From downtown Columbus to Dublin, Westerville, Hilliard, and the whole I-270 Outerbelt — Tides Bookkeeping handles the books for small businesses across every corner of Franklin County. 100% remote. Clean books every month.
No setup fees · Cancel anytime · 100% Remote
Franklin County is the most populous county in Ohio and the beating heart of the state's economy. Anchored by Columbus — the state capital and Ohio's largest city — the county blends state government, one of the nation's largest universities, and a booming private sector into one of the fastest-growing metros in the Midwest.
Intel's multi-billion-dollar semiconductor fabs in New Albany, the Nationwide, Huntington, and JPMorgan Chase finance cluster, and a surging logistics corridor keep pulling new businesses into the county every quarter. All of that growth also means Central Ohio's tangle of municipal income taxes — Columbus collects its own, while suburbs file through RITA — so clean, location-aware books matter more here than almost anywhere in the state.
Whether your business is headquartered in Columbus or operating out of a smaller community, we serve the entire county with the same level of service.
The state capital and Ohio's largest city — a booming downtown, the Short North and Arena District, Intel's nearby fabs, and a fast-growing tech and logistics economy.
Affluent northwest suburb and corporate hub — home to Cardinal Health and Wendy's, plus Bridge Park, tech, and pharma along the US-33 corridor.
Established northern suburbs with dense small-business Main Streets, professional offices, and Otterbein University.
Fast-growing west and northwest communities packed with contractors, service firms, and retail near I-270.
East-side growth corridor anchored by Easton and Intel's New Albany investment — logistics, tech, and professional services.
Also serving Reynoldsburg, Whitehall, Grandview Heights, Bexley, and every community across Franklin County.
Serving Franklin County means knowing it. From Columbus to the communities across the county — here's the local context that shapes how businesses operate in Central Ohio.
Franklin County grew up as the seat of Ohio state government, with Columbus laid out in 1812 specifically to be the capital. For most of the 20th century the economy leaned on government, insurance, and The Ohio State University — a stable, recession-resistant base that helped Columbus quietly outgrow older industrial rivals like Cleveland and Cincinnati.
The last two decades turned that steady growth into a boom. Intel's semiconductor investment in New Albany, a deep finance and insurance cluster led by Nationwide, Huntington Bancshares, and JPMorgan Chase's largest campus, and Honda's manufacturing footprint just up US-33 in Marysville have made Central Ohio one of the country's hottest business regions.
That growth reaches every corner of the county — from Short North galleries and Arena District startups to Dublin corporate parks and Grove City distribution centers. For small business owners, it means opportunity, but also a real bookkeeping burden: multi-city payroll withholding, Columbus's self-administered income tax, and RITA filings across the suburbs.
Seven core services, all delivered remotely. Everything your Franklin 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 Franklin 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 actually 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 Central Ohio manufacturers to Main Street restaurants and real estate investors — we understand the financial patterns of the industries that drive Franklin County's economy.
Recurring revenue, product spend, and investor-ready reporting
Agencies, brokers, and advisors — commission and trust tracking
Job costing, subcontractors, material expenses, and seasonal cash flow
Fuel, fleet, per-mile costing, and multi-state driver payroll
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
"We run a design-build contracting firm in the Dublin and Hilliard area and payroll across three different municipalities was a nightmare every quarter. Tides straightened out our books, tracks the city withholdings for us, and sends clean reports every month. Our CPA said it was the cleanest set of books he'd seen all year."
Yes — we serve businesses across the entire county, including Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, Hilliard, Gahanna, Grove City, New Albany, and every surrounding community. Because we're 100% remote, your exact location in the county doesn't matter.
This is one of the biggest bookkeeping headaches in Ohio. Businesses have to withhold local income tax for every municipality where their employees actually work, then file net-profit returns on top of that. Columbus collects its own municipal income tax directly, while most Franklin County suburbs file through RITA (the Regional Income Tax Agency). We keep your payroll and location data clean so those municipal withholdings and returns tie out correctly, and for growing firms we track gross receipts against Ohio's Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) threshold so nothing sneaks up on you at year-end. We keep everything organized and tax-ready for whoever files your returns.
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.
Most Franklin 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.
Franklin County is a core market, but we serve small businesses across Central Ohio and all of Ohio.
Delaware · Powell · Lewis Center
Newark · Pataskala · Heath
Lancaster · Pickerington
Marysville · Plain City
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.