General education, not tax advice for your situation.
The four packages
| Package | What it is | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials: business and personal returns, quarterly close, a Loom video of every close, 1 planning meeting a year | Taxes, books and a plan | $458 / month |
| Foundation: monthly close by the 10th, a Loom video of every close, 4 planning meetings a year, bank account optimization, where you're bleeding money, business KPIs, KPI targets and peer KPIs in Next Level Live | Know your numbers every month | $833 / month |
| Growth: monthly close by the 5th, a monthly planning meeting, scenario analysis and a 13-week cash flow forecast with cash runway in Next Level Live | Make decisions with your numbers | $1,997 / month |
| CFO: monthly close by the 3rd, a planning meeting every 2 weeks, AP and AR run for you, budget vs actual, lender and board reports, build to sell in Next Level Live | We run your back office with you | From $3,997 / month |
One time onboarding is $400 on Essentials, $800 on Foundation, $1,500 on Growth and $1,500 on CFO, and it is waived if you sign within 48 hours of your free discovery call. Cleanup of messy books is quoted separately. Prices are starting prices, confirmed after the diagnostic. Full details are in the side-by-side comparison above.
What a monthly close actually includes
"Closing the books" means different things to different firms. For us, closing a month means:
- Every bank and credit card account reconciled to the statement, not just categorized
- Transactions coded to a chart of accounts that makes sense for your business
- Payroll entries recorded properly, with liabilities tied out
- Loan balances matched to lender statements, split between principal and interest
- Vendors tracked so 1099s are ready in January instead of a scramble
- A profit and loss and balance sheet delivered on a set date, with a recorded walkthrough of what moved
If you run a contracting or trades business, job costing and retainage need their own setup. See accounting for contractors.
Switching to us
- Discovery call. We learn how the business runs and which package fits.
- Diagnostic. We look at your current books, whether in QuickBooks Online, Xero or a shoebox, and tell you what shape they are in.
- Proposal. A fixed price and a written scope. If cleanup is needed first, it is quoted separately.
- Onboarding. We connect bank feeds, set up the chart of accounts and agree the monthly calendar.
- First close. Your first set of statements, and the walkthrough that explains them.
Behind on your books? Catch-up accounting starts at $250 per month of records, with a $1,500 minimum, quoted after the diagnostic.
Where our clients are
We're a virtual firm, and our outsourced accounting clients are small businesses all over the country. Bank feeds, a secure portal and Google Meet mean it works the same in any state.
Selling or working in more than one state? That means more than one set of sales tax and payroll rules, and we deal with it every week. More on NC and SC dual-state issues.
What clients say
“Sargis and his team have been a lifesaver for our business. We are incredibly grateful not only for the quality of work they deliver, but the customer service that they offer.”
“Sargis is a tax strategist who has supported my business’ growth and helps me spend more of my own time running the other aspects of my business. His team is responsive, professional, and thorough.”
“Next Level CPA prepared our personal and business taxes for 2025. I found Sargis to be friendly, knowledgeable, responsive, and always professional.”
Questions we get asked
How much does outsourced accounting cost?
Essentials starts at $458 a month and includes a quarterly close and both your business and personal tax returns. Foundation, with a monthly close, starts at $833 a month. Growth is $1,997 a month and CFO starts at $3,997 a month. Each plan has a one time onboarding fee ($400, $800, $1,500 and $1,500), waived if you sign within 48 hours of your free discovery call. These are starting prices, confirmed after the diagnostic.
Which package is right for my business?
It mostly depends on how often you want the books closed and how involved you want us in your decisions. Essentials is taxes, books and a plan, with a quarterly close. Foundation closes monthly by the 10th so you know your numbers every month. Growth adds a monthly planning meeting, scenario analysis and a 13-week cash flow forecast in Next Level Live to help you make decisions with your numbers. CFO means we run your back office with you, including AP and AR, lender and board reports and build to sell. We confirm the fit after the diagnostic.
Do I need to switch accounting software?
Usually not. We work in QuickBooks Online and Xero. If your current setup is causing problems, we will tell you during the diagnostic and handle the move. The diagnostic also shows what shape your books are in today, which is part of how we confirm your final package price before onboarding.
Are my tax returns really included?
Yes. Every package includes the business return and the owner's personal return, plus year round email support. That is the point of one engagement: the books are closed and reconciled on a schedule, so your returns are built from numbers we already know instead of a spreadsheet handed over in March.
What does a monthly close include?
Every bank and credit card account reconciled to the statement, transactions coded to a sensible chart of accounts, payroll entries and liabilities tied out, loan balances matched to lender statements, and vendors tracked for 1099s. You then get a profit and loss and balance sheet on a set date, with a recorded walkthrough of what moved.
Can you help if I am months behind?
Yes. Catch-up accounting starts at $250 per month of records with a $1,500 minimum. We quote it after the diagnostic, once we have seen your accounts, then roll you into one of our packages once you are current. Business returns are priced for clean, completed books, so catching up first usually matters.