The books are behind
Start with cleanup and catch-up. There is no point designing a monthly cycle on top of records that have not been reconciled.
Services
Bookkeeping Built Around the Decisions You Make.
Four services that work together: a monthly cycle that closes on time, a cleanup project when the file needs one, payroll recorded where it belongs, and reporting you can read without a translator. All of it for Construction, Real Estate, and Property Management businesses.
- 30 minutes
- Complimentary
- By video
- No obligation
Four services, one system Scope agreed in writing Lake Stevens, WA. Virtual nationwide.
- QuickBooks ProAdvisor Gold
- 10+ Years Finance Systems Experience
- Secure Cloud Bookkeeping
- Serving Clients Nationwide
What We Do
Four Services That Fit Together
Most businesses start with one of these and add the others as the questions get harder. Each page below explains the problem it solves, what the work may include, and where the scope ends.
Monthly Bookkeeping
A fixed monthly cycle that reconciles every account, records the month, and closes it. You get statements on a predictable date instead of chasing them.
Monthly bookkeepingQuickBooks Cleanup & Catch-Up
A defined project for a file that is behind, unreconciled, or miscategorized. Agreed scope, agreed finish date, and a file you can trust when it is done.
Cleanup and catch-upPayroll Support
The bookkeeping around payroll: runs recorded correctly, labor allocated to the job or property, and liability accounts that reconcile.
Payroll supportFinancial Reporting
Statements built around the decisions you actually make. Profit by job, by property, or by entity, not one blended total.
Financial reporting
Where to Start
Which One Do You Actually Need?
You do not have to know before you call. Most of the time the answer is obvious within the first ten minutes of looking at the file together.
The books are current but late every month
Start with monthly bookkeeping. The problem is usually the absence of a repeatable close calendar rather than the absence of effort.
The numbers are there but they answer nothing
Start with financial reporting. A Profit and Loss that blends every job, property, or entity together cannot tell you which one paid.
Payroll is the part that never reconciles
Start with payroll support. Wages, taxes, and deductions each land in a different place, and labor cost belongs on the job or property it was spent on.
Industries
The Same Services, Set Up Differently
A contractor, a real estate owner, and a property manager all need reconciled books. What differs is the structure underneath: what the cost is attached to, and what question the report has to answer.
Construction
Costs attach to the job. Labor, materials, and subcontractors have to land on the right project before gross margin by job means anything.
Construction bookkeepingReal Estate
Costs attach to the property and the entity. Closing statements, loans, and capital improvements each have a correct place in the ledger.
Real estate bookkeepingProperty Management
Costs attach to the property and the owner. The month ends with a statement package that has to reconcile to the rent roll.
Property management bookkeeping
Scope
What Meridian Does Not Do
Being clear about this early saves everyone time, and it is the question a good CPA will ask you anyway.
- No tax preparation or tax filing. Meridian produces the reconciled books and reporting your tax professional works from.
- No tax, legal, audit, or investment advice. Those are separate professional engagements with separate licensing.
- Not a licensed payroll provider. Payroll support means the bookkeeping around payroll, not running it or filing payroll tax returns.
- No audited or reviewed financial statements. Reporting is management reporting, prepared for your own decisions.
Meridian works alongside your CPA rather than replacing them. In practice the CPA relationship usually gets easier, because the records they receive are already reconciled.
Start Here
Not Sure Which Service Fits?
Book a complimentary 30-minute review. Bring one question about your books and you will leave with a straight answer about what needs attention first, whether or not you ever become a client.
- 30 minutes
- Complimentary
- By video
- No obligation
Mon to Fri, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Lake Stevens, WA. Working virtually nationwide.
Questions
Common Questions About Working With Meridian
Do I have to pick a service before I book a review?
No. The review exists partly to answer that question. Most people arrive with a symptom rather than a diagnosis, and thirty minutes looking at the actual file is usually enough to say which of the four services the situation calls for.
Can I use more than one service at a time?
Yes, and that is the common case. A cleanup project frequently runs first and then hands over to a monthly cycle, with payroll support and reporting built into that cycle from the start.
Do you replace my CPA?
No. Meridian provides bookkeeping, payroll support, and financial reporting. Tax preparation, tax filing, and tax advice stay with your CPA or tax professional, and the reconciled books are what they work from.
Do you work with businesses outside Washington?
Yes. Meridian is based in Lake Stevens, Washington and works virtually with clients around the country. Reviews and ongoing work happen by video and shared access to QuickBooks Online.
What software do you work in?
QuickBooks Online. Meridian is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor at the Gold tier, with QuickBooks Online Level 1, Level 2, and Payroll certifications. Work in other platforms is handled case by case and discussed before anything is agreed.