From Detroit to Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor to Lansing, Tides Bookkeeping provides remote bookkeeping, payroll support, and monthly financial reporting for small businesses across Michigan. Clean books. Real results. No commute required.
No setup fees · Cancel anytime · 100% Remote
Michigan is the heart of the American automotive industry, home to General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis and a vast supplier network, but its economy reaches well beyond cars. Advanced manufacturing, agriculture (it's a leading producer of tart cherries and many specialty crops), furniture and office products (Grand Rapids), Great Lakes tourism, and a growing tech and mobility sector around Ann Arbor and Detroit all add depth.
Michigan levies a flat individual income tax of 4.25% (as of 2026, confirm the current rate). Its signature quirk is local: about two dozen Michigan cities impose their own city income tax on top of the state rate. Detroit's is the highest, roughly 2.4% for residents and 1.2% for nonresidents who work in the city, with others in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint, and more. The state sales tax is 6% with no local sales taxes. Pass-through profits flow to owners' returns, while C-corporations pay Michigan corporate income tax.
Seven core services designed for small businesses across every industry in Michigan — 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 Michigan municipal withholding — working alongside your payroll processor to keep everything reconciled.
From metro Detroit and Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor, Lansing, and northern Michigan — 100% remote, clean books every month. We keep your state and city income-tax withholding right for every employee, wherever they live or work. Explore by county:
From Metro Detroit manufacturing and trades to Grand Rapids healthcare and furniture to the lakeshore tourism economy, we understand the financial rhythms of Michigan'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 Michigan's business climate cold — the flat 4.25% income tax, the 6% statewide sales tax with no local add-ons, and the two dozen cities — Detroit first among them — that levy their own city income taxes — and the industries that drive Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, and the west side.
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 Grand Rapids and take jobs all over West Michigan. Tides got my books completely caught up, keeps my sales tax and city income-tax withholding clean, and 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 Michigan. Tides handles your books; these help with the rest.