Are you looking for a professional accounting firm for startups to provide strategic financial advice for your growing business? We explored client feedback, startup-related case studies, and industry standings of leading startup accounting services to help businesses like yours discover reputable partners. You can browse our directory and refine your search by location, pricing, minimum budget, team size, and other criteria to find an agency that can effectively help you navigate all accounting and regulatory challenges.
We also meticulously reviewed the services, awards, portfolios, industry reputation, pricing, and client reviews of nearly 100 agencies to bring you a list of the top 10 accounting firms for startups. Check out our featured agencies and their specialties to find the right partner for your accounting needs.
The Number 1 Accounting Firm for Startups as Selected by DesignRush Is...
Notable clients: Trash, Lattice, Airtable, Scale AI, Passage AI
Pilot is an accounting firm for startups that provides bookkeeping, fractional chief financial officer (CFO), and tax services to growing businesses. Its skilled accountants use cutting-edge workflows superior to traditional error-prone accounting. So far, Pilot has helped 1,750+ customers save over $35 million in research and development (R&D) tax savings. Some of the services this startup accounting firm is expert in include finance tools integration, tax, R&D tax credit, building budgets, and fundraising preparation.
Pilot Success Story
Challenge: Trash is a video editing platform that had one of its founders keep company books for two years. Instead of investing time in building the startup's product, Karina Bernacki lost hours manually handling budget reports and other accounting tasks. When the company secured a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, it needed to provide regular reporting on how the funding was spent. This is when Trash reached out to Pilot.
Solution: When Pilot took over, it synced all Trash's financial accounts, including payroll and accounting cards. The agency reconciled all books and started creating monthly statements, so all books were up to date. Finally, Pilot built custom reports for NSF to keep track of its funds.
Results: Thanks to working with Pilot, Trash now leaves a better impression on investors, having the board focus on strategy instead of financial decisions. NSF funding reports will make it easier for Trash to apply for future grants and raise more funds.
Notable clients: Caraway, Confiant, SETTLE, SunScoop, The Muse
Born out of a VC fund, Graphite Financial provides startup accounting services that include bookkeeping, fractional CFO, and tax. The company has helped several hundred startups with industry-specific accounting and bookkeeping, financial modeling, fundraising, long-term strategic plans, corporate tax filings, sales tax, and more. Graphite Financial specializes in working with businesses from SaaS and tech, eCommerce, health tech and healthcare, biotech, and other spheres.
Graphite Financial Success Story
Challenge: Caraway is a cookware brand that started with a small team and limited funding. As the business began to grow, it became obvious it needed professional assistance with finance and accounting.
Solution: Graphite Financial provided guidance as Caraway navigated scaling its business, which made financial processes more complex. The accounting firm for startups helped the company establish processes for accounts receivable, bill payment, and other essential financial functions.
Results: By having Graphite Financial handle all financial aspects of its business, Caraway didn't have to worry about the intricacies of back-end CPG accounting, and its core team was able to focus on building and expanding the business.
airCFO offers startup accounting services in the fields of accounting, finance, people operations, and tax. Over 300 startups have trusted airCFO with processes like expense management, financial statement preparation, cash flow projections, budgeting, modeling, tax laws, and IRS guidance. With automated tools and tailored advice, airCFO enables startups to easily scale their infrastructure and get a strong hold of their accounting capabilities.
airCFO Success Story
Challenge: Apartment List is an online rental marketplace that has grown to advertise over 5 million rental units on its platform. To support such rapid growth, the company needed assistance from a professional startup accounting firm.
Solution: airCFO took over all accounting and financial initiatives, most notably with account receivables. The company helped customize the delivery of products and services to support the quick expansion of Apartment List’s business.
Results: Apartment List made significant financial savings by outsourcing all finances to airCFO instead of hiring an in-house CFO. Thanks to the accounting firm's flexibility, the startup successfully scaled and eventually hired an internal financial expert to work alongside the airCFO.
Burkland is a company that provides startup accounting services for over 800 venture-backed startup clients. So far, the accounting firm has helped its clients raise over $14.4 billion in funding by letting them focus on business growth while tackling all accounting and financial tasks. Burkland specializes in tax preparation, tax credit research, financial guidance in strategic scaling, bookkeeping, and financial systems.
Burkland Success Story
Challenge: Aletha Health is a healthcare startup that started out by manually running all its accounting processes. During its first rapid growth phase, the company faced challenges in maintaining the accuracy and efficiency of its bookkeeping.
Solution: Burkland set out to automate most of Aletha Health’s processes, including integrating its accounting software with its sales platform. All sales data could be handled in one place, enabling Burkland to reconcile transactions at the end of each month.
Results: Thanks to Burkland, Aletha Health now has clean accounting books and automated accounting processes that are quicker and more accurate. Reporting accurate sales taxes protects the business during due diligence and with investors.
Early Growth is the largest national startup accounting firm in the venture capital space. The company is a one-stop shop for all startup financial activities, including fund accounting, equity management, risk management, and financial operations. Early Growth has helped over 5,000 clients, specifically venture capital backed companies, SaaS, life sciences, eCommerce, and technology hardware companies.
Early Growth Success Story
Challenge: Enplug is a startup that transitioned to a SaaS-based model early in its growth phase. As the number of subscribed users grew, the company realized its burning need for professional accounting.
Solution: Early Growth handled transaction categorizations, reviewed and cleaned up line items in the business’ chart of accounts, and streamlined all accounting and financial processes. Besides that, the accounting firm managed monthly close and managing inventory, invoicing, and bill payments.
Results: With Early Growth handling all financial processes, the company could focus on growing the business and attracting more investors. Enplug successfully raised $3.5 million in seed funding and continued to grow.
Notable clients: Scape Technologies, London Filmed, Homevest, Friday, Manyone
Accountancy Cloud is an accounting firm for startups that provides bookkeeping, CFO, and tax services for startups and scale-ups. This startup accounting company covers a wide range of services, including accounting, R&D tax credits, CFO services, invoices, receipts, expenses, taxes, and tax returns. Accountancy Cloud won numerous accolades, such as Accounting Excellence Medium Firm of the Year, British Accountancy Awards Independent Firm of the Year, and Accounting Excellence Innovative Firm of the Year.
Accountancy Cloud Success Story
Challenge: Scape Technologies, a computer-vision startup, needed to file its R&D tax credit claim in a reliable, error-free way. With research and development efforts scattered across multiple platforms, it was difficult to handle the complexity of accounting processes.
Solution: Accountancy Cloud leveraged its expertise to streamline and handle all accounting processes. The firm ensured that R&D credit tracking went flawlessly with a combination of manual and automated work.
Results: Thanks to Accountancy Cloud's help, Scape Technologies could claim £500,000 of R&D tax cash refund and further grow its business.
Learn & Grow Financial is a small team of highly skilled accountants, fractional CFOs, and tax experts focusing on helping startups and growing businesses tackle their financial processes. This startup accounting company uses cutting-edge financial technology to streamline its clients' operations and provide strategic advice and planning as they grow. Learn & Grow Financial specializes in accounts payable, R&D tax credit, revenue growth, and other key performance indicator tracking, as well as accounting automation.
Learn & Grow Financial Success Story
Challenge: Honey is a tech startup that started out with an internal bookkeeper, but as the company grew, it needed high-level support to manage the financial aspects of the expansion.
Solution: Learn & Grow Financial helped Honey manage gross margin and profitability by channel, amortizing expenses and transitioning to accrual-based accounting. The accounting firm for startups ensured that Honey's rewards program was compliant with all financial regulations. Finally, Learn & Grow helped Honey automate payroll and accounts payable processes to handle the large volume of transactions.
Results: Supported by Learn & Grow Financial, Honey managed to scale from 11 to almost 100 employees with the financial infrastructure able to support this growth. Honey gained better insights into its finances, which empowered it to make better financial decisions.
Notable clients: Avidon Health, Ritual, Vetted, Flow Kana, Life Choices Center
Leveraging the power of hi-tech financial solutions, Hiline helps startups and growing businesses manage their accounting. This startup accounting company has provided custom financial solutions to over 300 startups, aiding them with bookkeeping, CFO services, HR and payroll, accounts payable, spending management, and tax. Hiline integrates modern software solutions like QuickBooks Online, Basis FP&A, BILL Accounts Payable, and Spend & Expense software to automate and streamline financial processes.
Hiline Success Story
Challenge: Avidon Health used an external bookkeeper with limited availability, which created operational gaps. A junior team member ran its accounting and finance, and he struggled to tackle more complex issues. The company also lacked timely financial reporting that would help make better financial decisions.
Solution: Within the first month, Hiline performed a historical cleanup of Avidon Health's financial records. The accounting team set up and started tracking important metrics to give the business a better insight into its finances. Hiline provided the consistency and availability that Avidon Health was lacking.
Results: Thanks to Hiline's support, Avidon Health's SVP of Operations could focus on her duties, helping the company scale while making sure the finances were in order.
Milestone is a startup accounting company that helps nonprofits and high-grow businesses with monthly accounting, fractional CFO, financial system design and implementation, payroll, and other services. The firm offers plans tailored to its clients' size and budget, providing anything from weekly bookkeeping to consultancy in financial review and board meetings. Milestone has extensive expertise working with SaaS, startup, and scaleup companies from different industries.
Milestone Success Story
Challenge: DemandJump is a SaaS startup that had to quickly find an accounting firm after its CFO resigned, leaving the company without a dedicated expert to help with growth plan execution.
Solution: Milestone provided startup accounting services, including fractional accounting and CFO services through a combination of the latest financial software and its financial leadership expertise. The accounting firm for startups took over daily bookkeeping and strategic guidance around financial decisions.
Results: The adoption of financial technology allowed DemandJump to improve operational efficiency and information flow. The day-to-day operations enabled the business to successfully prepare for scaling knowing all back-office operations were streamlined.
Schultz & Associates, CPA, provides startup accounting services tailored to industries like dental, veterinary, optometric, construction, and law. The company offers business accounting, tax services, bookkeeping, payroll processing, filing back taxes, and many other startup accounting services. Schultz & Associates has a portfolio of over 200 satisfied clients and specializes in multi-state income tax and multi-state sales tax issues.
Schultz & Associates, CPA Success Story
Challenge: Westland CPA is a plumbing business that has experienced a rapid growth in demand for its services. With the increased volume of accounting tasks, the company needed an outside firm to handle its accounting and bookkeeping. Also, Westland CPA needed a professional for tax preparation (Form 1120S) and tax planning.
Solution: Schultz & Associates provided full-service accounting support that included weekly payroll processing, end-of-year accounting, and tax preparation. The firm helped Westland CPA switch from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online and choose which processes to handle internally. On top of it, Schultz & Associates simplified the invoicing process for long-term projects, assisted in switching to automated bill payment, and streamlined receipt management.
Results: After Schultz & Associates took over accounting, the business had more free time to focus on other activities, adding an extra 2-5 service calls per week and growing its revenue.
How We Picked the Best Startup Accounting Services
To narrow down the top startup accounting services, we reviewed their clients' testimonials, case studies, industry reputation, team expertise, certifications and accolades, and executive management. Our team of agency experts developed a scoring system to measure their overall performance based on several important factors:
Accounting expertise: The scope of financial and accounting services the firm specializes in
Reviews: Quality of work, client satisfaction, timely delivery, and level of trustworthiness
Portfolio: The accounting company's track record of successful collaboration
Awards and press: Financial industry reputation and innovation, awards, and recognitions
Team bios: The agency’s qualifications and team dynamics
Top accounting services: Areas of expertise and industry-specific knowledge
10 Most Popular Accounting Firms for Startups Compared
Agency name
Location
Hourly rate
Size
Best for
Pilot
San Francisco, CA
$1
250-499
Overall
Graphite Financial
New York, NY
Inquire
Under 49
Scaling financial processes
airCFO
Cleveland, OH
Inquire
Under 49
Account receivables
Burkland
San Francisco, CA
Inquire
100-249
Accounting process automation
Early Growth
San Jose, CA
Inquire
50-99
Inventory management
Accountancy Cloud
London, United Kingdom
Inquire
Under 49
R&D tax
Learn & Grow Financial
Los Angeles, CA
Inquire
Under 49
Regulations compliance
Hiline
Syracuse, NY
$1
100-249
Financial records
Milestone
Carmel, IN
Inquire
Under 49
Fractional CFO
Schultz & Associates, CPA
Canton, MI
Inquire
Under 49
Receipt management
Best Startup Accounting Services
168 Companies-Rankings updated: August 19, 2026
DesignRush assesses agencies using expertise standards and verified client experiences to help you make better decisions. Certain agencies have paid placements.
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An accounting firm for startups is a company that helps new businesses handle their financial tasks, such as bookkeeping, cash flow management, taxation, etc. By hiring an accounting company, startups can ensure that all financial transactions are made and booked in compliance with the laws and regulations. This helps keep track of the company's finances and avoid risking any irregularities that can result in high money penalties or startup shutdowns.
One example of a successful project is the collaboration between a health and wellness startup and Mercurius Advisory Services accounting firm. The client had an issue with inaccurately maintained books and lacked staff with adequate accounting knowledge to handle the problem. Mercurius Advisory Services provided proper categorization of credit card transactions and bank statements and matched all accounts receivables with Zoho Inventory, Amazon, Shopify, and Stripe accounts. Thanks to this, the startup was relieved of all accounting concerns and free to focus on core areas of its business.
What services do accounting firms provide for startups?
Accounting firms provide everything from basic bookkeeping to financial advising for their startup clients.
Their responsibilities are typically:
Bookkeeping services: Keeping a record of all financial transactions and organizing them
Tax compliance: Maximizing tax benefits, decreasing tax liability, and providing another kind of tax guidance
Financial management: Cash flow management, budgeting, and similar services
Financial modeling: Creating a model to attract potential investors
Financial reporting: Creating comprehensive reports for startup stakeholders and investors
Business planning: Strategic organization of financial goals
Risk management: Mitigating financial risks to safeguard against potential issues
Advisory services: Help with financial business decisions such as investments or succession planning
An example of a successful collaboration that included accounting services delivery is the one between Mercurius Advisory Services and a USA-based landscaping business. The landscaping firm had trouble recording invoices and payments with the QuickBooks Desktop software. Therefore, the startup accounting company provided the following services:
Reconciling merchant account deposits with bank deposits
Creating invoices and recording payments
Categorizing and reconciling accounts
Un-deposited fund balance rectification
Financial reporting
The client was happy with the services received that it decided to continue working with Mercurius Advisory Services and even hired the firm to help migrate accounts to another bookkeeping software.
What is the difference between startup accounting services and bookkeeping?
The difference between startup accounting services and bookkeeping is in the scope of work delivered to the client. Bookkeeping is just one part of accounting services that entails tracking and organizing a startup's financial transactions. In contrast, startup accounting services usually include bookkeeping and other supporting tasks that can range from tax compliance to financial advising.
For instance, common startup bookkeeping services include:
Keeping records of customers' payments and invoices
Maintaining accounts receivable
Reconciling bank and credit card accounts
Payroll management
Accounting services for startups typically include:
Bookkeeping
Taxing
Financial management and reporting
Risk management
Financial advising
How much do startup accounting services cost?
Startup accounting services costs start from around $600 per month for basic bookkeeping. Several factors affect the price of accounting services for startups:
The volume of transactions: Accounting price goes up for a large number of monthly transactions
The complexity of transactions: Some transactions, like prepaid Facebook advertising, require monthly updates and take more time
The client doing some bookkeeping: Some startups take on basic payment tasks, which can lower the accounting price
Using accounting software: Investing in an accounting software tool will save money and costs
The top 50 startup accounting agencies on DesignRush charge an average of $98/hour. Roughly 32% of the startup accounting companies on DesignRush accept projects with a minimum budget of less than $1,000, while 4% require a $50,000+ minimum budget.
Why should I hire a startup accounting service?
You should hire a startup accounting service to keep track of your finances, eliminate bookkeeping errors, and ensure compliance with financial laws and regulations. Hiring a startup accounting service can provide specialized expertise, cost savings, scalability, and strategic insights, all of which are essential for the growth and success of a new business.
Some of the benefits of hiring a startup accounting firm include:
Avoid common startup pitfalls: According to a survey, running out of money or failing to raise capital is the number one reason startups fail. An accounting firm can help minimize these risks.
Reduce the risk of errors: An accounting professional has the necessary expertise to ensure all tasks are done according to financial laws.
Provide financial advice: When considering important business decisions around investments, startup founders can consult an accounting company and get guidance.
Cost optimization: If your startup has good revenue but a stagnant profit, an accounting firm can find the source of problems like unnecessary expenses or overpriced investments.
Time saving: Startups have few employees and can benefit from delegating all financial tasks to an accounting company so they can focus on other responsibilities.
An example of a successful collaboration is a healthcare billing startup that hired an accounting firm called Invensis to help overcome billing and payment process challenges in receiving payments from patients. Invensis identified an outdated approach to invoicing as one of the problems and established different payment options. As a result, the client saw an improvement of almost 80% in recovering outstanding payments and a nearly 90% reduction in bad debt.
How do I choose the best accounting firm for my startup business?
Choosing the best accounting firm for your startup involves several key considerations. You want to ensure that the firm meets your specific needs and can support your business effectively as it grows. To choose the right accounting firm for your startup business, consider the company’s experience in your industry, its portfolio of services, pricing plans, and client reviews.
Based on your company's needs, you should focus on these steps:
Identify your goals: Define which financial processes you want to take care of internally and which you want to outsource. Make a list of all the areas where you need expert help.
Find the right expertise: Look for a startup accounting company with experience in the services you need. Browse through DesignRush’s Agency Directory to find ideal candidates for the job. Some companies provide only bookkeeping and taxing services while others offer financial advising for startups.
Set a budget: Determine the monthly amount you can invest in accounting.
Evaluate their pricing structure: Understand the firm’s pricing model. Some agencies charge hourly rates, while others offer fixed-fee packages. Make sure the pricing is transparent and aligns with your budget. Ask about any additional fees that might arise.
Review agency experience: Ask for a portfolio of relevant work, case studies, reviews, and clients you can contact for feedback. Ideally, the agency should have tangible results with companies from your industry.
Evaluate communication and responsiveness: Good communication is vital. Confirm the firm is responsive, easy to communicate with, and willing to explain complex financial concepts in understandable terms. Quick and clear communication can save time and prevent misunderstandings.
Ask about the processes: Find out how the accounting firm handles all finances, what inputs and documents it needs from you, etc.
Inquire about analytics and reporting: Ask the agency how it tracks finances and if it uses any kind of accounting software for reporting.
Interview: Set up interviews with prospective startup accounting companies to discuss the project in detail and determine if they fit your team well.
Make a decision: After reviewing the RFPs, choose the best-suited agency and establish all project development processes.
If you need a custom-made list of accounting firms for startups, contact us. Our team will match you with the most suitable agencies based on your list of requirements. You can browse our Marketplace for more details.
How do I find the best startup accounting service on DesignRush that fits my budget?
To find the best startup accounting service on DesignRush that fits your budget, use the filtering feature to sort agencies by minimal budgets in ascending order or by hourly rate from lowest to highest.
If you have a limited budget, look for agencies that accept projects under $1,000. Accounting firms like Remofirst, Upcloud Accounting, BOMCAS, Treewalk Consulting Inc., and CCC Capital CPA require a minimal budget below $1,000. The average hourly rate changes from country to country, so you may consider hiring an agency outside the US that offers more affordable rates.
What are the key success metrics in accounting firms for startups?
The key success metrics in accounting firms for startups are related mostly to the volume of processed invoices, error rates, processing costs, and time needed to complete certain tasks.
Common startup accounting metrics include:
Days Payable Outstanding (DPO): The average number of days it takes for a startup to pay its bills
Cost per invoice: The average cost of processing a single invoice
Invoice exception rate: The percentage of invoices that have incorrect information and require manual intervention
Invoice cycle time: The average time it takes to complete an invoice from receipt to payment
Payment error rate: The rate of payments that have issues such as duplicate payments, incorrect amounts, etc.
Error resolution time: Total time spent resolving errors divided by the number of errors
Accounts Payable Expense as a Percentage of Revenue: Total costs of accounting compared to startup revenue
Electronic invoices rate: The number of electronic invoices divided by the total of electronic and paper invoices
Client profitability: Total revenue coming from a single client subtracted by job-related costs
Job profitability: The difference between job-related costs and revenue from a single job
Client retention rate: The difference between the total number of clients at the beginning and the end of a set timeframe, which excludes any new customers acquired, calculated in percentages
New client growth rate: The difference between the total number of clients at the end and at the beginning of a set timeframe, calculated in percentages
Employee productivity: Total startup revenue divided by the number of employees
What questions should I ask before hiring accounting services for startups?
You should ask accounting services for startups about their experience with startups and your industry, the accounting software and tools they use, the services they provide, and the approach they will take to managing your finances.
These include the following:
Its Relevant Background
How many years of experience do you have in accounting for startups?
Do you have a portfolio with startup clients?
What certifications and licenses do your team members have?
Do you have experience working with startups from my industry? Are you familiar with its specifics?
Its Services and Processes
How do you plan to handle my finances?
What strategies will you use to optimize costs?
What records should I keep? Which documents will you require from me monthly?
Do you offer financial advising for startups?
Can you help me handle investments and improve my business decisions?
What are my tax obligations?
Will I get a dedicated accountant or a team of people?
Do you have experience with fundraising and M&A?
What is your accounting plan for when the startup grows?
Related to Your Project
How do we define monthly deliverables? What happens if they still need to be met?
Who are the key team members in charge of my accounting?
What metrics will you use to optimize accounting processes?
How often will you provide us with status reports and relevant metrics?
What is the planned budget? Are there any additional costs we can expect?
What kind of additional support and financial advising can you provide?
What are the best accounting firms for startups in the US?
The best 5 accounting firms for startups in the US are:
Top clients: The Co-Group, Home Caring, Flow, MH London
Discover more about these and other startup accounting firms by scrolling through our list of agencies. All the companies were carefully selected based on successful projects, industry reputation, customer reviews, and team expertise. Personalize your search and sort companies by location, budget size, hourly rates, and reviews.
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