What’s Included (and Not) in Patrick Accounting’s Monthly Services

What does an accounting firm actually do all day?
Are they just reconciling spreadsheets and whispering sweet nothings to QuickBooks?

Well, yes. But also, way more.

We get this question a lot: “So, what am I actually getting when I sign up with you guys?”
That’s why we’re pulling back the curtain on what happens after you say “yes.” We’ll break down what’s included, what’s not, and why the answer to “Who handles that?” is never a mystery around here.

What Happens Right After You Sign Up?

Every client journey with Patrick Accounting starts with an Initial Strategy Session, and while it might sound like a kickoff meeting, it’s much more than that.

Think of it as a "State of the Union" for your business. We’re not just gathering documents or ticking boxes. We’re diagnosing how your financial systems are working and where they aren’t.

In this session, we’ll go through your service agreement again. Yes, you’ve already seen it with our sales team. But what you told sales may have been 100% accurate… or maybe 92%... or maybe closer to 6%. Our job is to confirm the facts so we can serve you well.

We’ll verify everything:

• Do we have access to all your bank and credit card accounts?

• Are your loans, payroll, and POS systems connected?

• How are bills coming into your office?

• Who’s doing the invoicing?

• How often are you opening the mail?

This deep dive helps us understand how financial data moves through your business. It’s about process, not just platforms. And more often than not, we discover a few things early on that weren’t totally clear before we had this conversation.

What We Clean Up First: Books, Reconciliations & Reality Checks

Here’s something we hear all the time: “My books are current and in good shape.”

Sometimes that’s true. Most of the time, it’s... not.

What we usually find includes things like:

• Bank accounts that were never reconciled

• Checks from two years ago still hanging out, even though they never cleared

• Tax returns that don’t match the books

• A chart of accounts that’s four times longer than it needs to be

• Double-recorded expenses from vendor bills that were also logged as credit card payments

So before we do anything else, we clean things up.

We call this “getting the books tight.” That means:

• Reconciliations across every account

• Verifying what’s been paid and what hasn’t

• Scrubbing out bad data (like fake A/R you’ll never collect)

• Making sure your chart of accounts reflects how you actually run your business

This cleanup is part of your onboarding. It’s a one-time reset to get your numbers accurate and actionable.

Ongoing Monthly Accounting: What You Get After Cleanup

Once your books are clean and current, we shift into ongoing monthly support.

Here’s what that includes:

• Transaction entry and review: We double-check what you’ve entered and fill in what you haven’t.

• Monthly reconciliations: We tie out your bank, credit card, and loan accounts—every single month.

• Closing entries: Things like monthly depreciation, accruals, and bonus estimates are added in the correct periods.

• Sales tax filings: If you're in a taxable business, we’ll take care of your filings on time.

• Financial statements with insight: We don’t just send reports, we highlight what’s changing and why it matters.

We also look for opportunities to track and report on KPIs that matter to your business, like labor costs, margins, or location-based performance, so you can make smarter decisions in real time.

What’s Included (And What’s Not)

Here’s a quick reference for what our services cover:

Included:

• Monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations

• Sales and liquor tax filings

• Financial reporting with insight

• KPI setup and tracking

• Year-end tax returns (if in your agreement)

Not included by default (but available à la carte):

• Workers’ comp audits

• Bill Pay services (A/P)

• Donor statements (for nonprofits)

• Franchise roll-up reporting (unless scoped in)

• Government census filings

• Custom grant or nonprofit reports

What we don’t do:

• Bill your customers

• Collect your receivables

• Chase your clients for payments

That’s not accounting, that’s operations. While we’ll advise you on systems to make those things easier, they’re not part of our core service.

Why Access Is a Big Deal

Our ability to deliver high-quality work is only as strong as the access you provide. That includes:

• All your bank and credit card accounts

• Loan balances

• Payroll and point-of-sale systems

• Inventory or donation systems (if applicable)

If we don’t have access, the data is incomplete. That means mistakes, delays, and inefficiencies. It also means we’re spending your time (and money) on guesswork instead of great work.

What We Expect From You: Collaborative Accounting

We’re not a “set it and forget it” service. Our model is collaborative. That means we’ll take care of the heavy lifting, but there are a few things you’re still responsible for:

1. Invoicing and recording payments:

You bill your customers and enter those payments into your system correctly. We’ll help you set it up.

2. Managing bank feeds: 

You will work with us to use QuickBooks to review and categorize bank transactions. 

3. Paying bills:

If you do not choose the Advanced Package (BOSS), you’ll be responsible for paying your vendors and entering those payments in a way that allows us to accurately track what’s still outstanding.

*If you are a BOSS client, we handle bill management for you as part of your service.

4. Staying connected: 

Schedule planning meetings when you need to, and drop into our Office Hours if something changes or you want to make adjustments. We’re always here when you need us, but the more connected we are, the better we can support your goals.

Why Some Clients Leave (And How You Can Avoid It)

It doesn’t happen often, but when clients part ways with us, it usually comes down to one of three things:

• They didn’t use the data. We gave them the numbers, but they didn’t act on the insights.

• They expected instant results. Clean books are a foundation—but they’re not a miracle cure.

• They wanted full control. If you want to dictate every detail, or use a custom process that doesn’t align with ours, it’s not going to work long-term.

Our system works. But it only works if you trust it.

What You Can Expect From a Real Accounting Partner

Hiring an accounting firm shouldn't feel like a gamble. You shouldn't have to guess what’s included or wonder who’s doing what.

At Patrick Accounting, we believe trust starts with transparency, which is why we’ve built our entire process around clear expectations, defined responsibilities, and proactive communication. From the day you sign on, we work to get your books clean, your processes aligned, and your reporting useful. Not just accurate, but actionable.

We don’t promise miracles, and we’re not interested in quick fixes. What we offer is a system that works, if you're ready to engage with it.

So if you're tired of vague answers, one-size-fits-all spreadsheets, or surprise fees, you deserve to see what working with a true partner looks like.

You just saw what we do...

Now see what the entire relationship looks like, start to finish.

 

Explore the full Patrick Accounting Client Journey