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Bookkeeping for software and app businesses
Small software companies live on recurring revenue and a long list of tools. Clean books make your monthly numbers mean something.
Updated October 4, 2026
In short
Small SaaS and app businesses get paid through Stripe subscriptions and app store payouts, and spend on hosting, APIs and contractors. We reconcile payouts, separate fees and refunds, keep the tool stack categorized, and set the books up for accrual if annual plans make that necessary. Most fit Moderate.
How the money moves
How money comes in and goes out
Revenue is mostly subscriptions: monthly and annual plans through Stripe or Paddle, or in-app purchases paid out by Apple and Google about a month after the sale, net of their commission.
Costs are hosting, third-party APIs, developer contractors and a stack of software. Usage-based bills, like cloud hosting, move every month.
Common problems
Where the books usually go wrong
Annual plans
A $1,200 annual plan paid in January isn't $1,200 of January revenue under accrual accounting. If investors or lenders will read your numbers, that matters.
App store timing
Apple and Google pay a month or more after the sale, net of commission, in their own currency conversions.
Tool sprawl
Dozens of subscriptions, some on personal cards, some from experiments you forgot about.
Every month
What we do every month
- Reconcile Stripe, Paddle and app store payouts to their reports
- Record subscription revenue, fees, refunds and disputes separately
- Categorize hosting, APIs and software, and flag new recurring charges
- Track contractor payments for 1099s
- Keep the books on accrual if your annual plans or investors call for it
A month of books, for example
A two-founder scheduling app takes $14,000 a month through Stripe, a third of it on annual plans, plus about $2,000 from the App Store. Each month we'd reconcile both, record Apple's commission and the Stripe fees, and spread annual plans across their terms, so their monthly revenue chart doesn't spike every January.
Illustrative example, not a client story.
Getting started
What we need from you
- Access to Stripe or Paddle and your app store payout reports
- Your bookkeeping software, and any cards used for tools
- Whether your accountant or investors expect accrual reporting
Software and statements we work from
- Stripe
- Paddle
- App Store Connect
- Google Play Console
- AWS
- Google Cloud
- QuickBooks Online
Price
What it costs
Most small software businesses fit Moderate, $400 to $600 a month. Accrual books with deferred revenue, or several revenue sources, usually mean Complex.
One flat monthly price, set after the free review. See the pricing guide or estimate your tier.
Questions
Common questions
Can you keep the books on accrual?
Yes. If annual plans or outside investors make accrual the right choice, we'll set it up with your accountant and keep it that way.
Do you calculate MRR and churn?
Your billing tool does that best. We make sure the revenue in the books ties back to it.
We pay developers overseas. Is that fine?
Yes. We record payments and transfer fees; your accountant confirms the paperwork for foreign contractors.
Can you prepare numbers for a fundraise?
We keep clean monthly statements that are ready to share. Investor models and projections are a job for a finance advisor.
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