Monthly bookkeeping
Categorised transactions, reconciled accounts, and a closed period you can hand to anyone without an apology.
Phoenix, Arizona · Established 2016
Clean books, filed on time, explained in plain English.
Desert Ledger Bookkeeping is a woman-owned practice run by Elizabeth Williams. We take month-end off your desk — reconciliations, payroll support, payables, and a reporting pack you can read in ten minutes.
QuickBooks Online & Xero certified
Books closed by the 10th
Flat monthly fees, no surprises
0+
Businesses supported since 2016
What we do
Six services that cover the whole month-end cycle
Most clients start with monthly bookkeeping and add payroll or payables as they grow. Everything is delivered on a fixed schedule so you always know what lands on your desk and when.
Catch-up & clean-up
Six months or six years behind? We rebuild the file, fix the opening balances and document every adjustment.
Payroll support
Run cycles in Gusto or ADP, reconcile the liability accounts, and keep quarterly filings aligned with the ledger.
Accounts payable & receivable
Bill entry, approval routing, scheduled payments, invoicing and a collections cadence that stays polite but firm.
Reporting & cash flow
Monthly management pack with a 13-week cash view, budget variance and written commentary.
Year-end tax-ready books
An adjusted trial balance, fixed-asset schedule and supporting documents delivered straight to your CPA.
Why owners stay
You get a named bookkeeper, not a ticket queue
Every account at Desert Ledger is assigned to one bookkeeper who learns your chart of accounts, your vendors and your seasonality. When you email, that person answers — usually the same day, always within one business day.
- A real close, not a data dump. Bank, card and merchant accounts reconciled to the statement, with variances documented.
- Reports you can act on. P&L, balance sheet, cash-flow summary and a one-page commentary highlighting what moved and why.
- Tax season without the scramble. Your CPA receives a clean, adjusted trial balance and supporting schedules in January.
- Documented handling of your data. Encrypted portal, least-privilege access, and a written retention schedule.
0+Businesses supported since 2016
0Average client relationship: 4.7 years
0thBusiness day books are closed by
0Average client review score
How onboarding works
From first call to first close in about three weeks
No long procurement process. We look at your file, quote a flat fee, and start.
Discovery call (30 minutes)
We talk through your entity type, transaction volume, payroll setup and what is currently going wrong. You leave the call with an honest opinion, even if that opinion is that you do not need us yet.
File review & written quote
We take read-only access to your accounting file, review the last two closed months and any open items, then send a written scope and flat monthly fee. Clean-up work, if needed, is quoted separately and up front.
Onboarding week
Secure portal set up, bank feeds connected, chart of accounts tidied, approval workflow agreed, and a shared calendar of deadlines for the year.
Your first monthly close
Delivered by the tenth business day, followed by a 20-minute review call so you can ask about anything in the numbers.
Client feedback
What owners say after a year with us
★★★★★
“We were four months behind and dreading an extension. Elizabeth rebuilt two years of records, found $11,400 in duplicated vendor payments, and we filed on time.”
★★★★★
“The monthly pack is the first financial report I have actually read cover to cover. The commentary page is worth the fee by itself.”
★★★★★
“Payroll and payables used to eat my Fridays. Now I approve a batch on my phone and it is done. Two years in and I have never chased them for anything.”
From the blog
Practical guides for owner-operated businesses
Short, specific write-ups from the questions we answer most often on client calls.
Cash Flow
A 13-week cash forecast you can build in one afternoon
The simplest forecasting model that actually survives contact with a real small business, plus the three rows most owners forget.
Clean-up
Six signs your books need a clean-up before tax season
Undeposited funds that never clear, a negative liability account, an owner draw that grew all year: what each symptom really means.
Compliance
1099 contractors vs. employees: the questions the IRS actually asks
A plain-language walkthrough of behavioural, financial and relationship control, and how to document your position.
Common questions
Before you get in touch
Do you work with businesses outside Arizona?
Yes. Roughly half our clients are outside Arizona. Everything is handled through a secure portal and scheduled video calls, and we work in Mountain Time with flexible slots for Eastern and Pacific clients.
Are you a CPA firm? Can you file my tax return?
No. Desert Ledger is a bookkeeping practice, not a licensed CPA firm, and we do not prepare or file tax returns. We prepare tax-ready books and work alongside your CPA or enrolled agent — and we are happy to recommend one if you do not have a preparer.
What does it cost?
Monthly engagements start at $395 per month for a single-entity service business with up to 150 transactions a month. Every quote is fixed in writing after we review your file. Full detail is on the pricing page.
How do I share access to my accounts securely?
Through an encrypted client portal with multi-factor authentication. We request the minimum permission level required, never ask for passwords by email, and remove access within five business days if an engagement ends.
Ready for books you can actually rely on?
Send a short note about your business and Elizabeth will reply personally within one business day. Free 30-minute call, no obligation, no sales script.