10 questions. 2 minutes. Most contractors score a 5 or lower. "Not sure" counts as a no — because you should know.
Bookkeeper Scorecard
Answer honestly. "Not sure" counts as a no — because you should know.
Question 1 of 10
Can you pull a profit & loss statement for any job you completed in the last 90 days?
Not a guess. An actual report from your books showing revenue, costs, and profit on a specific job.
Question 2 of 10
Are your books reconciled through last month?
Reconciled means your bank statements match your QuickBooks. Not "close enough" — matched to the penny.
Question 3 of 10
Do you know your gross profit margin RIGHT NOW?
Not a guess. The actual number. If you had to write it down right now, could you?
Question 4 of 10
Has your accountant proactively brought you a tax-saving strategy THIS YEAR — without you asking?
Not at tax time. During the year. A phone call or email saying "hey, here's something we should do before year end."
Question 5 of 10
Are all your subcontractor COIs current and on file?
Every sub you're paying — do you have a current Certificate of Insurance with workers comp coverage? Expired = not on file.
Question 6 of 10
Were your 1099s filed on time and accurately this year?
Filed by January 31. For every sub you paid $600+. With correct TINs. Penalties are $60–$310 per form — no cap.
Question 7 of 10
Is your payroll tax ACTUALLY being filed — not just showing "filed" in QuickBooks?
QuickBooks Payroll has a known bug where the dashboard shows "filed" with a green checkmark, but returns were never submitted. Has anyone actually verified this?
Question 8 of 10
Do you know whether your entity structure (LLC vs. S-Corp) is saving you money or costing you?
The wrong structure can cost contractors $5K–$20K/year in unnecessary self-employment taxes. Has anyone run the numbers for you?
Question 9 of 10
Can you reach a real human at your accounting firm within 24 hours?
Not a chatbot. Not a voicemail that never gets returned. A real person who knows your account and gives you a real answer.
Question 10 of 10
Do you feel confident your books are clean enough to survive an IRS audit RIGHT NOW?
If the IRS called tomorrow, could you hand over your books without panic? Be honest.