Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about three-way IOLTA reconciliation, trust account cleanup, Clio and QuickBooks, and CPA-led bookkeeping for PA law firms.

Why hire a CPA for my law firm's bookkeeping instead of a regular bookkeeper?

A bookkeeper records transactions. A CPA also understands the compliance risk behind them. With a CPA leading your books, your trust and operating accounts are set up correctly, reconciled every month, and documented so you can hand records over if the bar asks. You get CPA-level oversight without hiring a full-time controller.

What is a three-way IOLTA reconciliation?

It compares three balances: your trust bank statement, your trust ledger, and the total of your individual client ledgers. All three should agree. Pennsylvania's Rule 1.15 requires a monthly reconciliation of each trust account, and we prepare it for you every month.

If you do the bookkeeping, am I still responsible for the trust account?

Yes. The attorney remains responsible for the trust account under the bar rules. We prepare the reconciliations and the records, and you review them. Our job is to make that review fast, clear and accurate.

Can you clean up our trust account before we start monthly service?

Yes. Most new clients begin with our Financial 360 diagnostic. We review your current books, find trust balance discrepancies, and fix unallocated client funds. Then we move you to monthly bookkeeping on clean books.

Do you work with Clio and QuickBooks Online?

Yes. I'm a Clio Certified Administrator and QuickBooks Online Certified. We make sure retainers, fee payments, and trust deposits flow between Clio and QuickBooks without double entry or mixing client and firm money.

Do you handle payroll?

Yes. We're certified in QuickBooks Payroll and Gusto, so payroll, tax filings, and your books stay in sync.

Do you prepare tax returns?

Only for our existing bookkeeping clients. That way your returns are built on books we've been keeping and checking all year.

Where are you located, and do you work remotely?

We're in Hatfield, PA, in Montgomery County, and serve law firms across Pennsylvania. Our work is cloud-based, so we can work with your firm wherever you're located.

Meatball Accounting

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