Your CPA handles taxes.
We handle everything in between.
Every BDB client still needs a CPA. What we're comparing is the monthly bookkeeping and advisory piece — where CPA retainers run $400–$1,500/mo for books, or $1,500–$3,500/mo for full CAS. At the same price points, BDB includes more structure, more software, and more strategy rhythm. Here's the honest math.
Two professions, often confused for each other.
A contractor financial partnership.
- Basic Business
- from $195/mo
- Contractor Essentials
- from $495/mo
- Contractor Pro
- from $995/mo
- Fractional CFO
- from $1,500/mo
We run your books every month in QuickBooks Online or Xero. A consistent monthly close rhythm. Dedicated advisor. Strategy meetings baked into every tier. Job costing and Project Tools included. We coordinate with your CPA for the year-end tax return — we don't file taxes.
- A predictable monthly rhythm — books prioritized as core work.
- Real-time owner dashboard + cash flow forecast.
- Contractor-grade job costing built in.
Tax-first accounting: income tax return, some bookkeeping, some advisory — priced by the hour or monthly retainer.
Great for filing your income tax return, entity structure, tax planning, audit representation, and formal attest work. Many firms also offer monthly bookkeeping — typically as a secondary service, delivered 30-45 days after month-end as a PDF P&L.
- Hourly rate: $75 – $150/hr typical for Cincinnati/NKY.
- Monthly retainer: $400 – $800/mo (books only) or $750 – $1,500/mo (with tax).
- Full CAS: $1,500 – $3,500/mo (advisory + books + tax).
Row by row — price, rhythm, and what each actually does.
| BDB | Local CPA (typical) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting monthly price | Basic $195+ Essentials $495+ Pro $995+ CFO $1,500+ | $400 – $800/mo (books only) |
| Bundled with tax return | BDB + your CPA (we coordinate) | $750 – $1,500/mo (combined) |
| Full CAS / advisory package | Baked into Contractor & CFO tiers | $1,500 – $3,500/mo |
| Hourly billing for questions | No — included | Yes, $75 – $150/hr typical |
| Monthly close cadence | Consistent monthly rhythm | 30 – 45 days typical |
| Live owner dashboard* | Yes — real-time KPIs | PDF P&L emailed monthly |
| Cash flow forecasting* | 12-week rolling forecast | Usually not included |
| Job costing & per-job P&L* | Yes — core focus | Varies by firm |
| Contractor / trades specialization | Core | Depends on the firm |
| Dedicated bookkeeper | Yes — one person | Staff accountant + partner review |
| Monthly strategy call | Included | Hourly / at partner's availability |
| Project Tools software | Included free | Not provided |
| Software you run on | QBO or Xero — your file | QBO / Xero / proprietary, varies |
| Sales tax filings | Included where applicable | Billed hourly or extra |
| Tax return filing (separate service) | Coordinated with your CPA | Yes — core service |
| IRS representation / audits | No — refer to CPA or EA | Yes |
| Entity structure advice | Refer to your CPA / attorney | Yes |
| Contract / commitment | Month-to-month, 30-day notice | Annual engagement letter typical |
* Delivered through BDB Project Tools — included free with every package.
You don't pay more — you get more.
CPA hourly rates run $75–$150/hr. A CPA monthly bookkeeping retainer typically lands at $400–$1,500/mo — and that's books only, with ad-hoc questions billed hourly on top. A full Client Accounting Services (CAS) engagement — the closest apples-to-apples to what we offer — runs $1,500–$3,500/mo at most local firms.
Stack the tiers side by side: BDB Contractor Essentials at $495+ includes quarterly strategy, real-time job costing, and Project Tools — bundled, not billed. BDB Contractor Pro at $995+ adds monthly strategy, full 1099 management, and custom owner dashboards. BDB Fractional CFO at $1,500+ sits at or below the floor of a CPA CAS engagement — with a financial rhythm most CPA firms don't deliver.
At comparable price points, you're getting more structure, more software, and more strategic rhythm than a CPA retainer typically includes.
You still need a CPA. Here's what they do that we don't.
Important: you still need a CPA. We don't file tax returns, and we can't provide tax advice. The question isn't "BDB OR a CPA" — it's "what's the right mix." Most of our clients keep a great CPA on the tax side and bring us in for monthly rhythm.
Tax filing — business + personal returns.
We do not file taxes. Your CPA prepares and files your federal, state, and local returns — business entity and personal. This is their lane, and it's non-negotiable work you need done right every year.
Tax advisory and entity-structure decisions.
We don't give tax advice. S-corp vs. LLC vs. partnership, owner comp strategy, deduction planning, multi-state nexus — this is CPA work. We hand clean monthly books to your CPA so they can advise from solid ground.
Audit representation.
If the IRS or state comes knocking, your CPA (or an EA) represents you. Bookkeepers don't have the license or the standing to do this work. A good CPA relationship is insurance for the day you need it.
Estate, succession, and complex accounting.
Reviewed financial statements, estate and succession planning, formal attest work, complex revenue recognition — this is all CPA territory. We'll refer you to your CPA the moment one of these questions shows up.
One-invoice simplicity for annual-only clients.
If your business is simple enough that you really only need annual books plus a return, a CPA firm that bundles both is cleaner than adding a second vendor. We're built for businesses that need more than that.
A local face you've known for years.
There's real value in a long-standing CPA relationship — someone who knows your family, your history, your plans. BDB is built to work alongside that relationship, not replace it.
What's bundled with us that a CPA retainer usually isn't.
At the same or lower price point than a CPA monthly retainer, here's what you get with BDB — without extra line items, hourly billing, or add-on software fees.
Bookkeeping as core work — not a tax-season add-on.
Most CPA firms deliver bookkeeping 30-45 days after month-end because tax work takes priority. BDB prioritizes monthly books as core work, not as an add-on to tax season — so your numbers land while the decisions are still open.
Project Tools* — bundled free.
BDB Project Tools is included with every package at no extra cost. Crews log labor and materials from the field, estimates flow into job costing, and your books and your jobs become one system. CPA firms don't ship software — and the ones that do charge for it.
Monthly strategy, included.
At a CPA firm, a "quick question" often comes back as a $125 line item, and real advisory bumps you to a $1,500–$3,500/mo CAS package. At BDB, review meetings are part of the engagement — quarterly on Contractor Essentials, monthly on Pro and CFO.
A dedicated advisor — not a junior on a tax schedule.
You work with Joe and one bookkeeper who actually know your business. At most firms, bookkeeping routes to junior staff; tough questions route to a partner whose calendar is owned by tax deadlines. With us, context compounds and nobody is a bottleneck.
Real-time job costing*.
Generalist CPA firms set up QBO classes and call it job costing. We set up labor burden, retainage, estimate-vs-actual, and per-job P&L — with Project Tools feeding real-time data from the field so margins are live, not reconstructed three weeks later.
12-week cash flow forecast*.
A rolling 12-week cash flow forecast is standard in every Contractor and CFO engagement. Most CPA retainers don't include forecasting at all — or they'll build it as a one-off project and bill hourly. We treat it as core monthly work.
Who should pick which — or both.
Best when your business is simple, you mostly need an annual return, and you don't need monthly numbers. If your P&L fits on a napkin, a once-a-year return plus light bookkeeping from your CPA is the cleanest setup.
Rare — most clients still need a CPA for taxes. A handful of sole-props or very simple entities file their own return with tax software and use us for the monthly rhythm. For almost everyone else, you'll still want a CPA in your corner.
We run the monthly rhythm. Your CPA files the return. You get both worlds — a consistent monthly close, live dashboards, and strategy from us, plus tax filing and advisory from your CPA — and typically pay less total than you'd pay one firm to do both.
Keep your CPA. Upgrade your monthly books.
Most of our clients already have a local CPA — and keep them. We handle the monthly rhythm and hand your CPA a clean year-end package. Book a free 30-minute call and we'll show you exactly how the handoff works.