Bookkeeping Basics
BHI Bookkeeping: Services, Verification, and Alternatives
Understand the branded BHI Bookkeeping search, verify the intended provider, and compare bookkeeping, payroll, tax, security, reporting, and engagement controls.
“BHI Bookkeeping” is a branded search that commonly refers to BHI Bookkeeping, Payroll and Income Tax in Las Vegas, Nevada. Its official site describes bookkeeping, payroll, income-tax, financial-statement, and related services. A Better Business Bureau profile lists B H I Bookkeeping and an alternate corporate name. Steady Tax & Bookkeeping is a separate North Carolina business and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewing BHI.
If you intended to contact BHI, use the firm’s official site and independently confirm its current legal name, address, phone number, domain, engagement contact, and payment instructions. If you are comparing bookkeeping providers, this guide gives you a neutral framework for identity, scope, credentials, controls, security, reports, pricing, and alternatives.
Why branded searches need verification
A business name may appear in directories, reviews, advertising, copied listings, and old pages. Similar abbreviations may identify unrelated firms. Before sending bank statements, payroll data, tax returns, identity documents, or money, confirm that the recipient controls the official domain and that the engagement letter names the same legal or trade entity.
Do not rely on one directory badge, testimonial, or search snippet. Check official business information, professional license databases when credentials are claimed, tax-preparer information when tax services are included, and the actual people assigned to the engagement. A company’s history and an individual’s authority are related but separate facts.
What the official BHI site says
The BHI site identifies the business as “BHI Bookkeeping, Payroll and Income Tax” and describes a Las Vegas location. It presents services ranging from basic tax management and bookkeeping to financial statements, financial planning, and other work. Those statements describe the firm’s own offering. This page does not test, rate, or guarantee them.
Service pages are only a starting point. Ask for a current written proposal that identifies what your engagement includes. A provider may offer many services generally while your specific monthly package includes only a subset.
Define bookkeeping before comparing providers
Recurring bookkeeping commonly includes transaction review, bank and credit-card reconciliation, selected balance-sheet schedules, month-end adjustments, and financial reports. It may also include receivables, payables, payroll entries, sales-tax coordination, job or class reporting, loan schedules, fixed assets, inventory, or management meetings. Each item should be explicit.
Separate three types of work:
- Cleanup: repairing historical balances, duplicates, missing records, unreconciled accounts, and prior-period problems.
- Recurring close: maintaining current records and completing an agreed monthly process.
- Advisory or compliance: tax returns, planning, payroll filings, notices, forecasts, representation, and decisions beyond transaction maintenance.
A quote for recurring work may assume the cleanup is already complete. Ask which starting balances the provider accepts, which periods are included, what missing evidence will change the timeline, and how unresolved historical items are disclosed.
Provider-verification checklist
| Question | Strong evidence | Risk signal |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the provider? | Consistent legal name, domain, address, and signed agreement | Payment or uploads requested through an unverified channel |
| Who performs the work? | Named preparer, reviewer, roles, and escalation path | Unknown subcontractors or no review responsibility |
| What is included? | Entities, accounts, periods, tasks, deliverables, exclusions | “Full service” without a task list |
| How is quality proven? | Reconciliation and close evidence with reviewer signoff | Reports generated without balance support |
| How is data protected? | Individual access, MFA, secure portal, documented offboarding | Shared passwords or sensitive email attachments |
Bookkeeping deliverables to request
A reliable monthly package should identify the reporting period and accounting basis. Common deliverables include a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, bank and credit-card reconciliation reports, receivable and payable aging when applicable, loan or fixed-asset schedules, payroll-liability detail, clearing-account status, and a list of unresolved questions.
Reports alone are not proof of a completed close. Ask for the close date, accounts reconciled, old outstanding items, material assumptions, unrecorded documents, changes after close, and preparer and reviewer roles. A good exception summary tells the owner which decisions are needed.
Monthly close workflow
- Confirm all statements, payroll reports, invoices, receipts, loan documents, and requested answers were received.
- Review bank-feed activity and match it to existing transactions rather than creating duplicates.
- Reconcile every bank and credit-card statement period to zero difference.
- Review receivables, payables, payroll liabilities, loans, assets, taxes, and clearing accounts.
- Post supported accruals, deferrals, depreciation, reclasses, and corrections under the agreed basis.
- Run reports for the correct entity, period, basis, and comparison.
- Have a reviewer inspect reconciliations, unusual balances, adjustments, and open issues.
- Deliver reports, explanations, and an exception list by the agreed date.
- Protect the period from uncontrolled changes and document later corrections.
The exact workflow depends on scope, but every material balance should have an external statement, subledger, calculation, contract, or other controlled support.
Payroll scope
Payroll can mean entering summary journals, operating a payroll platform, filing payroll returns, remitting taxes, handling notices, maintaining employee data, or reconciling liabilities. Confirm which party controls each step and who approves payroll before submission.
Reconcile gross wages, employee deductions, employer taxes, benefits, net pay, tax payments, and payroll clearing to payroll reports and bank activity. Negative or old payroll liabilities need prompt investigation. Do not assume that a payroll platform’s successful debit proves the general ledger is correct.
Tax preparation and credentials
Bookkeeping, tax-return preparation, planning, and taxpayer representation are distinct services. The IRS explains that return preparers have different credentials and representation rights. CPAs, attorneys, enrolled agents, annual filing season participants, and other preparers do not all have the same authority.
If the engagement includes tax work, identify the individual who prepares and signs returns, credentials and licenses, jurisdictions supported, forms included, estimated-payment process, notice response, amendments, planning meetings, and representation limits. Ask whether payroll and sales-tax filings are part of the same agreement or handled by another provider.
Tax-ready books do not guarantee a particular tax result. The preparer must apply current law to the actual facts, and tax-only adjustments may differ from management reporting.
Recordkeeping and source evidence
IRS Publication 583 identifies invoices, receipts, paid bills, deposit slips, canceled checks, and account statements among common supporting documents. It also illustrates bank reconciliation. A provider should maintain links or references between accounting entries and the evidence supporting the business purpose, amount, date, and classification.
Ask how documents are requested, named, stored, retained, and returned. Decide who owns the document repository. The business should not lose access to its records when a relationship ends.
Security questions
- Does every user have an individual account and multifactor authentication?
- Are permissions limited by job responsibilities?
- Who can add vendors, change bank instructions, release payments, or run payroll?
- How are sensitive changes verified through an independent channel?
- Are devices encrypted and managed?
- How are portals, integrations, backups, incidents, and subcontractors controlled?
- How quickly are former users removed and client data returned or deleted?
Never send passwords or one-time codes to a provider. Invite people through supported user roles and keep owner or company administrator access.
Payment and fraud controls
Bookkeeping access should not automatically include authority to release money. Separate vendor creation, invoice entry, approval, payment preparation, payment release, and bank reconciliation when practical. Small teams can use compensating owner review, dual approval, bank alerts, positive pay, independent statements, and transaction limits.
Verify changed vendor or employee bank instructions through a trusted contact method not supplied in the change request. Reconciliation can reveal a missing or duplicate payment, but prevention and authorization controls operate earlier.
Pricing and proposal comparison
Bookkeeping fees may reflect the number of entities, bank and card accounts, monthly transactions, payrolls, contractors, customers, vendors, inventory items, loans, fixed assets, integrations, currencies, cleanup periods, close deadline, reporting detail, meetings, and review level. Tax and payroll filings can add separate responsibility.
Normalize each proposal before comparing cost. One provider may include reconciliations, catch-up work, detailed schedules, and monthly review while another includes only categorization. Identify setup fees, cleanup estimates, minimum terms, price-review triggers, out-of-scope rates, software costs, payment authority, and termination support.
A provider should review the books before promising a reliable fixed scope. Steady provides a written flat monthly quote after a discovery call and review; no price for either Steady or BHI is stated or implied here.
Red flags during selection
- Guaranteed refunds, savings, accuracy, or results before reviewing facts.
- Requests to share owner credentials or send sensitive records through personal email.
- No written scope, close date, deliverables, exclusions, or client responsibilities.
- One person can create vendors, approve bills, release payments, and reconcile without review.
- Unexplained adjustments, large suspense balances, or reports that do not tie to statements.
- Tax work is offered without identifying the preparer or signer.
- The provider resists returning data or maintaining client administrator access.
First-month acceptance test
Before treating onboarding as complete, confirm the entity and accounting basis, opening balances, chart of accounts, bank and credit-card structure, payroll and tax accounts, apps, users, document process, close calendar, report package, and historical limitations. Every expected statement should be received and reconciled through the agreed period.
The first report package should identify missing documents, old balances, unsupported items, cleanup assumptions, and management decisions. The owner should be able to understand cash, receivables, payables, debt, payroll or tax obligations, profit, and major changes without relying on vague assurances.
When a local firm may fit
A local provider may help when physical records, in-person meetings, local payroll or tax experience, or community relationships matter. Confirm that proximity corresponds to the services and people you need. A nearby office does not by itself establish secure systems, timely close, or industry expertise.
When a remote alternative may fit
A remote provider may offer broader software or industry experience, digital workflows, and scheduling flexibility. Confirm where work is performed, who accesses data, how documents move, and how the team communicates. Remote work is not inherently less personal or less secure; actual process and accountability determine the result.
Communication and service calendar
Define one controlled channel for routine bookkeeping questions and a separate escalation path for payroll, tax notices, suspected fraud, cash problems, and system outages. A question log should identify the transaction, amount, account, source, owner, date requested, response, resolution, and effect on the close. This prevents important decisions from disappearing across email, text messages, and meeting notes.
Agree on when documents are due, when the preparer sends questions, when management responds, when the reviewer finishes, and when reports arrive. State what happens if the client misses the document cutoff. A provider should distinguish a complete close from a provisional report that still contains estimates or open items.
Industry and system fit
Ask for experience with the business’s actual transaction cycles. A contractor may need job costs, commitments, change orders, retainage, and work-in-progress reporting. A medical or legal practice may need special privacy and trust controls. An ecommerce business may need sales-channel, processor, refund, inventory, and sales-tax reconciliation. Real estate and property businesses may need entity, property, loan, deposit, and settlement detail.
Also confirm the exact software edition and connected apps. Experience in one accounting platform does not guarantee experience with payroll, bill payment, point of sale, property management, time tracking, or industry integrations. Ask how the provider tests sync totals, duplicate prevention, clearing accounts, failed transfers, and offboarding exports.
Transition from another provider
A controlled handoff should include administrator ownership, chart of accounts, opening trial balance, prior financial statements, bank and card reconciliations, outstanding items, receivable and payable detail, payroll and tax liabilities, loans, fixed assets, recurring entries, integration map, close checklist, tax returns, and unresolved questions. Inventory all users and connected apps.
Do not accept an unexplained balance merely because it existed before the transition. Mark unsupported amounts, define responsibility for cleanup, and agree on whether historical reports will be restated. Preserve the former provider’s exports and communications, but create new individual access rather than continuing shared credentials.
Ending the engagement
The agreement should explain notice, final fees, work through the termination date, data return, software ownership, portal access, retention, deletion, and cooperation with a successor. Before access is removed, obtain current reports, reconciliation packages, source documents, schedules, exports, tax workpapers provided under scope, and an open-item list.
Change passwords or roles, revoke app tokens, update bank and payroll permissions, redirect notices, and verify that payment authority is removed. A clean exit is part of provider quality, not an optional courtesy.
How to choose
Create a short scorecard covering identity, relevant experience, scope, reconciliations, reports, credentials, security, payment controls, communication, transition, and total cost. Weight the factors based on business risk. Test the relationship with defined onboarding evidence rather than choosing solely from search rank or a sales call.
If the search was specifically for BHI, contact that business through independently verified official information. If you are comparing alternatives, explore small-business bookkeeping, bookkeeping systems, and Steady’s bookkeeping services.
Frequently asked questions
Is Steady affiliated with BHI Bookkeeping?
No. Steady and the Las Vegas business identified by the BHI search are separate and this guide does not claim endorsement or a review relationship.
How do I verify I reached the intended BHI business?
Confirm the official domain, legal or trade name, address, phone number, engagement contact, and payment instructions through independent sources.
Does a bookkeeping service include payroll and tax work?
Not automatically. Each service, filing, deadline, credential, and responsibility should be stated in the written engagement.
What should a monthly close include?
It should include the agreed reconciliations, supported balance-sheet accounts, adjustments, reports, exception list, explanations, and review evidence.
How should I compare providers?
Compare equivalent entities, periods, cleanup, tasks, reporting, credentials, security, controls, communication, software costs, and exclusions.
Who should control the accounting file?
The business should retain administrator access, usable records, and a documented handoff while granting providers individual, limited permissions.
Turn this guide into action