Bookkeepers in the Des Moines-West Des Moines Area, IA Compared (2026)
Key Takeaways
- Too few firms reached 70% evidence coverage to rank (7 of 10, where a ranking needs 8), so the list is alphabetical.
- Prices are easier to find than usual: 3 of 10 publish a price or a starting price.
- Compared with every firm we list, this group stands out on catch-up work: none of the 10 say they take on catch-up or cleanup work (0% against 12%).
Sources cited in this article: DNS check, Firm's own website, State business registry, and our published methodology.
38 profiles reviewed, 10 met the listing bar, 7 scored (evidence coverage of 70% or more). Fewer than 8 firms reached the scoring bar, so this is an unranked comparison. The bar is not lowered to make a ranking.
Firms on this page have offices in Des Moines (5), Urbandale (2), West Des Moines (2) and Ankeny (1). The page covers 77 towns and cities in the metro area, and a firm elsewhere in Iowa appears on the state page.
How this list is built: Methodology · Disclosures · About · Report a correction
This page compares the 10 Des Moines-West Des Moines bookkeeping firms that met our listing bar, alphabetically, because too few have enough checked evidence to rank. Start from what you need and use the filters: a published price (3) and remote service (2).
Comparison (unranked, alphabetical)
| Firm | Where | Services documented | Software | Pricing | Credentials verified | Coverage | Evidence Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ann M Hartz CPA & Associates Says it serves: hospitality, medical | Urbandale, IA Local | AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | 77% | 29 |
| Community CPA | Des Moines, IA | monthly bookkeeping, AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | 69% | Not scored |
| Fundamentax Financial Services, LLC | Des Moines, IA | payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks | Publishes prices | Not verified | 78% | 32 |
| Jacobsen & Company, LLP Says it serves: non-profits, construction, real estate, retail, agriculture | Des Moines, IA | AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | 66% | Not scored |
| Magic Books Says it serves: manufacturing | West Des Moines, IA Local + remote | monthly bookkeeping, AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | Not verified | Publishes prices | Not verified | 80% | 47 |
| Minden Financial Solutions Says it serves: churches | Des Moines, IA Local | payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks Online | Not verified | Not verified | 78% | 44 |
| Performance Financial Says it serves: construction, contractors | Des Moines, IA Local + remote | monthly bookkeeping, AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | Not verified | Publishes prices | Not verified | 75% | 54 |
| RW Tax Advisors | Ankeny, IA | payroll coordination | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | 22% | Not scored |
| Tarbell & Co, P.L.C. | West Des Moines, IA Local | payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks | Not verified | Not verified | 80% | 39 |
| Triforce Accounting | Urbandale, IA | payroll coordination | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | 80% | 19 |
What the evidence shows
Pricing
Pricing is where these sites say least: 7 of 10 are silent on fees, none say they quote each job, and 3 publish a figure. Figures the firms publish themselves, as their sites word them: Fundamentax Financial Services, LLC ("$75/ month"), Magic Books ("$ 150.00 /month") and Performance Financial ("$1,056/month"). That's more open than Iowa as a whole, where 7% publish a price. Ask for the fee and what it covers in writing before the first month starts.
Licenses and public records
Because Iowa publishes its records as open data, the checks for this group found 6 with a business registration found in the state's registry data. The Iowa CPA register isn't one we can search automatically, so a CPA license on these pages reads Not verified until someone checks the board by hand. Check any CPA claim yourself on the Iowa Accountancy Examining Board lookup.
Des Moines-West Des Moines area in figures
Shares of the 10 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 | 30% (3 of 10) |
|---|---|
| State they price by quote | 0% (0 of 10) |
| Say nothing about pricing | 70% (7 of 10) |
| Hold a third-party-verified credential | 0% (0 of 10) (the Iowa CPA register isn't searched automatically, so licenses read Not verified) |
| State a reporting cadence | 10% (1 of 10) |
| Describe onboarding | 20% (2 of 10) |
| Offer catch-up or cleanup work | 0% (0 of 10) |
| Work remotely (stated) | 20% (2 of 10) |
| Most-mentioned software | QuickBooks 20%, QuickBooks Online 10% |
| Median evidence coverage | 77.5% |
| Median Evidence Score (scored firms) | 39 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Des Moines-West Des Moines bookkeepers publish their prices?
Fundamentax Financial Services, LLC, Magic Books and Performance Financial show a price or a starting price on their own site. Open a profile to see the exact wording and the page it came from.
Which Des Moines-West Des Moines bookkeepers say which industries they serve?
5 of 10 name them on their own sites, among them Ann M Hartz CPA & Associates (hospitality and medical), Jacobsen & Company, LLP (non-profits and construction), Magic Books (manufacturing), Minden Financial Solutions (churches) and Performance Financial (construction and contractors). It's self-reported, so ask for a client reference in your trade.
Every place this page covers (77)
Ackworth, Adair, Adel, Alleman, Altoona, Ankeny, Bagley, Baxter, Bayard, Bevington, Bondurant, Bouton, Carlisle, Casey, Clive, Colfax, Coon Rapids, Cumming, Dallas Center, Dawson, De Soto, Des Moines, Dexter, Diamondhead Lake, Earlham, East Peru, Elkhart, Granger, Grimes, Guthrie Center, Hartford, Indianola, Jamaica, Johnston, Kellogg, Lacona, Lake Panorama, Lambs Grove, Linden, Lynnville, Macksburg, Martensdale, Menlo, Milo, Minburn, Mingo, Mitchellville, Monroe, New Virginia, Newton, Norwalk, Oakland Acres, Panora, Patterson, Perry, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Prairie City, Reasnor, Redfield, Runnells, Sandyville, Saylorville, Spring Hill, St. Charles, St. Marys, Stuart, Sully, Truro, Urbandale, Valeria, Van Meter, Waukee, West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset, Yale.
Sources and further reading
Dates are when we checked. Report an error.
- DNS checkChecked Sep 26, 2026
- Firm's own websiteChecked Sep 26, 2026
- State business registryChecked Sep 26, 2026
- Iowa Accountancy Examining Board: license lookupIowa Accountancy Examining Board
- Iowa business entity searchState of Iowa
- How the Evidence Score worksBookkeeping Index methodology
- Commercial disclosuresBookkeeping Index