Steadfast Start · for owners with no employees
You run the business by yourself. We handle the books, the Washington filings, the renewals and your tax return** for one monthly fee, so you always know what you owe before it's due.
| Set up right: state registration checked, sales tax classified, accounts connected | |
| Monthly bookkeeping, reconciled and reviewed | From $250/mo locally |
| Your QuickBooks subscription | $38/mo |
| Your annual tax return with Schedule C** | Typically $350–$700 at a CPA |
| Washington DOR returns and license renewals, with a confirmation every time | Included |
| The Steadfast penalty guarantee | Included |
Bought separately: over $3,800 a year, before setup.
*Waived as long as you stay at least 12 months.
**The included return is a standard Form 1040 with one Schedule C, starting with your 2027 return (filed in 2028). A return with rental property, partnership or S corporation income, a second business, or another state's return is quoted separately, and we tell you before we prepare it.
$249/month
5 founding spots, shared with the S-corp version below. Founding clients keep their price for their entire first year.
Claim a founding spot →If you ever owe a Department of Revenue or IRS penalty because we filed something late or wrong, we pay it.
Covers filings we prepare while you're a client, as long as you sent us what we asked for before the deadline. The tax itself is always yours; the penalty for our mistake is ours. Penalties for underpaying estimated tax are not covered: our quarterly amount is a suggestion, and the payment is yours.
S-corp version
If your business is taxed as an S corporation and you're its only employee, you need payroll for yourself and a business tax return on top of everything above. This version covers it.
| Everything in Steadfast Start, except the Schedule C return | Included |
| Your owner payroll, with the payroll software, Form 941, Form 940, W-2 and W-3 | Included |
| Washington officer exemptions set up, so you skip state payroll premiums where you qualify | Included |
| Your S-corp return (Form 1120-S) and your K-1 | Included |
| Your personal return (Form 1040) with that K-1† | Included |
| A yearly check that your salary is reasonable | Included |
| Not an S-corp yet? We file the election (Form 2553) during setup | Included |
| Setup |
*Waived as long as you stay at least 12 months.
†Included returns start with the year you begin, as long as your S-corp election is in effect for that year and that year's earlier months are caught up (quoted before we start). A personal return with rental property, another K-1, a second business or another state's return is quoted separately. Relief for a late S‑corp election is quoted separately. Hiring anyone besides yourself moves you to Grow.
$399/month
Founding clients keep $399 for their entire first year. Not sure an S-corp makes sense? Run the numbers; in Washington it usually starts paying off around $60,000 of profit.
Claim a founding spot →Kept current every month, so tax time is a formality.
The state side most solo owners never get told about.
Prepared by the same firm that kept your books all year.
"Your Department of Revenue return is filed. Confirmation number attached."
Most owners have never had anyone send them that message. Every Steadfast Start client gets it, every time.
Questions about your books or filings go by text or email, and you get an answer within one business day. You start with a 30-minute kickoff call with Willson Franklin, CPA.
We talk through your business and check your state registration, filing status and sales tax setup.
We connect your accounts and review your state registration and sales tax setup. If past months need catching up, we quote that before we start.
Books kept current, returns filed, and a confirmation in your texts before every deadline.
| QuickBooks full-service | Steadfast Start | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly bookkeeping | $300/mo and up | Included |
| QuickBooks subscription | $38/mo | Included |
| Your annual tax return | Not included | Included** |
| Washington DOR returns and license renewals | Not included | Included |
| A local CPA who answers your questions | No | Yes, by text or email, plus 2 calls a year |
| Monthly cost | $338 and up | $249 |
QuickBooks prices as published by Intuit, November 2026; their bookkeeping price rises with your monthly expenses. **The included return is a standard Form 1040 with one Schedule C, starting with your 2027 return (filed in 2028). A return with rental property, partnership or S corporation income, a second business, or another state's return is quoted separately, and we tell you before we prepare it.
When you hire your first employee, you move up. Same firm, same books, nothing to re-explain.
Owner-operators with no employees. Books, state filings, renewals and your tax return.** One-owner S-corps included.
Payroll, L&I, Paid Leave and WA Cares added to everything in Start. See the package.
Regular planning meetings, forecasting, and cash and tax planning with your CPA.
Yes, and it's more common than you'd think. We get you registered correctly going forward, then quote any catch-up for past years separately before we start. Washington has programs that reduce penalties for businesses that come forward on their own, and we'll tell you whether one fits.
It depends on the work. Haircuts and regular house cleaning generally don't. Car detailing, deep and move-out cleaning, and pressure washing generally do. Since October 2025, Washington also taxes some services that used to be exempt, including marketing, website design and classes. Sorting this out for your business is part of Steadfast Start.
Usually, yes. Start is for businesses with no employees, not strictly one person. We'll confirm the right setup on the kickoff call.
Payroll for employees (that's when you move up to Grow; owner payroll is part of the S-corp version), catch-up work for past years or earlier months, a tax return beyond the standard one described above, responding to IRS or state notices, loan application packages, forming a new entity, and a second business. Anything like that gets a fixed quote before we begin, so you never get a surprise bill.
You can, and plenty of people start that way. The software is the easy part. What takes the time is categorizing every month, reconciling, working out whether you owe sales tax, and filing your Department of Revenue returns on time. Most owners we talk to would rather spend those evenings on their business, or away from it.
Maybe not yet. Washington has no income tax, so the only savings is on self-employment tax, and you take on payroll and a second tax return to get it. For most owners it starts paying off around $60,000 of profit a year. We'll tell you honestly on the kickoff call, and the regular Start version is the better fit until it does. Try the calculator.
We're opening Steadfast Start to five businesses first, across both versions, with founding engagements beginning January 1, 2027. Founding clients keep their monthly price ($249, or $399 for the S-corp version) for their entire first year, even if the price goes up for new clients.
Yes. If you want to start in November or December 2026, we give you a quoted price for those months, for catching up your 2026 books, and for your 2026 tax return before we begin. The $249 monthly fee starts in January. If you start later in a year, monthly bookkeeping starts with your first month, and any earlier months of that year are catch-up work we quote before we start. Once those earlier months are caught up, your tax return for that year is included.
Either of us can end the engagement with 30 days' notice. The setup fee ($499, or $799 for the S-corp version) is waived, and it only comes due if you leave within your first 12 months. The monthly fee is paid by automatic payment on the 1st.
Five spots across both versions, with your price locked for your first year. Tell us a little about your business and Willson will reach out within one business day to set up your kickoff call.
Got it. Willson will be in touch within one business day.
