We've also evaluated hundreds of small business accounting firms to compile this top 10 list, focusing on their expertise, key services, successful projects, client testimonials, pricing structures, and industry accolades. Review their specializations and featured case studies to find the ideal partner for your needs.

The Number 1 Small Business Accounting Firm as Selected by DesignRush Is...

Padgett

• Best for: Overall
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 1966
• Size: 250-499
• Location: Athens, GA
• Notable clients: Ann Peden Jewelry, Luke Robison Farms, Bowers Fencing and Swimming Pools, Radiance by Roxanne, The Oyster Bed

Padgett helps small business owners keep neat financial records and focus on growing their businesses by managing their tax, accounting, payroll, and advisory needs. As part of its accounting service, the company handles monthly balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and account reconciliation. With over 50 years of experience, Padgett supports thousands of small businesses across North America through a network of local, independently owned and operated firms.

Padgett Success Story

• Challenge: A Chicago bakery faced significant profitability and cash flow problems. The business suffered a $34,000 loss, leading the owners to consider closing.
• Solution: Upon doing a preliminary audit, Padgett discovered that the bakery was spending a significant amount on ineffective traditional advertising, recommending allocating marketing funds to social media and community events. Another abnormality detected was that the cost of goods accounted for 50% of the revenue, prompting the agency to suspect internal theft and install a new POS system to track cashiers’ keystrokes and other surveillance.
• Results: In just a year after the collaboration, the bakery realized $47,000 profit, swinging in an impressive $81,000 in profitability since the initial contact. The successful turnaround enabled the owners to consider expansion, leading to the opening of a second, highly profitable location the following year.

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Pilot

• Best for: Bookkeeping
• Average hourly rate: $1
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2017
• Size: 250-499
• Location: San Francisco, CA
• Notable clients: Sundaily, Maev, Online Stampede, Alvea, Coin Tracker

Pilot specializes in comprehensive accounting services for startups and growing businesses, offering bookkeeping, tax preparation, CFO services, and R&D tax credit processing. The company provides monthly profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and statements of cash flow reports that offer insight into the client's financial health and enable informed decision-making. Its services ensure accurate financial statements, tax compliance, and strategic financial planning, leveraging technology to integrate seamlessly with financial accounts like QuickBooks and Gusto.

Pilot Success Story

• Challenge: Sundaily, an early-stage eCommence company, needed high-quality bookkeeping but lacked the time and expertise to manage it effectively. Its CEO, Chris Tolles, wanted a robust solution to streamline the bookkeeping processes and ensure accuracy without diverting significant time from core business activities.
• Solution: Pilot integrated its bookkeeping tools into Sundaily’s existing platforms, offering advanced software and usability support. This allowed Sundaily to achieve high-quality bookkeeping with minimal effort and ensure its financial records were accurate and up to date.
• Results: Pilot’s effort enabled Sundaily to save over $18,000 annually and more than 20 hours per month, allowing it to operate more efficiently and confidently. The Sundaily team was able to spend less than an hour monthly on bookkeeping, allocating that time to focus on growth strategy and other critical business functions.

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Graphite

• Best for: Accounts payable/receivable
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2016
• Size: Under 49
• Location: New York City, NY
• Notable clients: Caraway, Confiant, Rasa, Mondoo, Dashbot

Graphite Financial is a specialized accounting firm for startups, offering comprehensive bookkeeping, fractional CFO services, financial modeling, client invoicing, accounts payable, and tax services. Understanding the importance of cash flow across nascent growth stages, the company assists businesses with expertise and tools for a comprehensive overview of their runway, capital needs, revenue, and unit economics. Since 2016, Graphite has supported hundreds of growing startups with dedicated teams that act as in-house finance departments.

Graphite Success Story

• Challenge: Cookware brand Caraway encountered difficulties establishing a strong finance and accounting department while launching and expanding its consumer packaged goods (CPG) business. The startup needed a partner to offer accounting expertise and assistance as it managed the expansion of its product offerings, team, and sales channels.
• Solution: Graphite developed Caraway’s finance and accounting function, offering fundraising and business scaling guidance. As part of the service, it assisted the client in selecting the right systems and establishing processes for accounts receivable, bill payment, and other essential functions.
• Results: Caraway was able to concentrate on launching and expanding its business without being burdened by the complexities of back-end accounting. Caraway benefited from the expert accounting support, ensuring critical tasks were handled attentively and efficiently.

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Schultz & Associates, CPA

• Best for: Tax preparation
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 1992
• Size: Under 49
• Location: Canton, MI

Schultz & Associates, CPA provides comprehensive accounting services for startups and small businesses. It assists with bookkeeping, payroll, financial statement auditing, and tax preparation, among other things. Schultz & Associates, CPA operates from three branches, having serviced over 200 business clients from a broad range of industries. The company caters to clients that have business or nexus in other states, tending to their multi-state income tax and sales tax needs.

Schultz & Associates, CPA Success Story

• Challenge: A plumbing contractor in Westland sought to streamline its accounting and bookkeeping processes. With his business growing, the client needed tax preparation and planning assistance.
• Solution: Schultz & Associates expanded its services from weekly payroll processing and end-of-year accounting to full-service accounting support. The company helped the plumbing company migrate from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, automated their bill pay processes, prepared invoices for long-term projects, managed incoming funds, performed monthly bank reconciliations, and provided timely monthly financial reports.
• Results: The plumbing contractor experienced notable revenue growth despite a marginal increase in service fees. Schultz & Associates' efficient accounting process management allowed the client to handle an additional 2-5 service calls per week, thereby boosting its income.

Check Schultz & Associates, CPA Agency Profile

Hiline

• Best for: CFO services
• Average hourly rate: $1
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2016
• Size: 100-249
• Location: Syracuse, NY
• Notable clients: Avidon Health, Jahnel Group, Early Childhood Alliance Onondaga, Verse Gaming, Tim The Tatman

Hiline offers comprehensive accounting services tailored for small businesses, ensuring their bookkeeping, tax filing, and payroll are efficiently managed so clients can focus on their core business activities. The company assigns a dedicated accounting team to keep financial data well-organized through meticulous record-keeping and account reconciliation. Its capabilities extend to CFO services, human resources (HR), accounts payable, spend management, and accounting system implementation.

Hiline Success Story

• Challenge: Avidon Health enlisted Hiline’s CFO services to instill stability across its accounting and finance operations. The client previously relied on an overburdened external bookkeeper and a junior internal accountant, which hindered its scalability and financial reporting accuracy.
• Solution: Within the first month of onboarding, Hiline reviewed and adjusted financial records during a cleanup project. The accounting firm introduced a team-based approach that combined day-to-day transactional work with high-level advisory services.
• Results: Avidon Health achieved better financial stability, accurate and timely financial reports, and improved business operations through refined KPI and forecasting metrics. This partnership allowed Avidon Health to focus on its core competencies, scale effectively, and position itself for sustained growth.

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Bench Accounting

• Best for: Automating bookkeeping processes
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2013
• Size: Under 49
• Location: Vancouver, Canada
• Notable clients: Outsider Supply, Trainual, Career Change Expert, Radiator, Violet Moon Jewelry

Bench Accounting provides bookkeeping and tax services tailored for small business owners, offering expert support and user-friendly software to streamline financial management. When signing up clients for its bookkeeping service, Bench Accounting assigns a dedicated bookkeeper for guidance that provides real-time financial insights and monthly bookkeeping and prepares tax-ready financials, including filing assistance. Trusted by over 25,000 American business owners, the small business accounting firm delivers accurate financial management, real-time insights, and robust reporting.

Bench Accounting Success Story

• Challenge: McKenzie Thompson, founder of Outsider Supply, struggled to manage her books while running her apparel business. Thompson initially managed her own bookkeeping but soon felt overwhelmed, particularly during tax season, exacerbated by the exhausting demands associated with running the business.
• Solution: Bench Accounting implemented an automated, real-time accounting solution that alleviated the bookkeeping burden for the small business owner, enabling her to focus on apparel production. The integration with Shopify allowed for seamless connection of store accounts, allowing the owner to have centralized access to information.
• Results: With Bench’s support, Thompson was able to refocus on creative work and customer interactions, make informed financial decisions, optimize advertising spending, and manage cash flow effectively. Collectively, these efforts allowed the small business owner to position Outsider Supply for sustained growth.

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SLC Bookkeeping

• Best for: Year-end accounting
• Average hourly rate: $1
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2007
• Size: Under 49
• Location: Salt Lake City, UT
• Notable clients: Archtype Development, Mountain Yoga Sandy, Tsunami Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Cubcoats, CharPoles

SLC Bookkeeping offers outsourced accounting services for small businesses, providing high-value controller services and expertise at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CFO. It specializes in accurate reconciliation, reporting, forecasting, and strategic planning for various industries, including restaurants, real estate, and law firms. Its key services include project consulting, monthly reporting, financial forecasting, and small business mentoring.

SLC Bookkeeping Success Story

• Challenge: The owner of Archetype Development was constantly stressed due to neglected bookkeeping tasks, which led to outdated financial records, inaccurate or non-existent financial reports, and significant challenges during tax season, including filing for tax extensions and paying unnecessary late fees and interest.
• Solution: SLC Bookkeeping provided regular monthly bookkeeping updates, allowing the small business owner to focus on growing the business. This systematic approach ensured accurate recording of deposits and purchases, reduced statement errors, and facilitated better tax planning and decision-making.
• Results: SLC Bookkeeping’s assistance allowed Archetype Development to achieve an 80% sales increase and a 300% profit growth. The regular financial updates and accurate reporting enabled the owner to make informed business decisions and identify opportunities for further growth.

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Milestone

• Best for: Financial forecasting
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2020
• Size: Under 49
• Location: Carmel, IN
• Notable clients: Blind Zebra, Sullivan Hardware & Garden, Lessonly, Adipo Therapeutics, Bohu Digital

Milestone offers comprehensive accounting, HR, and payroll services tailored to support entrepreneurial ventures. As a small business accounting firm, Milestone provides bookkeeping, monthly accounting, cash flow forecasting, fractional CFO support, HR management, strategic HR initiatives, payroll processing, and accounting system implementation. Aiming to help businesses maintain tidy books and financial records, the company offers assistance with processing vendor and customer invoices, recording credit card transactions, reconciling bank and credit card accounts, and collecting payments from customers.

Milestone Success Story

• Challenge: As a young and growing company, sales operation system provider Blind Zebra faced slow days-to-pay, inefficient practices, and a lack of financial visibility. Seeking to introduce stability across its financial operations, the company hired Milestone for higher-level accounting support.
• Solution: Milestone deployed a strategy focused on best practices and integrated a new tech stack to increase operational efficiencies and streamline information flow. Collaborating with the Blind Zebra team, the small business accountant developed a tailored reporting package and financial forecast, ensuring alignment with the business's specific needs.
• Results: Milestone’s interventions reduced Blind Zebra’s days-to-pay from 40 to 15 days on average, significantly improving cash flow. This allowed the company to triple its revenue and expand its team to 11 coaches.

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TGG Accounting

• Best for: Financial consulting
• Average hourly rate: $50
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2006
• Size: 100-249
• Location: San Antonio, TX
• Notable clients: PTTOW!, PRO Compression, Tourmaline Enterprises, BirdRock Systems, RockStep Capital

TGG Accounting specializes in scalable outsourced accounting services for small businesses, offering a full team of financial professionals such as CFOs and controllers. Comprehensively, its accounting service covers accounts payable, accounts receivable, CFO services, bookkeeping, reconciliations and closing, and tax planning. The company ensures GAAP-compliant reporting to enhance business valuation and financial clarity and works closely with internal teams to streamline processes, reduce risks, and optimize profitability.

TGG Accounting Success Story

• Challenge: A technology startup needed to validate its business model and secure essential financing to propel its growth. Lacking the internal expertise and structured processes to navigate from concept to a fully functional company, the client reached out to TGG Accounting for assistance.
• Solution: TGG Accounting collaborated closely with the startup's leadership to develop robust accounting, financial, and HR systems and strategize a clear path forward. TGG deployed a dedicated team, including a CFO consultant, to implement best practices and ensure the company's readiness for investment rounds.
• Results: The start-up successfully transitioned from pre-incorporation to post-revenue status. It secured over $3.5 million in capital through a combination of equity and debt financing, facilitated clean audit reporting, and established credibility in the market. This enabled the start-up to attract angel investors, obtain bank financing, and secure Series A funding.

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Ignite Spot

• Best for: Client invoicing
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2013
• Size: Under 49
• Location: Salt Lake City, UT
• Notable clients: Capstone Strategy Group, Pelipost, BHCS, Lendio, Single Grain

Ignite Spot specializes in bookkeeping and accounting services tailored for small businesses, offering comprehensive financial management. Its service includes data entry, payroll processing, and financial reporting using tools like QuickBooks and TSheets. Its US-based team ensures efficient, secure, and personalized service, helping businesses streamline operations and achieve financial clarity without the overhead of an in-house team.

Ignite Spot Success Story

• Challenge: Capstone Strategy Group encountered financial management issues, including disorganized accounting practices, rushed tax preparation, lack of visibility into profit margins, and service overpayment. Seeking to obtain proactive financial advice and a comprehensive understanding of tax laws, the client partnered with Ignite Spot.
• Solution: Ignite Spot organized Capstone Strategy Group’s books, ensured NY tax law compliance, automated invoicing, and implemented a system for accurate profitability tracking. Working together, the team established a COGS-matching system aligned with monthly accounting rather than a cash basis, providing Capstone with a precise, up-to-date understanding of profitability.
• Results: Capstone Strategy Group improved its financial organization, reduced overpayments, and gained better visibility into profit margins. The partnership provided significant time savings for the founders and instilled confidence in their financial management. The company now benefits from clean, up-to-date financial reports and strategic decision-making supported by accurate financial insights.

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How We Picked the Best Small Business Accountants

To pick the best small business accountants, we reviewed their portfolios, testimonials, case studies, industry reputation, team expertise, client roster, and executive management. Through in-depth assessment, our selection team evaluated each company’s track record and capabilities that make it excel in the field.

These are the criteria we used to rank the top small business accounting firms:

• Reviews: Quality of work, client satisfaction, and level of trustworthiness
• Portfolio: Successful accounting projects with results backed by case studies
• Awards and press: Accolades and recognitions from reputable third-party agencies
• Team bios: Overview of employee profiles and relevant accounting experience
• Top services: Core offerings and areas of focus
• Small business accounting expertise: Ability to provide tailored accounting assistance spanning tax processing, financial reporting, payroll management, and strategic financial consulting services

Visit the DesignRush Agency Ranking Methodology for more information on how we research agencies.

10 Most Popular Small Business Accounting Firms Compared