Bookkeeping services Chicago businesses need: recording income and costs, tracking Illinois sales tax, reconciling the bank each month. A remote bookkeeper does the work and a team lead reviews every month before you see it.
Bookkeeping services Chicago businesses rely on keep money records in order and taxes ready each quarter. A trained remote bookkeeper records income and costs in your own QuickBooks or Xero and sends a clear monthly report. A team lead checks every month before it reaches you.
What bookkeeping services Chicago businesses hand off first
Most Chicago businesses start by handing off the tasks that take the most time each week:
- Entering bank and card transactions into QuickBooks or Xero.
- Coding each cost to the right expense category.
- Matching supplier invoices to bank payments.
- Tracking Illinois sales tax collected and paid each quarter.
- Month-end bank reconciliation and a short monthly summary report.
Your bookkeeper handles these on a regular schedule. You check the report each month and flag anything that needs a correction. Corrections come back the same day.
Illinois sales tax and Chicago bookkeeping
Illinois has a combined state and city sales tax rate that applies to most retail sales. If your Chicago business collects sales tax, every transaction needs to be coded correctly so the totals are ready when your accountant files. Your bookkeeper codes each transaction as it arrives. By the time the period closes, the figures are ready and you are not rushing before the filing deadline.
Chicago industries we support
We work with retail, professional services, construction, real estate, hospitality and ecommerce businesses in the Chicago metro area. Your bookkeeper works in the accounting software you already use. There is no need to change tools or move data. See our guides to bookkeeping services for small businesses and bookkeeping services pricing for more detail.
How to check the work each month
- Compare the bank balance in your software to your statement.
- Pick five transactions and check they are in the right category.
- Review the sales tax total against the prior period.
- Ask for a list of items that could not be matched automatically.
Send any notes back and your bookkeeper corrects the entries the same day.
Where AI helps
Your bookkeeper is a real person. AI helps sort and categorise items faster, and flags amounts that look out of place. A person checks every entry. A team lead reviews the full month before it reaches you. Nothing changes in your records without a person verifying it first.
What bookkeeping services Chicago cost
Pay-as-you-go bookkeeping starts at $12 an hour (USD) with hours that never expire. A dedicated bookkeeper starts from $5.62 an hour on a monthly plan. Compare that with a local Chicago bookkeeper at $35 to $65 an hour. See the bookkeeping service, pricing and the bookkeeping services pricing guide for detail.
Ready to hand off your books? See pricing or start for $1.
Frequently asked questions
How much do bookkeeping services cost in Chicago?
A remote bookkeeper through MyRemoteVA starts from $5.62 an hour on a dedicated plan, or $12 an hour pay-as-you-go. Local Chicago bookkeepers typically charge $35 to $65 an hour.
Do Chicago bookkeeping services handle Illinois sales tax?
Yes. Your bookkeeper tracks Illinois sales tax collected and paid each period in your accounting software. Your accountant or tax professional files the return; your bookkeeper keeps the records ready.
What accounting software does a Chicago remote bookkeeper use?
They work in whatever software you already have: QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave or FreshBooks. No data migration is needed.
What is doing this yourself costing you?
Doing it yourself: $2,165 a month of your time.
The same hours at our $12/hr pay-as-you-go rate: $520. Dedicated plans start at $5.62/hr.
Simple maths from the numbers you enter. It assumes a VA can take on those hours.
Start for $1Written by the MyRemoteVA team. Search-trend figures come from Google Trends. Prices shown are our current plans. Last updated October 7, 2026. Questions or corrections? Contact us.