How to Choose a Bookkeeper in Delaware (2026)

The short version for Delaware: look the firm up on the state's records, search the Delaware Board of Accountancy if it says it's a CPA practice, and don't sign until the fee and the monthly close date are written down. Of the 22 Delaware firms we list, 1 publishes a monthly price.

What a Delaware bookkeeper keeps track of

These are the state filings your books feed in Delaware. Which ones apply depends on your entity type, what you sell, whether you have employees and the schedule each agency assigns. It's general information, not tax advice. The bookkeeper keeps the records; you, or whoever your engagement letter names, file.

• No sales tax. Delaware has no state or local sales tax. It taxes the seller instead, through a gross receipts tax on the total receipts of anyone selling goods or providing services in the state, with no deduction for costs. Source: Delaware Division of Revenue, checked September 26, 2026.
• Gross receipts tax. Gross receipts tax returns are filed monthly or quarterly, and the Division of Revenue sets which using a lookback period. Monthly returns are due by the 20th for the prior month. Quarterly returns are due by the last day of the month after the quarter, and every new business starts as a quarterly filer. Source: Delaware Division of Revenue, checked September 26, 2026.
• Annual report and franchise tax. Every Delaware corporation files an annual report and pays franchise tax by March 1. The filing fee is $50, or $25 for an exempt corporation. LLCs, limited partnerships and general partnerships formed in Delaware file no annual report but pay a $400 annual tax by June 1. Source: Delaware Division of Corporations, checked September 26, 2026.
• Income tax withholding. Employers file Delaware withholding returns quarterly, monthly or eighth-monthly, on the method the Division of Revenue sets from a lookback period. A new employer files monthly until the next lookback. Monthly returns are due by the 15th of the next month, and quarterly returns by the last day of the month after the quarter. Source: Delaware Division of Revenue, checked September 26, 2026.
• Unemployment tax returns. Delaware employers report gross and taxable wages and pay unemployment insurance tax four times a year. Each quarterly return is due by the end of the month after the quarter ends, with payment due alongside it. Source: Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance, checked September 26, 2026.
• Who can use CPA. Delaware law limits the title "certified public accountant" and the abbreviation "CPA" to people holding an active permit to practice. The title "public accountant" and "PA" are likewise limited to holders of a valid permit to practice public accountancy. Source: Delaware Code, Title 24, Chapter 1, checked September 26, 2026.

How to check a Delaware firm yourself

If a firm says it's a CPA practice, the Delaware Board of Accountancy lookup is where to confirm it. For the business itself, search its legal name on the Delaware entity search. Someone trading under their own name may not be there at all, and that's normal. Delaware publishes these records as open data, so our lists already carry the checks: we matched an active CPA license or permit for 8 firms of the 22 Delaware firms we list. Matched CPA records include Faw Casson, Orth & Kowalick, P.A., Santora CPA Group, Jessup & Associates and Boyer & Boyer.

What Delaware firms put in writing

16 of the 22 firms we list in Delaware say nothing about fees on their websites, and 1 publish a monthly price or a starting price, 5% against 4% nationally. 7 of 22 say how often reports arrive (32%, against 24% nationally), 5 describe onboarding and 3 offer catch-up or cleanup work. The software Delaware firms name most is QuickBooks (59%).

Where to start in Delaware

• Metro pages: Wilmington (15 firms, ranked).
• Firms that publish a monthly price or a starting price: Delmarva Certified Public Accounting Services.
• Firms that say they take on catch-up work: Velan Bookkeeping, Worry Free Tax & Financial Solutions and Profitjets.
• Highest Evidence Scores in the state: Worry Free Tax & Financial Solutions (59), Santora CPA Group (45) and Jessup & Associates (43).

Questions for the first call

• What is the monthly fee, how many transactions does it assume, and what costs extra?
• When do I get last month's numbers, and in what form?
• Does the fee include preparing the gross receipts tax filing, or only the records behind it?
• How do you keep the records for annual report and franchise tax ready before each due date?
• Can you clean up past months first, and what does that cost?
• Which accounting software do you work in, and who owns the file if we part ways?