Bookkeeping in Centre, AL
Getting Set Up in Centre
In Centre, every business operating in the town limits or the city's police jurisdiction needs an annual business license before it starts. The city runs it through Avenu, an outside processor, and the easiest way is to file and pay online. Licenses follow the calendar year: due January 1st, delinquent after January 31st, with a 15% penalty on February 1st and another 15% on March 2nd, plus interest. If you start after July 1st, you pay half the annual fee. A business in the police jurisdiction, outside the town limits, pays half the normal rate where that applies. Each location and each line of business needs its own license.
For most business types, the fee is based on last year's gross receipts, not on headcount the way Cartersville and Calhoun do it. Up to $99,999.00 in gross receipts, the license is $100.00. From $100,000.00 to $250,000.00, it's $125.00. And Alabama's definition of gross receipts leaves some things out: sales tax you collected for the government, loan proceeds, capital contributions, and the sale of a capital asset don't count. If your books lump those in with revenue, the number you report can come out higher than it should.
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
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 Centre?
Yes, if you're in the town limits or Centre's police jurisdiction. You file and pay through Avenu, the city's processor, and you can do it online. Most business types pay based on last year's gross receipts, starting at $100.00. It renews every January 1st and is delinquent after January 31st.
Do you have an office in Centre?
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 Cherokee County, AL →