Top 9 Bookkeepers in the Bellingham Area, WA (2026)
Key Takeaways
- First on the list: Clarity Tax, scoring 51 with 83% of the evidence checked.
- We reviewed 28 firms here; 9 of the 11 that met the listing bar reached 70% evidence coverage and are ranked.
- Pricing is hidden across the board: no firm here publishes a monthly price, and 9 of 11 don't mention fees at all.
- Compared with every firm we list, this group stands out on onboarding: none of the 11 describe their onboarding (0% against 18%).
Sources cited in this article: DNS check, Firm's own website, IRS preparer records, State accountancy board, and our published methodology.
28 profiles reviewed, 11 met the listing bar, 9 scored (evidence coverage of 70% or more). Ranked by Evidence Score.
Firms on this page have offices in Bellingham (10) and Ferndale (1). The page covers 19 towns and cities in the metro area, and a firm elsewhere in Washington appears on the state page.
How this list is built: Methodology · Disclosures · About · Report a correction
This list ranks the 9 Bellingham bookkeeping firms with enough checked evidence to score, out of 11 that met our listing bar. Narrow it by need first. The filters above the list cover catch-up work (1 firm) and remote service (4).
Top 9 Bookkeepers in the Bellingham Area, WA, Ranked by Evidence Score
- Clarity Tax (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 51/100 at 83% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 4 of 5 core services; states it prices by quote. Documented fit: construction, healthcare; Xero users.Who they say they serve (self-reported): construction, healthcare, agriculture.
- Bellingham Tax (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 43/100 at 80% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 3 of 5 core services. Documented fit: real estate, medical; QuickBooks Online users.Who they say they serve (self-reported): real estate, medical, healthcare, technology, veterinary.
- VSH CPAs (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 43/100 at 77% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 2 of 5 core services; CPA license verified with the state board. Documented fit: construction, real estate.Who they say they serve (self-reported): construction, real estate, professional services, manufacturing.
- Zaremba Paxton PS (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 40/100 at 83% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 2 of 5 core services; CPA license verified with the state board; IRS preparer record found for a named person. Documented fit: QuickBooks Online users.
- Summit Bookkeeping (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 38/100 at 77% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 4 of 5 core services. Documented fit: healthcare, e-commerce.Who they say they serve (self-reported): healthcare, e-commerce, retail, law firms.
- Greenleaf Bookkeeping (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 35/100 at 83% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 3 of 5 core services. Documented fit: construction, retail.Who they say they serve (self-reported): construction, retail, professional services.
- Metcalf Hodges CPAs (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 35/100 at 77% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 1 of 5 core services; CPA license verified with the state board. Documented fit: construction, real estate.Who they say they serve (self-reported): construction, real estate, healthcare, professional services, manufacturing.
- Avlon Finance (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 30/100 at 83% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 3 of 5 core services; IRS preparer record found for a named person.
- Andrews Tax Accounting (Bellingham, WA). Evidence Score 28/100 at 77% coverage. Read the full profileDocuments 2 of 5 core services. Documented fit: QuickBooks Online users.
Comparison table
| Firm | Where | Services documented | Software | Pricing | Credentials verified | Coverage (%) | Evidence Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarity Tax Says it serves: construction, healthcare, agriculture | Bellingham, WA Local | monthly bookkeeping, AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks, Xero | Quote only (stated) | Not verified | 83 | 51 |
| Bellingham Tax Says it serves: real estate, medical, healthcare, technology, veterinary | Bellingham, WA Local | monthly bookkeeping, payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop | Not verified | Not verified | 80 | 43 |
| VSH CPAs Says it serves: construction, real estate, professional services, manufacturing | Bellingham, WA Local | payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks | Not verified | Active CPA firm or individual license | 77 | 43 |
| Zaremba Paxton PS | Bellingham, WA Local | payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks Online | Not verified | Active CPA firm or individual license, IRS preparer record | 83 | 40 |
| Summit Bookkeeping Says it serves: healthcare, e-commerce, retail, law firms | Bellingham, WA Local | monthly bookkeeping, AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | 77 | 38 |
| Greenleaf Bookkeeping Says it serves: construction, retail, professional services | Bellingham, WA Local + remote | AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks | Not verified | Not verified | 83 | 35 |
| Metcalf Hodges CPAs Says it serves: construction, real estate, healthcare, professional services, manufacturing | Bellingham, WA Local | payroll coordination | QuickBooks | Not verified | Active CPA firm or individual license | 77 | 35 |
| Avlon Finance | Bellingham, WA | AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks | Not verified | IRS preparer record | 83 | 30 |
| Andrews Tax Accounting | Bellingham, WA Local + remote | payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop | Not verified | Not verified | 77 | 28 |
Also listed (not scored yet)
These firms met the listing bar but have under 70% evidence coverage, so they are not ranked.
| Firm | Where | Services documented | Software | Pricing | Credentials verified | Coverage (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larson Gross Says it serves: restaurants, construction, healthcare, nonprofits, professional services | Bellingham, WA Local + remote | month-end close | QuickBooks | Not verified | Not verified | 62 |
| MT Shoebox, LLC. Says it serves: startups | Ferndale, WA Local + remote | monthly bookkeeping, catch-up/cleanup, AP/AR, payroll coordination, month-end close | QuickBooks, Sage | Quote only (stated) | Not verified | 69 |
What the evidence shows
Pricing
None of these 11 websites shows a monthly fee. 2 of 11 say they work by quote, and 9 of 11 don't mention pricing. That's less open than Washington as a whole, where 4% publish a monthly price. A written scope with the fee and its limits is the thing to ask for on a first call.
Licenses and public records
Because Washington publishes its records as open data, the checks for this group found 3 firms with an active CPA license or permit on Washington's published register. The CPA records we matched belong to VSH CPAs, Zaremba Paxton PS and Metcalf Hodges CPAs. Each profile shows the license or permit number and the date we checked. Any firm that says it's a CPA practice can be checked on the Washington State Board of Accountancy lookup.
The ranking
The numbered firms score between 28 and 51; the median across every scored firm is 38. The top of the list: Clarity Tax (51 at 83% coverage), Bellingham Tax (43 at 80% coverage) and VSH CPAs (43 at 77% coverage). A high-coverage firm with a modest score isn't a weak firm. Its site simply leaves more for you to ask.
Bellingham area in figures
Shares of the 11 firms listed, from accepted evidence only. A firm with no evidence for an item counts as not stating it. Median evidence coverage: 77%; median Evidence Score of the scored firms: 38.
| What the firms state | Share (%) | Firms (of 11) |
|---|---|---|
| Publish a price or starting price | 0 | 0 |
| State they price by quote | 18 | 2 |
| Say nothing about pricing | 82 | 9 |
| Hold a third-party-verified credential | 27 | 3 |
| State a reporting cadence | 9 | 1 |
| Describe onboarding | 0 | 0 |
| Offer catch-up or cleanup work | 9 | 1 |
| Work remotely (stated) | 36 | 4 |
| Mention QuickBooks | 64 | 7 |
| Mention QuickBooks Online | 27 | 3 |
| Mention QuickBooks Desktop | 18 | 2 |
| Mention Xero | 9 | 1 |
| Mention Sage | 9 | 1 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do any Bellingham bookkeepers publish their prices?
Not on their websites. 2 of 11 say they quote each client, and the rest don't mention fees. Ask for the monthly fee and what it covers in writing.
Which firms in Bellingham take on catch-up bookkeeping?
MT Shoebox, LLC. says it does catch-up or cleanup work.
Which Bellingham bookkeepers work in Xero?
Clarity Tax names Xero on its site. More firms here name QuickBooks, so ask which one a firm prefers before you switch anything.
Which Bellingham bookkeepers say which industries they serve?
8 of 11 name them on their own sites, among them Clarity Tax (construction and healthcare), Bellingham Tax (real estate and medical), VSH CPAs (construction and real estate), Summit Bookkeeping (healthcare and e-commerce) and Greenleaf Bookkeeping (construction and retail). It's self-reported, so ask for a client reference in your trade.
Every place this page covers (19)
Acme, Bellingham, Birch Bay, Blaine, Custer, Deming, Everson, Ferndale, Geneva, Glacier, Kendall, Lynden, Maple Falls, Marietta-Alderwood, Nooksack, Peaceful Valley, Point Roberts, Sudden Valley, Sumas.
Sources and further reading
Dates are when we checked. Report an error.
- DNS checkChecked Sep 26, 2026 to Oct 2, 2026
- Firm's own websiteChecked Sep 26, 2026 to Nov 6, 2026
- IRS preparer recordsChecked Sep 27, 2026
- State accountancy boardChecked Sep 26, 2026
- Washington State Board of Accountancy: license lookupWashington State Board of Accountancy
- Washington business entity searchState of Washington
- How the Evidence Score worksBookkeeping Index methodology
- Commercial disclosuresBookkeeping Index