How to Choose a Bookkeeper in Virginia (2026)

To choose a bookkeeper in Virginia, check the firm on the state's own records, confirm any CPA claim on the Virginia Board of Accountancy lookup, and get the fee and the monthly close date in writing. Plan to ask about price: only 7 of the 106 Virginia firms we list publish one.

What a Virginia bookkeeper keeps track of

A Virginia 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.

• Retail sales and use tax. Virginia Tax assigns monthly or quarterly sales tax filing based on your liability. Returns are due the 20th of the month after the period closes, even with no sales to report. Quarterly returns are due April 20, July 20, October 20 and January 20. Source: Virginia Department of Taxation, checked September 26, 2026.
• Income tax withholding. Your withholding filing status follows your average monthly liability. Under $100 means quarterly returns, due the last day of the month after the quarter. Above $100 but under $1,000 means monthly VA-5 returns due the 25th. At $1,000 or more you pay semi-weekly. Every employer files the VA-6 annual summary by January 31. Source: Virginia Department of Taxation, checked September 26, 2026.
• Unemployment tax reports. Employers file quarterly reports with the Virginia Employment Commission. Each is due the last day of the month after the quarter: April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. Source: Virginia Employment Commission, checked September 26, 2026.
• Corporate annual report. Virginia corporations file an annual report with the State Corporation Commission every year after incorporation, due by the last day of the month they were incorporated. The report itself has no fee, and the separate annual registration fee is due the same day. Source: Virginia State Corporation Commission, checked September 26, 2026.
• LLC annual registration. Virginia LLCs pay a $50 annual registration fee to the State Corporation Commission each year after formation. It's due by the last day of the month the LLC was formed. Source: Virginia State Corporation Commission, checked September 26, 2026.
• CPA title. Virginia law bars anyone without a Virginia license, or practice privileges, from using the CPA title or claiming a license to use it. Source: Virginia General Assembly, checked September 26, 2026.

How to check a Virginia firm yourself

If a firm says it's a CPA practice, the Virginia Board of Accountancy lookup is where to confirm it. The Virginia 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. Virginia publishes these records as open data, so our lists already carry the checks: we matched a registration for 58 of the 106 Virginia firms we list. The Virginia 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.

What Virginia firms put in writing

93 of the 106 firms we list in Virginia say nothing about fees on their websites, and 7 publish a price or a starting price, 7% against 10% nationally. 20 of 106 say how often reports arrive (19%, against 21% nationally), 15 describe onboarding and 8 offer catch-up or cleanup work. The software Virginia firms name most is QuickBooks (31%).

Where to start in Virginia

• Metro pages: Arlington-Alexandria (27 firms, ranked), Virginia Beach-Chesapeake (26 firms, ranked), Richmond (11 firms, ranked) and Charlottesville (8 firms, ranked).
• Firms that publish a price or a starting price: Kembel Tax Service, Prism Consulting, Tax Resolution Accounting, Virginia Tax and Accounting Solutions, Your Books On Time, Raza CPA, PLLC and 1 other.
• Firms that say they take on catch-up work: Prism Consulting, Virginia Tax and Accounting Solutions, Professional Multiservices LLC, Bridgesource Accounting Services, TMD Services, Tri-County Bookkeeping and 2 others.
• Highest Evidence Scores in the state: Virginia Tax and Accounting Solutions (72), Professional Multiservices LLC (71) and Bridgesource Accounting Services (63).

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 retail sales and use tax filing, or only the records behind it?
• How do you keep the records for income tax withholding 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?