ACCOUNTING SERVICES · BRENTWOOD
Layered accounting services for Brentwood households and closely-held businesses.
A packaged monthly service for the Brentwood household that is really three things at once — a family, an operating business, and a set of trusts. Household books, entity close, 1041 preparation, and household-staff payroll on one recurring engagement.
GET A SCOPING CALL →Who this fits
Brentwood households where the tax return is the smallest surface area of the financial picture. Physician practices along Wilshire and San Vicente with a matching household. Founders and closely-held business owners north of San Vicente. Family principals with an ILIT, a QPRT, one or two revocable trusts, and a set of K-1s flowing into each. If your household has more than one bookkeeper, more than one payroll provider, and no one running the whole picture — this is that.
Service menu
- Household-level bookkeeping — one QBO file for the family with clean subsidiary ledgers by property, entity, and trust.
- Operating-entity books — practice or business-level books, month-end close, and financial statements.
- Financial statements at both layers — household net-worth and cash-flow reporting; entity P&L and balance sheet.
- Trust 1041 preparation — annual returns for revocable and irrevocable trusts, with year-round coordination of trust income and distributions.
- Bill pay and cash-flow oversight — via Bill.com, with role-based approval and audit log.
- Household-staff payroll integration — HomePay, GTM Payroll, or Paychex — plus W-2 delivery and year-end reporting for household employees.
- Physician-practice payroll and benefits accrual — where applicable.
- Sales & use tax — where the business triggers it.
- 1099 compliance — vendor W-9 collection at both household and business layer.
- Business license renewals — LA and California SoS.
Pricing signal
Recurring packages start in the mid four-figures per month. Household complexity — number of properties, number of trusts, number of household staff — drives the top of the range. Specific scoping after discovery.
Onboarding — four steps, roughly 45 days
1. Discovery. A 30-minute call with the household principal (and the household's attorney or wealth advisor when helpful).
2. Data migration. QBO consolidation, chart of accounts across household + entities + trusts, and Bill.com role setup.
3. 30-day parallel run. One full month of dual-books to make sure nothing gets lost during handoff from an existing bookkeeper.
4. Ongoing cadence. Day-15 close on entities. Household reporting delivered quarterly. Trust filings on annual cycle.
Frequently asked
Q: Are you a family office?
A: We are the accounting layer of a family office arrangement. We do not sell securities, do not manage investments, and do not accept referral commissions from other advisors. Where a full family office is needed, we work alongside one.
Q: Can you handle household-staff payroll?
A: Yes — via HomePay, GTM Payroll, or Paychex, with year-end W-2 and Schedule H prep.
Q: Do you prepare trust 1041s?
A: Yes. Included in the annual cadence. Estate planning coordination with your attorney is standard.
Q: How does bill pay work?
A: Bill.com with role-based approval — you can approve every bill, only bills above a threshold, or delegate approval to a designee. Everything is audit-logged.
One monthly engagement for the family, the practice, and the trusts.
Serving Brentwood households and closely-held businesses since 2013. Thirty-minute scoping call — no obligation.
GET A SCOPING CALL →CALL (866) 222-6060
Frequently Asked
Brentwood — questions we hear.
What accounting services do Brentwood residents need most?
In Brentwood, the most-requested accounting services are HNW tax planning and preparation, business management, trust and estate tax work, real estate investment planning, and entity structuring. Multi-entity coordination for families holding personal returns, LLCs, and trusts is standard work. Given property values and multi-generational wealth in the area, gift and estate tax planning are frequent conversations alongside annual compliance.
How much do accounting services cost in Brentwood?
Accounting service fees in Brentwood reflect HNW complexity. Tax return preparation typically runs $2,000-$8,000 for individuals and $1,500-$5,000 per trust. Business management engagements often range from $5,000-$20,000 per month depending on entities and household bill pay volume. Real estate investment planning and cost segregation studies are usually priced as one-off projects ranging from $3,000-$15,000.
Can Brentwood accounting services be delivered remotely?
Yes. Most Brentwood accounting work runs through cloud platforms and secure portals, so remote delivery is standard. In-person meetings remain valuable for HNW planning sessions, coordination with attorneys and wealth managers, and family meetings. Local Brentwood firms tend to respond faster and understand California-specific issues like Prop 19 property tax reassessment, residency planning, and PTE elections.
Do Brentwood accounting services include personal bill pay for HNW families?
Business management engagements in Brentwood typically include personal bill pay — the firm receives, reviews, and pays household bills, tracks credit cards, coordinates insurance premiums, and manages household staff payroll. Bookkeeping-only services generally do not. Families who want concierge-level financial operations should specifically ask about bill pay scope, internal controls, and dual-signature policies before signing an engagement letter.
Do Brentwood accounting services include real estate investment planning?
Yes. Given Brentwood's real estate concentration, most local accounting firms handle rental property depreciation, cost segregation studies, 1031 like-kind exchanges, passive activity loss planning, and real estate professional status analysis. California adds specific rules on passive losses and short-term rentals that often trip up generalist preparers. Getting a CPA involved before acquisition or exchange usually captures more tax benefit than post-transaction review.