How to Choose a Bookkeeper in Colorado (2026)
Key Takeaways
- Search the firm's legal name on the Colorado business entity search before you sign anything.
- Look up any CPA claim on the Colorado State Board of Accountancy lookup; we matched a license or permit for 10 firms of the 128 we list in Colorado.
- Get the fee in writing: 102 of 128 Colorado firms say nothing about pricing on their sites.
- Your books feed at least 4 kinds of state filing here, from sales tax to periodic report. Ask who files each one.
Sources cited in this article: DNS check, Firm's own website, Software advisor directory, State accountancy board, State business registry, and our published methodology.
How this list is built: Methodology · Disclosures · About · Report a correction
Choosing a bookkeeper in Colorado comes down to three checks you can do in an afternoon: the firm's registration, any CPA license it claims, and a written fee with a close date. The third is the one most Colorado firms leave to a call, since only 16 of the 128 we list put a price on their sites.
What a Colorado bookkeeper keeps track of
A Colorado bookkeeper keeps the records behind the filings below. Which of them reach your business turns on your entity, your sales, your payroll and the schedule each agency sets, so read this as general information rather than tax advice.
- Sales tax. Colorado bases your sales tax filing frequency on tax collected per month: annual at $50 or less (due January 20), quarterly under $1,100, monthly at $1,100 or more. Quarterly and monthly returns are due the 20th of the month after the period. You file every period, even with no sales. Source: Colorado Department of Revenue, checked September 26, 2026.
- Wage withholding. Colorado ties your withholding schedule to a year's total: under $7,000 files quarterly by the last day of the month after the quarter, $7,000 to $50,000 monthly by the 15th, and over $50,000 weekly. The Department reviews each account yearly using a July through June look-back period. Source: Colorado Department of Revenue, checked September 26, 2026.
- Unemployment premiums and wage reports. Colorado employers pay UI premiums through quarterly premium and wage reports to the Department of Labor and Employment. Wage detail, monthly employment data and premiums are due the last day of the month after each quarter ends. Source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, checked September 26, 2026.
- Periodic report. LLCs, corporations, nonprofits and foreign entities file a Periodic Report with the Secretary of State each year, online only. Your reporting month is on the entity's summary page, and you can file up to two months before or after it without penalty. Source: Colorado Secretary of State, checked September 26, 2026.
How to check a Colorado firm yourself
The Colorado State Board of Accountancy lookup settles any CPA claim in a minute. The Colorado business entity search shows whether the firm's legal entity exists and its status. A sole proprietor may not appear, which isn't a warning sign on its own. Colorado publishes these records as open data, so our lists already carry the checks: we matched an active CPA license or permit for 10 firms and a registration for 83 of the 128 Colorado firms we list. Matched CPA records include Richard M. Hollenstine CPA, Hewitt, Heerschap & Couch, PC, Scott Porter, CPA, Matthew P. Schlanger CPA and Lay & Company, LLC.
What Colorado firms put in writing
102 of the 128 firms we list in Colorado say nothing about fees on their websites, and 16 publish a price or a starting price, 12% against 10% nationally. 32 of 128 say how often reports arrive (25%, against 21% nationally), 20 describe onboarding and 8 offer catch-up or cleanup work. The software Colorado firms name most is QuickBooks (34%).
Where to start in Colorado
- Metro pages: Denver-Aurora (76 firms, ranked), Fort Collins-Loveland (13 firms, ranked), Colorado Springs (11 firms, ranked), Boulder (10 firms, ranked) and Greeley (8 firms, compared).
- Firms that publish a price or a starting price: Ledger Metrics, BPX Taxes, Lockhart & Company CPA, Team 80, ReliAscent LLC, Castle Rock Tax and 10 others.
- Firms that say they take on catch-up work: Flatiron Advisors, Centennial Accounting Group, Mergix, DK/RK Services, McGraw & McGraw CPA, Precision Bookkeeping and 2 others.
- Highest Evidence Scores in the state: Centennial Accounting Group (77), Team 80 (73) and Matthew P. Schlanger CPA (68).
Questions for the first call
- What is the monthly fee, how many transactions does it assume, and what costs extra?
- On what day of the month will my books be closed, and what report do I get?
- Does the fee include preparing the sales tax filing, or only the records behind it?
- How do you keep the records for wage withholding ready before each due date?
- Can you clean up past months first, and what does that cost?
- If we stop working together, do I keep the accounting file and its history?
Colorado in figures
Shares of the 128 firms listed, from accepted evidence only. A firm with no evidence for an item counts as not stating it.
| Publish a price or starting price | 12% (16 of 128) |
|---|---|
| State they price by quote | 8% (10 of 128) |
| Say nothing about pricing | 80% (102 of 128) |
| Hold a third-party-verified credential | 9% (11 of 128) |
| State a reporting cadence | 25% (32 of 128) |
| Describe onboarding | 16% (20 of 128) |
| Offer catch-up or cleanup work | 6% (8 of 128) |
| Work remotely (stated) | 28% (36 of 128) |
| Most-mentioned software | QuickBooks 34%, QuickBooks Online 17%, Gusto 12%, Xero 7%, Bill.com 5% |
| Median evidence coverage | 77% |
| Median Evidence Score (scored firms) | 37 |
Compare firms in Colorado
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check a bookkeeper's CPA license in Colorado?
Use the Colorado State Board of Accountancy lookup and search the firm or the person by name. We matched active records for 10 firms on our Colorado lists; the rest read Not verified, which means no record matched, not that the firm failed a check.
Is a Colorado bookkeeper the same as a CPA?
No. Anyone can keep books; only a licensee may use the CPA title and sign audited or reviewed statements. Many good bookkeeping firms aren't CPA firms. See our guide to bookkeepers, CPAs and tax preparers.
Will a Colorado bookkeeper file my state returns?
Only if the engagement letter says so. The records behind sales tax, wage withholding and unemployment premiums and wage reports come from your books; who files is a scope question, and it's often billed on top of the monthly fee.
How many Colorado bookkeepers publish their prices?
16 of the 128 firms we list in Colorado, or 12%. Across every firm we list nationally the share is 10%. The pricing guide has the state-by-state table.
Sources and further reading
Dates are when we checked. Report an error.
- DNS checkChecked Sep 26, 2026
- Firm's own websiteChecked Sep 25, 2026 to Sep 26, 2026
- Software advisor directoryChecked Sep 25, 2026
- State accountancy boardChecked Sep 26, 2026
- State business registryChecked Sep 26, 2026
- Sales taxColorado Department of Revenue
- Wage withholdingColorado Department of Revenue
- Unemployment premiums and wage reportsColorado Department of Labor and Employment
- Periodic reportColorado Secretary of State
- Colorado State Board of Accountancy: license lookupColorado State Board of Accountancy
- Colorado business entity searchState of Colorado
- How the Evidence Score worksBookkeeping Index methodology
- Commercial disclosuresBookkeeping Index