Spending more than 5 hours a month on your books? By our own rule of thumb, you’ve outgrown
doing them yourself. The rest of the honest answers:
I’m spending hours a month on my books. How do I know it’s time to hand them over?
Our rule of thumb: if you’re spending more than 5 hours a month on bookkeeping, falling behind on financial tasks, or planning to grow, you’ve outgrown doing it yourself. Those hours belong in your business — and the cost of errors found late is almost always higher than the cost of keeping the books right monthly. Bring your situation to a free consultation and we’ll tell you honestly whether you need us yet.
My books are a mess — years behind, in places. Can you still help?
Yes — cleanup is a specialty here, not an embarrassment. We catch up on years of backlogged or inaccurate bookkeeping: reconciling every account, correcting what’s wrong, and handing you books you can finally read with confidence. However far behind things are, there is a defined path from the pile to a clean monthly close, and the consultation is where we map yours.
Do you prepare my tax return?
No — and we’d rather tell you that up front. We don’t prepare tax returns in-house. What we do is keep your books clean and tax-ready all year, and we work closely with your existing tax preparer so filing season is a hand-off, not a scramble. If you don’t have a tax professional yet, we’re happy to refer you to trusted tax CPAs and Enrolled Agents in our network.
What does it cost — and am I locked in?
Most of our clients invest at least $300 per month for ongoing services, on fixed monthly packages; hourly billing is available too, and one-time cleanup projects are often hourly. You sign an engagement letter, not a long-term contract: either side can end the relationship with 30 days’ notice. We earn your business through quality service, not binding paperwork. Your exact scope and price are set after a free consultation, before any work begins.
Who actually works on my account?
You get a primary accountant and a CPA who knows your business, with support from our broader team — never an anonymous queue. Citrus is led by two licensed CPAs: founder Maryanne Grant (15+ years across public accounting, audit, and controllership for publicly traded companies) and Hanna Kolb, CPA. The person who knows your books is a person you can name.
Which software do you work in?
Probably yours already. Our bench includes QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Sage, Yardi, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HomebuilderOne, Newstar Construction, Constellation, Concur, Microsoft Power BI, ClubReady, Shopify, Freshdesk, Invoiced.com, and Treasury Automation Suite — and payroll runs on ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks, and Paychex. We’re Intuit Certified in QuickBooks Level 2 and Payroll, and we lead system implementations through design, testing, and go-live.
How fast will I hear back from you?
We aim to respond to emails within 48 hours during business days — and urgent matters are addressed immediately. Because every client has a named primary accountant and CPA, your message lands with someone who already knows your business, not a ticket queue.
What happens to my data if I leave?
It stays yours. You keep full ownership of and access to your financial data, in standard formats, at all times — during the engagement and after it. Day to day, your information is protected with bank-level encryption, multi-factor authentication, and professional liability insurance.