From downtown Athens to Five Points, Normaltown, and the UGA campus corridor -- Tides Bookkeeping handles the books for small businesses across all of Clarke County. 100% remote. Clean books every month.
No setup fees · Cancel anytime · 100% Remote
Clarke County is a consolidated city-county with Athens -- Georgia's quintessential college town and home to the University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university. With nearly 41,000 students, UGA is the dominant economic force in the county, driving a vibrant ecosystem of restaurants, bars, music venues, retail shops, and professional services.
Beyond the university, Athens has developed a nationally recognized music scene (birthplace of R.E.M. and the B-52s), a thriving food and beverage industry, and a growing tech and creative economy. The county's healthcare sector, anchored by Piedmont Athens Regional, adds another major employment base.
Whether your business is headquartered in Athens or operating out of a smaller community, we serve the entire county with the same level of service.
Georgia's Classic City -- home to UGA, a legendary music scene, James Beard-nominated restaurants, and a creative, entrepreneurial small business community.
The vibrant heart of the city -- live music venues, restaurants, bars, boutiques, and creative businesses packed into a walkable grid around College Avenue.
A beloved neighborhood commercial district with locally-owned restaurants, coffee shops, a food co-op, and professional service offices.
A hip, walkable neighborhood with craft breweries, boutique shops, and creative businesses -- part of Athens's identity as a creative hub.
A small community in southern Clarke County with a growing residential base and local businesses.
Also serving the Eastside, Boulevard, Beechwood, and all neighborhoods and commercial corridors throughout consolidated Athens-Clarke County.
Serving Clarke County means understanding the university town economy where student spending, football Saturdays, and a fiercely independent local business culture shape everything.
Clarke County was created in 1801 and Athens was founded as the home of the University of Georgia -- chartered in 1785 as the nation's first state-chartered public university. The city and county consolidated in 1991, and UGA has remained the dominant economic and cultural force for over 200 years.
Athens's identity extends far beyond academia. The city's music scene gave the world R.E.M. and the B-52s in the 1980s, and today it's home to dozens of live music venues, recording studios, and creative businesses. The food and beverage scene has earned national recognition, with multiple James Beard nominations and a craft brewery culture that rivals cities many times its size.
Today, Clarke County's economy is a dynamic mix of university-driven spending (UGA's annual economic impact exceeds $6 billion), healthcare (Piedmont Athens Regional is the county's largest private employer), and a uniquely creative small business ecosystem that includes everything from farm-to-table restaurants to independent record labels.
Seven core services, all delivered remotely. Everything your Clarke County business needs to stay financially clean and tax-ready year-round.
Our flagship service. Every transaction categorized, every account reconciled, and clean financial reports delivered to your inbox each month -- without you lifting a finger. The financial foundation every Clarke County business deserves.
Behind on your books? We clean up any backlog -- whether it's 3 months or 3 years -- so you can move forward with accurate, up-to-date records.
New business or inherited a mess? We configure QuickBooks, connect your accounts, and build a chart of accounts that makes sense for your industry.
Monthly reconciliation of every bank account and credit card -- ensuring your books match your statements and no transactions fall through the cracks.
P&L statements, balance sheets, and cash flow reports delivered monthly in a format you can actually understand and act on.
We keep your AP and AR organized so you always know what's coming in, what's going out, and what's overdue.
We make sure your payroll expenses hit your books correctly and stay in sync with your payroll processor every pay period.
From restaurants in Five Points to music venues downtown and medical practices near Piedmont Athens -- we understand the financial patterns of Clarke County's unique economy.
Job costing, subcontractors, material expenses, and seasonal cash flow
Agent commissions, rental income, property expenses, and investor portfolios
COGS, tip payroll, inventory management, and vendor reconciliation
Insurance billing coordination, payroll, and practice management
Consultants, attorneys, agencies -- clean monthly financials
Inventory, merchant fees, platform reconciliation
Venue revenue, artist payments, event accounting
COGS, distribution tracking, taproom revenue
"We own a popular restaurant in Five Points and managing food costs, tip payroll, and vendor payments was overwhelming. Tides set up proper restaurant accounting in QuickBooks, and now we know exactly where every dollar goes. Our food cost percentage dropped 3 points in the first quarter."
Yes -- we serve businesses across the entire consolidated Athens-Clarke County, from downtown and Five Points to Normaltown, Winterville, and every neighborhood. Since we're 100% remote, your exact location doesn't matter.
No. If you don't have QuickBooks Online, we can set it up as part of your onboarding. If you already have an account, we'll connect to it and clean it up as needed. We also connect Puzzle.io for real-time dashboards and an instant snapshot of your books before beginning regular monthly service.
Pricing is based on your monthly transaction volume. Most small businesses fall between $395-$895/month. We provide an exact quote during your free consultation -- no guesswork.
We keep your books tax-ready and can work alongside your CPA or tax preparer on sales tax matters. We don't file returns directly, but we ensure all the supporting data is clean and organized for whoever handles your tax filings.
Most Clarke County businesses are fully onboarded within 5-7 business days. We schedule a kickoff call, connect your accounts, review your chart of accounts, and begin work right away.
We make switching easy. We can work directly with your previous bookkeeper to transition files and access, review existing books for accuracy, and pick up right where they left off -- or clean things up if needed.
Clarke County is our focus on this page, but we serve businesses across Georgia and the entire Southeast.
Watkinsville -- Bogart -- Bishop
Jefferson -- Commerce -- Braselton
Danielsville -- Colbert
Lexington -- Crawford
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation. Tell us about your business and we'll give you a clear picture of where your books stand and what it will cost to fix it.
No setup fees · Cancel anytime · First month guaranteed
Official government resources for registering, filing, and staying compliant. Tides handles your books; these help with the rest.