Account reconciliations and review
Bank and credit-card reconciliations, review of balance-sheet accounts, organised supporting documentation, and a dependable monthly routine.
ACCOUNTING SUPPORT • TAX-READY RECORDS
Clear accounts.Confident decisions.Fewer tax surprises.
Reliable accounting and tax support for small businesses across the United States and Canada. We help keep your accounts organised, your reports meaningful, and your tax-time preparation more manageable—with support that fits the way your business works.
General journalIllustrative example
ACCOUNTDEBITCREDIT
- Cash3,200
- Sales revenue3,200
- Software subscriptions129
- Cash129
- Contractor payments850
- Cash850
- Payroll expense2,400
- Cash2,400
TOTALS
Trial balance: debits equal credits
Spend less time chasing numbers—and more time running your business
When accounts fall behind, it becomes harder to understand cash flow, track profitability, prepare for taxes, or make confident decisions. Our outsourced accounting and tax support gives you a clearer view of your numbers and a consistent process for keeping financial records up to date.
Support built around your business
Account clean-up and catch-up
A structured review of overdue, incomplete, duplicated, or misclassified items to help bring your accounts back into order.
Management reports
Profit and loss, balance sheet, cash-flow insights, and practical explanations of what changed and what deserves attention.
Tax-time support
Year-end schedules and organised records that help your tax preparer work from clearer, more complete information. Tax return preparation and advisory services are provided only within the scope and qualifications agreed for your engagement.
Work with the accounting software that suits you
We support cloud and desktop accounting workflows across QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, Zoho Books, and other platforms where the engagement and access permissions allow. We can help maintain an existing setup or plan a more orderly transition.
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- Sage
- Zoho Books
A practical process, with clear expectations
- 1
Discover
We learn about your business, current records, software, reporting needs, and deadlines.
- 2
Set up the workflow
We agree on the scope, responsibilities, access, close calendar, and communication rhythm.
- 3
Keep the accounts moving
Transactions are reviewed and reconciled according to the agreed schedule.
- 4
Review and improve
We share reports, flag open questions, and identify recordkeeping gaps to address.
Accounting and tax services that keep business moving
Choose ongoing support, help with a backlog, or a focused project to improve your accounting setup. We will define the deliverables and responsibilities before work begins.
Accounting
Account reconciliations and review
Bank and credit-card reconciliations, review of balance-sheet accounts, and organised supporting documentation. We work to an agreed monthly schedule so that unresolved items are identified rather than left to build up.
Accounting
Account clean-up and catch-up
For businesses with overdue months, unreconciled accounts, inconsistent coding, duplicate transactions, or balances that do not make sense. We assess the backlog, agree on a priority order, investigate discrepancies where records are available, and document items requiring owner or tax-professional input.
Accounting
Month-end close and financial reporting
Close support may include reconciliations, review of clearing and suspense accounts, accrual and prepayment schedules where applicable, fixed-asset records, and preparation of management reports. Reports can include profit and loss, balance sheet, cash-flow summaries, and budget-versus-actual comparisons when suitable data is available.
Accounting
Accounts payable and receivable support
Help maintain supplier records, organise bills, monitor due dates, prepare payment lists for client approval, issue or track invoices, and review aged receivables. Payments and approvals remain with your authorised staff unless a separate, controlled workflow is agreed.
Accounting
Payroll accounting and contractor records
Reconcile payroll journals and liabilities, organise payroll reports, and help maintain contractor-payment records. Payroll processing, employment-law advice, and required government filings are scoped separately and depend on the applicable jurisdiction and service arrangement.
Accounting
Accounting software setup and support
Chart-of-accounts review, bank-feed workflows, tracking categories or classes, opening-balance checks, recurring transaction rules, reporting setup, and conversion planning for QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, Zoho Books, and other supported platforms.
Tax
Tax-ready records and year-end schedules
We help organise the accounts and supporting schedules commonly needed for year-end tax work. Depending on the engagement, this may include coordinating source documents, reconciling tax-related balance-sheet accounts, organising income and expense detail, and liaising with your appointed tax professional.
Tax
Tax return preparation and support
Tax return preparation, tax advice, and representation are offered only where covered by the firm's actual qualifications and engagement terms. With your permission, we can coordinate relevant records and workpapers with your appointed tax professional when this is included in the engagement. No particular filing outcome or tax savings is guaranteed.
Not sure what you need? Book a discovery call and we will help define the first practical step.
Tax-ready check
How tax-ready are your records?
A reconciled ledger and organised source documents make it easier for a qualified tax preparer to do their work. Tick what you already have in place.
0/8
IN PLACE
Tick what you already have in place and watch your score build.
A quick self-check for orientation, not tax advice.
Accounting and tax support for US and Canadian businesses
The right process depends on your country, state or province, entity structure, sales channels, and obligations. We organise the accounting workflow around the records and reporting requirements relevant to your business, and coordinate tax-related work within the agreed professional scope.
Accounting and tax-time support for US small businesses
Keep your accounts organised throughout the year—not just when a federal or state deadline is approaching. We support owners, operators, and professional advisers with consistent accounting and reporting workflows for US businesses.
US accounting support can include
- Bank and credit-card reconciliations
- Income and expense review
- Balance-sheet reconciliations
- Accounts payable and receivable tracking
- Payroll journal and liability reconciliation
- Contractor-payment records
- Sales-tax transaction summaries where applicable
- Year-end workpapers
Prepare better records for tax season
A reconciled ledger and organised source documents can make it easier for a qualified tax preparer to assess business income, deductible expenses, asset purchases, contractor payments, and year-end balances. The right treatment depends on the entity, facts, federal requirements, and state or local rules. We will flag missing information rather than assume an answer.
Get your US accounting and tax workflow under controlAccounting and tax support shaped around how your business operates
Different business models create different accounting questions. We begin with how money moves through your business, what records are available, and which reports help you manage it.
Professional services and consultants
Track client income, subcontractor costs, recurring software charges, reimbursable expenses, and project profitability.
Construction, trades, and contractors
Organise supplier bills, subcontractor records, job-related expenses, equipment purchases, customer deposits, and job or project reporting where the available records support it.
E-commerce and retail
Reconcile payment processors and marketplaces, investigate settlement differences, organise refunds and fees, and make inventory-related questions visible for review.
Agencies and creative businesses
Keep retainers, project revenue, contractor costs, software subscriptions, and client billing easier to review.
Property and real-estate businesses
Organise property-level income and expenses, loan and interest records, repairs, capital purchases, and supporting schedules according to the agreed accounting scope.
We will confirm fit before accepting work that requires specialist industry, inventory, trust-account, multi-entity, or regulated-sector expertise.
An accounting support partner focused on clarity and consistency
At Motive House, we believe useful financial information starts with dependable records. Our role is to help business owners reduce accounting backlogs, understand their reports, and maintain a process that supports better conversations with management, lenders, and tax professionals.
We work with the tools and workflows your business uses, then agree on a clear scope, review process, and communication rhythm. We value careful reconciliations, documented questions, sensible controls, and reports that are understandable—not just completed tasks.
OUR WORKING PRINCIPLES
1Consistency
Follow a repeatable close and reconciliation process.
2Transparency
Raise missing information and unresolved items early.
3Fit-for-purpose reporting
Focus on the information that supports your decisions.
4Responsible boundaries
Clarify what the engagement covers and involve appropriately qualified professionals when specialist advice or filings are needed.
Frequently asked questions
We are building service workflows for businesses in both markets. Availability depends on your location, business structure, accounting needs, and the scope of tax work requested. We confirm the fit and responsibilities before onboarding.
Tax services depend on the country, type of return, engagement terms, and the qualifications or authorisations required. During onboarding, we will confirm whether we prepare the return, coordinate with a qualified tax professional, or provide tax-ready accounting records only.
With your permission, we can coordinate relevant accounting records and workpapers with your appointed tax professional when this is included in the engagement.
Our stated platforms include QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, and Zoho Books, subject to the specific product, subscription, data access, and requirements of the engagement. Tell us what you currently use during the discovery call.
Often, yes. We first assess the period, transaction volume, account condition, and source-document availability. We then agree on a cleanup plan and identify questions that require your approval or a tax professional's judgement.
Pricing depends on transaction volume, number of accounts and entities, software condition, reporting needs, payroll or sales-tax complexity, and whether catch-up work is required. We provide a defined scope and quote after an initial review.
We use role-based access, approved file-sharing methods, and agreed procedures for handling financial records. We ask clients not to send passwords by email and to use secure access invitations wherever possible.
Guides for small-business owners
United States
How to Keep US Small-Business Accounts Tax-Ready All Year
Tax preparation is easier to organise when the accounts are current and key documents are easy to find. These habits help reduce last-minute record gathering.
CanadaCanadian Small-Business Accounting: GST/HST Records to Keep Organised
Consistent records help businesses review tax collected, eligible credits, and supporting documents. The exact treatment depends on registration status and the transaction.
United StatesUS Contractor Payments: Records to Organise Before Year-End
Good contractor records begin when the vendor is added—not in the final weeks of the year. Keep payment detail complete and confirm reporting rules with a tax professional.
US and CanadaFive Financial Reports Small-Business Owners Should Review
Reports are most valuable when they are current, reconciled, and reviewed together. Here are five reports that can help owners ask better questions.
US and CanadaQuickBooks Online vs Xero vs Sage vs Zoho Books: How to Choose
The best accounting platform is the one that fits your transaction flow, reporting needs, integrations, and team's ability to maintain it consistently.
US and CanadaAccounting for Businesses With Customers in Both the US and Canada
Cross-border activity increases the importance of clear entity records, currency handling, reconciliations, and coordinated professional advice.
Ready for clearer accounts?
Schedule a discovery call with Motive House.
Not sure what you need? Book a discovery call and we will help define the first practical step.
support@motivehouse.co