Onboarding FAQ
Below are answers to the questions we hear most often from new clients. If your question isn’t covered here, please reach out to us at sbk2.co/support.
Getting Started
What happens after I sign the agreement?
You’ll receive a welcome email containing a custom email address we create for your organization. This address is used to grant us view-only access to your bank, credit card, and other accounts. The welcome email also includes links to instructions for adding us to each specific account. You’ll then schedule a call with our onboarding team, followed by a second call with Russ to verify access, review your workflow, and confirm all relevant documents and data. After that, your account is placed with the bookkeeper who will manage the actual bookkeeping tasks.
How long does the cleanup take?
It depends on volume and complexity, but most cleanups are completed within 4–6 weeks after we have full access to all accounts and documents. We work through the books month by month. If we encounter anything unexpected, we’ll bring it to your attention as we go.
Will there be milestones or progress updates during the cleanup?
We don’t issue formal milestone reports during cleanup. The onboarding team and your assigned bookkeeper will communicate with you if they need information or if anything comes up that requires your input. Once the cleanup is complete, you’ll receive your first set of standard monthly reports.
Reporting
What reports do I receive each month?
Standard monthly reporting includes a Profit & Loss statement and a Balance Sheet. These are delivered to you each month after reconciliation is complete.
Do you provide cash flow statements, month-over-month comparisons, or YTD analysis?
Those fall under custom or KPI reporting, which is available as an add-on. If you’d like additional reporting beyond P&L and Balance Sheet, let us know and we can discuss pricing.
Do you offer periodic review calls?
Reports are delivered asynchronously. Scheduled review calls (quarterly, for example) are not part of the standard monthly service. However, we are always reachable if you have questions about what you’re seeing in your reports.
Scope & Services
Does the monthly fee change if my transaction volume increases?
Normal fluctuations in transaction volume within your current account structure will not change your fee. What drives a fee change is adding services (such as invoicing, payroll management, or bill pay) or adding accounts. If the scope changes, we discuss it with you first and adjust by addendum.
What if I want to add services later (invoicing, payroll, etc.)?
Services can be added at any time via an addendum. We’ll discuss the scope and pricing with you before anything changes.
Do you handle payroll?
Payroll processing is not included in the standard bookkeeping service. Your payroll provider (Gusto, QBO Payroll, ADP, etc.) handles filings and compliance. We record the payroll entries in your books each month. If you’d like us to add payroll management, it can be priced as an addendum.
Do you do invoicing?
Invoice preparation is not included in the standard service unless specified in your agreement. Many clients prefer to handle their own invoicing. If you’d like us to take it on, we can add it by addendum.
Do you proactively flag financial trends or tax planning opportunities?
Our focus is accuracy — making sure your books are categorized correctly, reconciled, and filed on time. If we see something that doesn’t look right (unusual balances, miscategorized items, reconciliation discrepancies), we’ll flag it. Strategic advisory work such as trend analysis, margin tracking, and tax planning is CPA territory. If you need a CPA who offers that level of service, we can refer you to one of our partners.
DOR & Tax Filing
How does Washington DOR filing work?
If DOR filing is included in your agreement, we handle it each filing period based on your assigned frequency (monthly or quarterly). This includes calculating B&O tax, applying any applicable deductions (such as out-of-state revenue), and filing the return through your DOR account. If your filing frequency needs to be confirmed, we’ll verify it during onboarding.
What if I have out-of-state revenue?
We track your revenue by state in QuickBooks so that out-of-state deductions on your WA DOR filings are properly supported and audit-ready. Filing obligations in other states (income tax, sales tax) are handled separately — either by your CPA, by a third-party service, or by SB if we agree to take it on as an addendum.
Year-End
What does year-end include?
At year-end, we perform a range of tasks beyond normal monthly bookkeeping: downloading and reconciling bank and portal reports with QuickBooks data, reviewing and reclassifying the year’s transactions as needed, making year-end adjustments, coordinating with your tax preparer, and making closing entries. For a complete list, you can download our year-end bookkeeping guide.
How does 1099 preparation work?
Up to three 1099-NEC forms are included with your year-end service each year. Additional 1099s are $40 each. For tax year 2026 and forward, the reporting threshold is $2,000.
How do you coordinate with my CPA at year-end?
We provide year-end financials to you and your CPA and prioritize handling whatever your CPA needs to file the returns. If your CPA has questions about specific entries or needs adjustments, we handle those directly.
CPA Referrals
Can you recommend a CPA?
Yes. We work with several CPA partners at different price points and service levels. If you requested a referral during your discovery call, our Onboarding team will coordinate the introduction after onboarding. If you’d like a referral and haven’t asked yet, just let us know.
Contract & Billing
How does billing work?
The one-time fee is billed upon signing. The monthly fee is billed on the 1st of each month. The year-end fee is billed annually on November 1. All billing is via auto-payment as specified in the DocuSign agreement.
What are the contract terms?
Contract terms vary — including term length, renewal, and termination. The specific terms will be in the summary email we send you prior to becoming a client and are duplicated onto our DocuSign agreement. If you have questions about the contract terms, we’re happy to discuss them before you sign.