Bookkeeping in Cartersville, GA
Our founder, Chip, has been a member of the Cartersville BNI chapter for a long time. The chapter meets at 7:30 every Thursday morning at Sam Jones Methodist Church downtown. So if you're in business in Cartersville and want to know whether we're actually around, that's where to find him on Thursdays.
Getting Set Up in Cartersville
In Cartersville the license is called an Occupational Tax Certificate, and it comes from Planning & Development at City Hall, 10 North Public Square. Zoning approval is built right into the application form — the zoning administrator signs off on whether your use is allowed at that address before anything else moves. After that, three departments have to sign a final inspection sheet: fire, water, and building. The Bartow County Tax Commissioner also has to confirm any prior-year taxes owed on the property are paid.
The requirement that surprises people is the Knox Box. It's required for every new business, every change of ownership, and any renovation over 50%, and the license cannot be issued until it's installed — and installing it is the applicant's responsibility. You can order one online at knoxbox.com. On the fire side, the inspection looks for a street address posted at 4" minimum, exits marked with lit signs, working emergency lighting, portable extinguishers of at least 5 lb ABC serviced yearly, and a hood system serviced every 6 months if you have one.
One piece of timing worth money: the new-business fee is cut in half if you open after July 1st. For a business with 0-1 full-time employees, not counting the owner, that's $90.00 before July 1st and $45.00 after. Card payments carry a 2.95% Convenience Fee, and the city does not accept American Express.
Working From Home in Cartersville
If you're running the business out of your house in Cartersville, you still need an occupational tax certificate — the ordinance says plainly that all home occupations must have one. It also limits the business to 30% of one floor of the building, permits exactly one sign of no more than two square feet, motionless and non-lighted, and names tax consultant, insurance agency, real estate agency, photography, music instruction and notary public among the customary home occupations. Worth reading before you assume working from home means nothing to file.
Requirements change. Confirm with the city or county before you rely on this.
What You Get
- Every account reconciled, every month
- Every transaction categorized by a person, or by a rule a person wrote
- Payroll tied back to what actually left your bank
- Financials and The Score — a letter grade on eight categories of financial health
- Questions answered without starting a meter
Who We've Worked With in Cartersville
In Cartersville we've kept the books for realtors, a quasi-governmental institution, and a window covering business, among others.
If You're Behind
Most people who call us are behind, and most of them think they're the only one. Getting you current is a one-time fee, quoted for the period you're behind, and it's separate from your ongoing monthly price. You get both numbers before anything starts.
You don't have to clean anything up first. Catching up before you call doesn't save you money — anything already entered still has to be verified, and verifying is slower than starting fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a business license in Cartersville?
Yes — an Occupational Tax Certificate from Planning & Development at City Hall, 10 North Public Square. Zoning signs off on the application, then fire, water and building each sign a final inspection sheet. Budget for a Knox Box; it's required before the certificate issues and it's on you to install. If you're opening after July 1st the new-business fee is halved. And if you're working from home, you still need one.
Do you have an office in Cartersville?
No. We're based in Rome, Georgia, and the practice is virtual — that's deliberate, not a limitation. Your books don't care where you are, and neither do we. If you'd rather talk face to face, the free consultation is a thirty-minute Zoom call.
What does it cost?
Monthly service starts at a $500 per month floor, and most clients pay more than that. What moves the number is how many bank and credit card accounts we're reconciling and how many transactions run through them. If you're behind, there's a separate one-time cleanup fee. You'll know both numbers before we begin.
Thirty minutes on Zoom. Nothing to drive to.
Serving all of Bartow County, GA →