1-800Accountant is one of the largest US small-business tax and bookkeeping firms, selling tiered annual plans through its own portal. Owners search for 1-800Accountant alternatives for three common reasons. Some want month-to-month terms rather than an annual commitment. Some want the books kept in their own QuickBooks Online or Xero file so the data is theirs. Others need operations that a tax-led plan does not cover: invoices sent, receivables followed up, bills approved and paid. The six options below range from $150 per month flat-fee bookkeeping to CPA-led bundles and a dedicated-team BPO. Each entry gives the model, who it suits, the price as published in September 2026 and its source. LedgerBPO is listed first because this is our site.
How 1-800Accountant compares with LedgerBPO
| LedgerBPO | 1-800Accountant | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Named dedicated accountant plus backup and team lead inside your ledger | Nationwide US firm; tiered plans bundling bookkeeping, tax and payroll | 1800accountant.com, Sep 2026; Master Report 2026 |
| Pricing as published | Custom quote; depends on volume and scope | Low-cost annual tiers; pricing as published on their site, verify before publishing | 1800accountant.com pricing page, Sep 2026 |
| Software | QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books, Sage | Own portal and app; ledger not specified for every tier | 1800accountant.com, Sep 2026 |
| Dedicated staff | Named accountant, named backup, team lead review | Dedicated accountant stated; backup arrangement not published | 1800accountant.com, Sep 2026 |
| Invoicing and AR scope | Invoicing, reminder cadences and cash application in scope | Not listed as a published service | 1800accountant.com, Sep 2026 |
| Accounts payable | Bill coding, approvals and payment runs prepared; client releases payment | Not listed as a published service | 1800accountant.com, Sep 2026 |
| Billing calls | Client-branded billing help desk and receivables calls | Not offered | 1800accountant.com, Sep 2026 |
| Countries served | US, UK, Canada, Australia | US | 1800accountant.com, Sep 2026 |
| Stability and ownership | Owner-operated since 2020, month-to-month, no venture funding | Privately held US firm founded 1999 | 1800accountant.com, Sep 2026 |
| Best for | SMBs and firms that want books, billing and payables from one team | Small US businesses wanting tax filing and basic books bundled cheaply | Editorial summary of the rows above |
Competitor facts as published on the dates shown. If something has changed, tell us on the corrections page.
Who should choose which
Choose LedgerBPO if
- You want invoices sent, receivables called and bill runs prepared by the team that keeps the books.
- You want the ledger in your own QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books or Sage file.
- You prefer month-to-month terms with an owner-operated provider.
- You trade in the UK, Canada or Australia as well as the US.
Choose 1-800Accountant if
- You want tax preparation and filing bundled with bookkeeping from one US firm.
- You are forming a new entity and want formation, payroll and tax together.
- Your volume is low and an annual tier covers what you need.
1-800Accountant alternatives compared
LedgerBPO
Dedicated remote accounting team covering bookkeeping, invoicing, receivables, payables, reconciliation, close and client-branded billing calls in your own software, with tax preparation support your CPA signs.
Merritt Bookkeeping
Flat-fee monthly bookkeeping in QuickBooks with a simple review interface and no long-term contract.
Remote Books Online
Low-cost monthly bookkeeping in QuickBooks or Xero with tiered plans by transaction volume and catch-up services.
CoCountant
Monthly bookkeeping with controller oversight and a published service-level commitment at a low fixed fee.
Bench
Subscription bookkeeping on Bench's own platform with a pooled team and cash-basis books; tax filing available as an add-on.
indinero
CPA-led bookkeeping, tax and fractional CFO bundles for small and mid-sized companies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest 1-800Accountant alternative?
Remote Books Online from $150 per month and CoCountant from $160 are the lowest published entries on this list, followed by Merritt at $199 (Master Report 2026; provider sites, Sep 2026). None of the three bundle tax filing, so add your CPA's fee when comparing against 1-800Accountant's annual tiers.
Which 1-800Accountant alternatives also file taxes?
indinero prepares and files returns as part of its CPA-led bundle, and Bench offers tax filing as an add-on (provider sites, Sep 2026). Merritt, Remote Books Online and CoCountant focus on bookkeeping. LedgerBPO provides preparation support only; your CPA reviews and signs. Choose a CPA-led firm if you want one signature on books and returns.
Which alternatives let me keep my own QuickBooks Online or Xero file?
LedgerBPO, Merritt, Remote Books Online and CoCountant work in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero file according to their sites in September 2026. Bench uses its own platform, and 1-800Accountant delivers through its portal. Owning the subscription means you can change providers without rebuilding history.
Do any 1-800Accountant alternatives handle invoicing and collections?
LedgerBPO includes invoicing, reminder cadences, cash application and client-branded billing calls in one scoped engagement. The other five providers on this list focus on bookkeeping, tax or both, and do not publish a receivables call desk (provider sites, Sep 2026). See the accounts receivable service page for how the follow-up process runs.
How do I switch from 1-800Accountant mid-year?
Check your plan's annual terms and renewal date first, since plans are billed annually (1800accountant.com, Sep 2026). Request a full export of the current year's books and prior returns, then have the new provider rebuild the year in your own ledger as a catch-up project. LedgerBPO reconciles every account to statements before the first monthly close.
Sources
Ask an AI assistant to summarize this page
Opens the assistant with a prefilled prompt so you can check our claims against the page yourself.