Stephen Lewis
Stephen LewisFounder, True North Bookkeeping

I inspect your books before I quote them.

Bookkeeping for electricians, plumbers, HVAC and other contractors across the US. You'll know what's wrong in your QuickBooks file, and what fixing it costs, before any monthly fee.

Book a call with Stephen
  • The reviewfrom $250
  • A cleanuppriced from the review
  • Monthly booksfrom $500 a month
Stephen Lewis, founder of True North Bookkeeping
Stephen LewisFounder, True North BookkeepingQuickBooks Online certified, Levels 1 and 2

Look, quote, fix, keep.

Four stops, always in this order. At each one, you decide whether to go on with me.

Book the discovery call

  1. The look: 130 points against your QuickBooks Online file.

    Paid, from $250

    I call it the Compass Calibration. I go through your file against my own checklist, looking for errors, inconsistencies and structural problems, and write up what I find and what I'd recommend.

    That report is yours. Fix the file yourself with my steps, or hand it to another bookkeeper. Your call.

    What a finding reads likeExample, not a client's file
    1. FoundBank feed transactions added twice.
      What I'd doRemove the duplicates, then reconcile again.
    2. FoundPersonal purchases booked as business expenses.
      What I'd doMove them to owner's draw.
    3. FoundLoan payments booked in full as an expense.
      What I'd doSplit each one into principal and interest.

  2. The quote: a price for what your file needs.

    Once I've seen the file, I tell you what I'd charge: a cleanup, monthly books, or both. I don't have packages to fit you into. The monthly price depends on the work: transactions and statements only, bills and invoices too, or payroll as well.

  3. The cleanup: old errors fixed, backlog caught up.

    Priced from what the review finds

    I correct historical errors and misclassified transactions and bring every account back in line, then catch up whatever is backlogged. Your CPA gets books ready to work from. If the review finds your books clean, you skip this stop.

  4. The books: kept current, month after month.

    From $500 a month

    Bank feeds, bills and invoices, and payroll through ADP or Gusto, all in QuickBooks Online. Anything I can't place waits in an account called Ask my Accountant. On Friday that list comes to you, and I categorize as you answer.

    Once a quarter we go through it on a video call: here's what I'm seeing, and here's what the numbers mean.

What I can see, and what I can't touch.

You're trusting me with your finances. This is the full list of what I ask for.

QuickBooks OnlineYou add me as an accountant user. If you haven't done it before, I walk you through it on a screen share.
Bank and credit cardsConnected to your QuickBooks bank feeds, if they aren't already.
Online bankingRead-only. I review transaction history and download statements. I can't spend or move your money, and I don't want to.
DocumentsSent through a client portal, which is more secure than an email attachment.
The engagement letterSigned before I start. It lists what I commit to and what I'll provide, and what you're responsible for, because bookkeeping is a partnership.

Trades first, and a short no list.

Home services and the trades.

If I had to pick one kind of business, it's yours: electricians, plumbers, HVAC, contractors. Debits and credits are still debits and credits, so if you run another kind of US business, ask me.

Where I'm not the right bookkeeper.

Full construction accounting and nonprofit books: I don't have much experience with either. And businesses outside the US, because of different currencies and accounting standards.

Who you'd be hiring.

I'm Stephen Lewis. I started keeping books more than ten years ago in Phoenix, reconciling bank and credit card statements for a friend's construction accounting firm. It made sense to me: things matched, and numbers went where they were supposed to go.

After the Bookkeeper Launch course and several years at tax and accounting firms, I opened True North in Washington, Utah, in February 2026. It's just me, so the person who reviews your books is the person who keeps them.

“I treat their books and their company the same way that I would treat my own.”

Credentials

  • QuickBooks Online Level 1, certified
  • QuickBooks Online Level 2, certified
  • QuickBooks Payroll, certified
  • Intuit Bookkeeping, trained
  • Client Advisory Services Foundations
  • Associate Digital Bookkeeper

“In over 30 years we have been in business he is the most competent bookkeeper we have ever had.”

Shanon R.Client of True North Bookkeeping

Before you book.

Why is the review paid?

Because I can't price a cleanup until I've seen what's in the file. The review is that look, written up, and every price I give you after it comes out of what I found.

What if my books are a mess?

Then the review will say so, and the quote starts with a cleanup and catch-up. Monthly bookkeeping starts once the file is clean.

Do I need to be in Utah?

No. Everything happens online: QuickBooks Online, bank feeds, the client portal and video calls. I'm in Washington, Utah, and I work with owners anywhere in the US.

How long until we're settled in?

Usually one to two months. That covers a couple of month-end closes, and sometimes our first quarterly review.

First a call. Then I open the file.

On the discovery call I find out what you need. Most of the time, the review is what I recommend next.

Book a call with Stephen
Book a call with Stephen