QuickBooks Live is a categorization service.
We're a financial partnership.
QuickBooks Live is Intuit's in-house bookkeeping service — convenient and inexpensive if you're a micro-business that just needs your transactions sorted. BDB is a different kind of engagement: a dedicated advisor, strategy baked in, contractor-grade job costing, and Project Tools included so your books and your jobs are one system. We cost more on purpose. Here's what you get for it — and when QuickBooks Live is actually the right call.
Two different services with a shared piece of software.
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
One dedicated advisor. Strategy meetings included at every tier. A consistent monthly close rhythm. We work inside your own QuickBooks Online or Xero file — you keep your subscription and your data. Scope includes job costing, 1099s, sales tax, AR/AP, and a real owner dashboard — not just stock reports.
- BDB Project Tools included free (field software; QBO is paid separately to Intuit).
- Advisory built in — not billed hourly or bolted on.
- Trades-specialized: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, GCs, landscapers.
Intuit's in-house bookkeepers, layered on top of a required QBO subscription.
Two flavors: "Live Expert Assisted" ($50/mo add-on where you still do the books) and "Live Full-Service" ($300–$700/mo depending on volume, where a rotating bookkeeper does categorization + reconciliation). Requires an active QuickBooks Online subscription ($38–$275/mo).
- Expert Assisted: $50/mo + QBO (client still does the work).
- Full-Service: ~$300 / $500 / $700/mo by volume + QBO.
- Scope: categorize & reconcile. No advisory, no job costing.
QuickBooks Online is a separate subscription — with either service.
Both QuickBooks Live and BDB require you to have an active QuickBooks Online subscription — neither service includes it. You pay Intuit directly for QBO (about $38–$275/mo depending on plan). QuickBooks Live is an add-on service inside that QBO subscription. BDB is a separate firm you hire to run your books inside your own QBO (or Xero) file. The tables below break out the service fees only — QBO is the same line item whether you pick us, Live, or nothing at all.
| QuickBooks Live plan | Your QBO subscription | Live service fee | Your all-in / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| QBO Simple Start + Expert Assisted | $38/mo | $50/mo | $88/mo (you still do the books) |
| QBO Plus + Live Full-Service (low volume) | ~$99/mo | ~$300/mo | ~$399/mo |
| QBO Plus + Live Full-Service (medium) | ~$99/mo | ~$500/mo | ~$599/mo |
| QBO Advanced + Live Full-Service (high) | ~$275/mo | ~$700/mo | ~$975/mo |
| BDB engagement | Your QBO subscription (paid to Intuit — your responsibility) |
BDB service fee | Your all-in / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Business | $38–$99/mo (your plan) | from $195/mo | QBO + $195+ |
| Contractor Essentials | $38–$99/mo (your plan) | from $495/mo | QBO + $495+ |
| Contractor Pro | $99–$275/mo (your plan) | from $995/mo | QBO + $995+ |
| Fractional CFO | $99–$275/mo (your plan) | from $1,500/mo | QBO + $1,500+ |
Pricing references: Intuit published rates as of 2026. QBO plans often run promotional discounts for the first 3 months; renewal is at standard rates. BDB service fees reflect scope floors — your final quote depends on transaction volume, team size, and reporting depth. Project Tools is included free with every BDB package and is separate from your QBO subscription.
Because this isn't a commodity service.
QuickBooks Live is a utility — a categorization team inside Intuit's platform, billed at scale. We're not that. BDB is partnership work: you get Joe as your dedicated advisor (not a rotating pool), strategy rhythm baked into every tier (review meetings, not just reports), and BDB Project Tools included so your books and your jobs are one system. We only take clients we can serve well, which means scoped engagements — not volume. That's why we cost more. It's also why the contractors who belong here stay.
Row by row — scope, people, and what's actually included.
| BDB | QuickBooks Live Full-Service | |
|---|---|---|
| Service fee / mo | Basic $195+ Essentials $495+ Pro $995+ CFO $1,500+ | $50 – $700/mo |
| QBO subscription | Required — you pay Intuit directly ($38–$275/mo) | Required — you pay Intuit directly ($38–$275/mo) |
| Accounting software you run on | Your own QBO or Xero file (your choice, your data) | QBO only — required |
| Scope: categorize & reconcile | Yes | Yes |
| AR / AP management | Included | Not included |
| Job costing & per-job P&L | Yes — core focus | Not included |
| Contractor / trades specialization | Core | Generalist |
| Project / job management software | BDBooks Project Tools free | None |
| Dedicated bookkeeper | Yes — one person | Rotating bookkeeper pool |
| Monthly strategy / advisory call | Included — 45 min with Joe | Not included |
| Cash flow forecasting* | 12-week rolling forecast | Not included |
| KPI dashboard / margin by service line* | Custom owner dashboard | Stock QBO reports only |
| 1099 preparation | Included | QBO add-on fee |
| Sales tax support | Included where applicable | Not included |
| Monthly close cadence | Consistent monthly rhythm | 2 – 3 weeks |
| Tax return filing | No — we coordinate with your CPA | No |
| Contract | Month-to-month | Month-to-month |
* Delivered through BDB Project Tools — included free with every package.
Honestly — here's when Intuit is the right call.
True micro-businesses on tight budgets.
If you're a side-hustle or part-time business doing under ~$5k/month with a single bank account, QuickBooks Live Expert Assisted at $50/mo on top of QBO Simple Start ($38/mo) is the cheapest legitimate option out there. We're not that, and we're not trying to be.
People who already live in QBO and just need occasional help.
If you've been in QuickBooks Online for years, know the UI, and just want Intuit's own team to reconcile your accounts inside the same login — QuickBooks Live is about as frictionless as it gets. It's a utility, and it does that job fine.
You need categorization, not partnership.
If your business is a handful of transactions, no inventory, no jobs, no subs, no sales tax, and you don't need anyone thinking strategically about your numbers — the narrow QuickBooks Live scope is enough. You don't need an advisor if your P&L fits on a napkin.
Where partnership outperforms a categorization utility.
One all-in number — not software + service + add-ons.
QuickBooks Live bills you for the software, then the service, then 1099 add-ons, then whatever falls outside their categorize-and-reconcile scope. BDB is one scoped engagement with everything included — the number we quote is the number you pay. That clarity is worth something.
Job costing that actually works.
QuickBooks Live won't set up or maintain a proper job-costing system — that's outside their scope. BDB does it natively, plus we bundle Project Tools for estimate-vs-actual, labor burden, and per-job P&L.
One dedicated bookkeeper — every month.
QuickBooks Live routes you through a rotating pool. Every message is a re-introduction. BDB assigns one person who learns your business, your subs, your seasonality. Context compounds.
A monthly strategy conversation.
QuickBooks Live clients report they get clean books and a "here's your report" email. BDB gets on a call every month — margins, cash flow forecast, pricing review. That's the actual leverage on your business.
Sales tax, 1099s, AR/AP — in scope.
QuickBooks Live's scope is narrow: categorize and reconcile. Sales tax filings, 1099 prep, AR chase-downs, bill entry — all outside. BDB includes what a real service business actually needs.
QBO or Xero — your choice.
QuickBooks Live locks you into QuickBooks Online. BDB runs in whichever platform fits your business. If you're already on Xero (common for service businesses), we meet you there.
Who should pick which.
- True micro-businesses on tight budgets who need transactions categorized, period.
- Owners who already live in QBO and just need occasional help with reconciliation.
- Simple books — no jobs, no subs, no sales tax, no need for strategy.
- Anyone shopping for the cheapest legitimate "someone else is looking at my books" option.
- Contractors and service businesses doing $250K+ who are ready to stop winging it on numbers.
- Owners who want per-job profitability and a real owner dashboard — not stock QBO reports.
- Teams that want one dedicated advisor and strategy baked into the engagement.
- Operators who want sales tax, 1099s, and AR/AP handled — not added à la carte.
- Businesses ready to invest in a financial partnership, not a categorization utility.
Bring your QBO file. We'll show you what's possible.
Free 30-minute call. We'll review your current setup, tell you whether BDB makes sense, and if we're not the right fit, point you somewhere that is.