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GUIDE · A MONTH OF BOOKKEEPING
Monthly bookkeeping services,
one month from start to finish.
Monthly bookkeeping records every bank and card transaction, reconciles each account to its statement and closes the month with a profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow. You send statements and answer a few questions; the bookkeeper does the rest. ZeraBooks bookkeeping services start at $150 a month, with your own read-only login.
Free call · from $150 a month (USD) · reports on your schedule · clients worldwide
WHO DOES WHAT
What is included in monthly bookkeeping?
A month of bookkeeping splits into a small owner’s part and the bookkeeper’s part. Here is the split with ZeraBooks.
| Task | You | ZeraBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Send bank and card statements | Upload the PDFs when they arrive | Reminds you if one is missing |
| Send bills, invoices and payroll reports | Drop them in the portal | Matches them to the bank lines |
| Record and categorize every transaction | Yes, against your chart of accounts | |
| Reconcile each bank and card account | Yes, to the statement’s printed balances | |
| Answer questions on unclear lines | A few answers, once a month | Sends them as one list |
| Profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow | Read them | Yes, on your schedule |
| See the books any time | Your read-only login | Keeps it current as months close |
The quote sets out the accounts, the months and the reporting schedule before work starts. Anything outside the table, such as a backlog of earlier months, is quoted on its own.
Tell us about your books. We’ll scope the work and quote it before anything starts.
A MONTH ON THE CALENDAR
What does a month of bookkeeping look like?
An example of how September’s books close in October for a small business with one checking account, one card and a payroll provider. Banks issue statements on their own dates, so the days move a little.
| When | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 to 5 | September bank and card statements become available; you upload them with the payroll report | You, about 5 minutes |
| Oct 2 to 8 | Every transaction recorded and categorized; bills and invoices matched to payments | ZeraBooks |
| Oct 6 to 9 | Each account reconciled: opening balance, transactions and closing balance must agree with the statement | ZeraBooks |
| Oct 8 to 10 | One list of questions: a transfer, a refund, a charge with no receipt | You answer |
| Oct 10 to 12 | Month closed so nothing reconciled can change; reports sent | ZeraBooks |
Quarterly reporting is the same work done every month, with the reports sent every third month. What makes the schedule slip is almost always a late statement or an open question, not the bookkeeping.
WHAT COMES BACK
What reports do you get from monthly bookkeeping?
Three statements, built from the same ledger, so they agree with each other.
Profit and loss
Revenue, cost of goods and expenses for the month and the year to date. The number most owners look at first. See profit and loss statement for how to read one.
Balance sheet
Cash, what customers owe you, what you owe, loans and equity at month end. This is where a missed transfer or an unrecorded loan shows up.
Cash flow
Why cash moved differently from profit: loan principal, equipment, owner draws, money owed by customers.
The books themselves
In your read-only login you can click any number to see the transactions behind it, and see which months are reconciled and closed.
WHAT IT ISN’T
What is not included in monthly bookkeeping?
Worth knowing before you compare quotes, because services draw this line in different places.
Tax returns
ZeraBooks is not a CPA firm and files no returns. Your accountant files from the books we keep; see bookkeeper vs accountant.
Running payroll
Your payroll provider pays people and files payroll taxes. We record each payroll from its report.
Paying your bills
You or your bank pay them. We record the bill and match the payment.
Months before the start date
A backlog is catch-up bookkeeping, quoted once. Books that were kept but don’t add up need a bookkeeping cleanup.
A bank feed
ZeraBooks works from the statements you upload, which is what lets every month be proven against the bank’s own printed balances.
HOW IT’S PRICED
How much do monthly bookkeeping services cost?
ZeraBooks monthly bookkeeping starts at $150 a month in U.S. dollars. The exact price depends on the number of bank and card accounts, how many transactions a month they carry and how often you want reports, and it is agreed after a free call. Clients can be anywhere in the world.
Two things push the price up: more accounts and more volume. Two things shouldn’t: how messy your receipts are, and how often you ask a question. For wage data and the same business priced as a hire, a freelancer and a service, see how much a bookkeeper costs. If you’d rather hand over the whole function, outsourced bookkeeping covers how the handover works.
ON OUR OWN LEDGER
Why ZeraBooks can close a month quickly.
PROVEN EVERY MONTH
Nothing closes until the bank agrees.
Each month’s statement must add up, follow the last one and match the ledger before it is signed off. The routine is the same one in our month-end close checklist.
How long does it take to close a month?
For a small business, about a week to ten days after the last statement arrives, most of it waiting on statements and answers. The work itself is mostly done the day the statements are uploaded.
Can I get reports quarterly instead of monthly?
Yes. You set the schedule. The bookkeeping is still done every month so nothing piles up, and the reports go out on your schedule.
Do I keep access to my books?
Yes. You get your own login with a read-only view of your dashboard, transactions and reports, available any time.
What if I’m already months behind?
The backlog is done first as catch-up bookkeeping, quoted once, then the monthly work starts from clean balances.
Is monthly bookkeeping worth it for a very small business?
If the books take you more than a few hours a month, usually yes. If they don’t, keeping them yourself in ZeraBooks AI bookkeeping at $79 a month billed annually may be enough.
WE DO YOUR BOOKS
Upload the statements.
Get the month back closed.
Tell us your accounts and how often you want reports. We’ll agree the monthly price, from $150, before work begins. Book the free call.
Last updated October 18, 2026 · Written by Damin Mutti, founder of ZeraBooks