From Los Angeles to San Francisco, San Diego to Sacramento, Tides Bookkeeping provides remote bookkeeping, payroll support, and monthly financial reporting for small businesses across California. Clean books. Real results. No commute required.
No setup fees · Cancel anytime · 100% Remote
California has the largest economy of any U.S. state — big enough to rank among the largest in the world. It's a place of extremes: Silicon Valley tech and biotech, Hollywood entertainment and media, the Central Valley's agriculture, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach moving a huge share of the nation's trade, plus tourism, wine, and a vast small-business base of contractors, restaurants, and professional services. That diversity means no two California businesses keep books quite the same way.
California also has some of the highest taxes in the country, which makes clean books and smart structure matter more here than almost anywhere. State personal income tax is progressive and tops out at 13.3% — the highest top rate in the nation. The statewide base sales-and-use tax is 7.25% (the highest state base rate), and local add-ons push many areas past 10%. Most LLCs owe the $800 minimum annual franchise tax regardless of profit, plus an additional gross-receipts LLC fee once revenue climbs, and S-corporations pay a 1.5% franchise tax. Figures are current as of 2026 — confirm rates before filing. The practical takeaway: in California, disorganized books get expensive fast, and the right entity and records save real money.
Seven core services designed for small businesses across every industry in California — all delivered remotely, all handled by our team.
Your most important foundation. We categorize every transaction, reconcile your accounts, and deliver clean P&L and balance sheet reports every single month — so you always know exactly where your business stands.
Months or years behind? We clean it all up — systematically organizing your past transactions so you can get current and stay compliant.
Starting fresh or inheriting a mess? We connect all your accounts, configure your chart of accounts, and set everything up correctly from day one.
Every account, every month. We match your books to your bank statements and flag any discrepancies before they become problems.
P&L, balance sheets, and cash flow statements delivered monthly in a format you can actually read and act on.
We track what you owe and what's owed to you — keeping your cash flow picture clear and your vendor relationships clean.
We ensure your payroll expenses hit your books correctly every pay period — including local California municipal withholding — working alongside your payroll processor to keep everything reconciled.
From Los Angeles and San Diego to San Jose, San Francisco, and the Central Valley — 100% remote, clean books every month. California has the nation's highest income tax, a 7.25%-plus district sales tax, and the $800 minimum franchise tax on every LLC and corporation, and we keep them clean. Explore by county:
From Silicon Valley tech to Los Angeles entertainment to Central Valley agriculture, we understand the financial rhythms of California's most common industries.
Job costing, subcontractor payments, material expenses
COGS tracking, tip payroll, inventory & vendor management
Commission tracking, rental income, property expenses
Consultants, attorneys, agencies — clean P&L every month
Inventory, merchant fees, platform reconciliation
Insurance billing, payroll, HIPAA-aware practices
Fleet expenses, fuel costs, driver payroll
Job costing, inventory, multi-city payroll withholding
We're not a local firm that added remote services. We were built remote-first, which means our process, communication, and delivery are optimized for businesses that never need to meet in person.
Tides is based in Greenville, SC and serves clients across the country. We know California's business climate cold — the heaviest tax load in the nation, from the highest income tax in the country and the $800 minimum franchise tax to a 7.25%-plus district sales tax — and the industries that drive Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, the ports, and the Central Valley.
No hourly billing surprises. You pay one flat rate each month based on your transaction volume — and you always know exactly what you're getting.
We don't just hand you a spreadsheet. We deliver clean, readable financial reports each month with plain-language summaries so you can make decisions — not just file paperwork.
Your CPA will thank you. Our books are consistently maintained at a level that makes tax season — federal, state, and local — faster, cheaper, and less stressful for everyone involved.
We earn your business every month. There are no lock-in agreements — just great service that makes you want to stay. Cancel anytime if it's not working.
"I run a small HVAC company out of Riverside and take jobs all over the Inland Empire. Tides got my books completely caught up, keeps my sales and use tax on materials clean, and stays on top of the franchise tax — now I get a clean report every month without lifting a finger. I finally understand my numbers."
Book a free 15-minute call. We'll look at where your books stand and tell you exactly what they need — no pressure, no sales pitch.
Schedule a Free Call →Official government resources for registering, filing, and staying compliant in California. Tides handles your books; these help with the rest.