Bookkeepers in the Columbia Area, MO Compared (2026)
Key Takeaways
- Too few firms reached 70% evidence coverage to rank (7 of 8, where a ranking needs 8), so the list is alphabetical.
- Only 1 of 8 publishes a price or a starting price, while 7 say nothing about fees.
- Compared with every firm we list, this group stands out on verified credentials: 5 of 8 hold a credential a third party confirms (62% against 15%).
Sources cited in this article: DNS check, Firm's own website, State accountancy board, and our published methodology.
15 profiles reviewed, 8 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 Columbia (8). The page covers 25 towns and cities in the metro area, and a firm elsewhere in Missouri appears on the state page.
How this list is built: Methodology · Disclosures · About · Report a correction
This page compares the 8 Columbia 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 (1) and remote service (1).
Comparison (unranked, alphabetical)
| Firm | Where | Services documented | Software | Pricing | Credentials verified | Coverage | Evidence Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting Plus Says it serves: restaurants, construction, healthcare, retail, salons | Columbia, MO Local | monthly bookkeeping, payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks | Publishes prices | Not verified | 77% | 56 |
| Columbia CPA Group, LLC | Columbia, MO Local | month-end close | Not verified | Not verified | Active CPA firm or individual license | 72% | 27 |
| Elsasser, Crum, & Stark | Columbia, MO | payroll coordination, month-end close | Not verified | Not verified | Active CPA firm or individual license | 75% | 21 |
| Erin Palmer | Columbia, MO | AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | Not verified | Not verified | Active CPA firm or individual license | 75% | 27 |
| Hanson & Company CPAs P.C. | Columbia, MO Local | payroll coordination | Not verified | Not verified | Active CPA firm or individual license | 75% | 20 |
| PERSONAL ACCOUNTING SERVICES|MID-MISSOURI AREA | Columbia, MO | payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks | Not verified | Not verified | 69% | Not scored |
| Squires Tax Planning Says it serves: real estate | Columbia, MO Local + remote | payroll coordination | QuickBooks | Not verified | Not verified | 77% | 33 |
| Wassman CPA Services LLC | Columbia, MO Local | AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks | Not verified | Active CPA firm or individual license | 74% | 39 |
What the evidence shows
Pricing
1 of 8 firms here publishes a price or a starting price, none say they quote, and 7 say nothing about fees (88%). Figures the firms publish themselves, as their sites word them: Accounting Plus ("$139 /mo"). Ask for the fee and what it covers in writing before the first month starts.
Licenses and public records
Because Missouri publishes its records as open data, the checks for this group found 5 firms with an active CPA license or permit on Missouri's published register. The CPA records we matched belong to Columbia CPA Group, LLC, Elsasser, Crum, & Stark, Erin Palmer and Hanson & Company CPAs P.C.. Each profile shows the license or permit number and the date we checked.
Columbia area in figures
Shares of the 8 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% (1 of 8) |
|---|---|
| State they price by quote | 0% (0 of 8) |
| Say nothing about pricing | 88% (7 of 8) |
| Hold a third-party-verified credential | 62% (5 of 8) |
| State a reporting cadence | 25% (2 of 8) |
| Describe onboarding | 12% (1 of 8) |
| Offer catch-up or cleanup work | 0% (0 of 8) |
| Work remotely (stated) | 12% (1 of 8) |
| Most-mentioned software | QuickBooks 50% |
| Median evidence coverage | 75% |
| Median Evidence Score (scored firms) | 27 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Columbia bookkeepers publish their prices?
Accounting Plus shows a price or a starting price on its own site. Open a profile to see the exact wording and the page it came from.
Which Columbia bookkeepers say which industries they serve?
2 of 8 name them on their own sites, among them Accounting Plus (restaurants and construction) and Squires Tax Planning (real estate). It's self-reported, so ask for a client reference in your trade.
Every place this page covers (25)
Armstrong, Ashland, Blackwater, Boonville, Bunceton, Centralia, Clark, Columbia, Fayette, Franklin, Glasgow, Hallsville, Harrisburg, Hartsburg, Huntsdale, McBaine, New Franklin, Otterville, Pierpont, Pilot Grove, Prairie Home, Rocheport, Sturgeon, Windsor Place, Wooldridge.
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 accountancy boardChecked Sep 26, 2026
- Missouri business entity searchState of Missouri
- How the Evidence Score worksBookkeeping Index methodology
- Commercial disclosuresBookkeeping Index