Sales tax nobody checks
The amount collected comes out of the sales system and nobody checks it against what was billed that month. Small gaps become big problems when they pile up.
Florida · Portuguese, English and Spanish
Portuguese speaking bookkeeper for Brazilian businesses in Florida
The company bills well, the CPA asks for the numbers in March, and nobody can say how much was left in each month of the year.
GS Brasil is a Portuguese speaking bookkeeper for Brazilian owned businesses across Florida, working remotely from within the state, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. The work covers bank and credit card reconciliation, categorization of every transaction in QuickBooks Online, a monthly close with P&L and Balance Sheet, and an organized package for your CPA. Taxes stay with your CPA. GS Brasil makes sure the CPA gets clean numbers instead of rebuilding the year.
The work is led by Gustavo Brasil, a Certified QuickBooks PRO Advisor with 5 years working with Brazilian business owners in the United States. Meetings are by video and you talk to him directly.
Common signs
When the financial routine fell behind
Personal and business accounts mixed
A personal card paying for supplies, the business Zelle paying household bills. At year end the CPA has to untangle it all, and charges for it.
Good months that never become a reserve
July was strong, October got tight, and there is no monthly number showing where the difference went.
What is different in Florida
What changes in the financial routine of a Florida business
No state income tax does not mean no obligations
Florida has no state income tax for individuals. A regular LLC taxed as a pass-through (profit flows to the owners' returns) does not pay state tax on profit either. A C corporation does pay state corporate income tax. Many owners stop reading there and assume the state asks for nothing. That is not the case.
What the state does collect shows up elsewhere, and each item leaves a trail in the books:
- Sales tax. The state rate is 6%, plus the county surtax. In Orange County, home of Orlando, it reaches 6.5%. In Miami-Dade and Broward, 7%. Not every service is taxable, and that classification belongs to your CPA. Bookkeeping keeps the sales tax you collect in its own account, apart from revenue, and matched to what was remitted.
- Sunbiz annual report. LLCs and corporations file between January 1 and May 1. After that the late fee is 400 dollars. GS Brasil does not file it, that stays with your CPA or whoever formed the company, but the date belongs on your calendar.
- Reemployment tax. Employers with W-2 staff pay state unemployment insurance, administered by the Florida Department of Revenue. In the books it has to show up as a payroll cost, not buried in general expenses.
- Commercial rent. Since October 1, 2024, commercial rent is no longer subject to sales tax in Florida. If your rent bill still includes it, check with your CPA.
Hurricanes are a cash flow issue too
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. On a job site that means a week of downtime with a crew to pay. In tourism, cancelled bookings. In a restaurant, doors closed for a few days. A business that reaches June without knowing how much cash it has to get through two bad weeks is gambling. With the monthly close up to date, that number exists before the storm.
Orlando and South Florida are different markets
Brazilian owned businesses in Florida cluster in two regions, and the financial routine differs between them.
In Orlando and Kissimmee, the economy runs on tourism, services, construction and real estate, including vacation homes near the parks. The typical challenge is revenue that arrives through platforms with fees already taken out, and cleaning and maintenance costs that must be tied to each property or client.
In South Florida, from Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton down to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, the profile changes. Broward leans on construction, remodeling, cleaning, marinas and marine services. Miami adds international trade, import and export, restaurants and a strong Spanish speaking market, with vendors and clients who do business in Spanish.
Construction runs through both regions and has its own page: construction bookkeeping in Florida.
How it starts
From first contact to first monthly close
01
Call
A video call
You explain how the company runs today: which bank, whether you already use QuickBooks, who your CPA is and when the books were last closed.
02
Access
Access to your systems
Access to QuickBooks Online and to bank and card statements. If the company uses Buildertrend, MyCase or Toast, they join the same routine.
03
Catch up
Bring the months current
Unreconciled months are fixed first. When the backlog is large, the path is catch-up bookkeeping.
04
Routine
A close every month
From then on, every month closes with a P&L, a Balance Sheet and a plain explanation of what changed, in the language you prefer.
What we deliver
What your Florida business gets
Bank and card reconciliation
Every account matched to its statement, with no duplicate transactions and no balance that does not tie out.
Categorization in QuickBooks Online
Every transaction in the right account of the chart of accounts, with nothing left in uncategorized.
Sales tax kept apart from revenue
Tax collected from customers sits in its own account, checked against the sales report. Calculating and filing it stays with your CPA.
Payroll with visible employer costs
Wages, reemployment tax and other employer costs recorded as payroll, so you see what your team really costs.
Monthly close with P&L and Balance Sheet
The monthly report comes with an explanation of what went up, what went down and what needs attention.
Package for your CPA
At year end, closed books, contractor W-9s and totals by vendor, ready for your CPA. See tax-ready bookkeeping.
The line with your CPA.
GS Brasil does not prepare or file taxes, sales tax returns or annual reports, and does not form companies. It keeps your Florida business books current and hands your CPA organized records so they can do their part.
Frequently asked
Questions from Florida business owners
Do you work with businesses anywhere in Florida?
Yes. Service is remote, based in Florida, with video meetings. Whether the company is in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale or Miami, the work happens inside QuickBooks Online and your own systems.
My LLC pays no state income tax. Do I still need bookkeeping?
Yes. A pass-through LLC's profit goes on the owners' federal returns, and your CPA needs an accurate P&L and Balance Sheet to work it out. Sales tax and payroll also have their own state routine. Clean books are what make those numbers tie out.
Do you file and pay my sales tax?
No. Calculating and filing sales tax is your CPA's job. GS Brasil separates the tax collected from revenue, checks it against the sales report and hands the numbers over ready to use.
Is service really available in Portuguese and Spanish?
Yes, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. QuickBooks reports come out in English, the way your CPA expects them, and we walk you through them in the language you are most comfortable with.
My QuickBooks is a mess. Can we still start?
Yes. The first step is reviewing the file. If the problem is organization, such as a pile in Undeposited Funds or duplicate entries, the path is a QuickBooks cleanup. If months were never entered, it is catch-up bookkeeping. Then the monthly routine begins.
Keep reading
Florida cities and services
Orlando and Kissimmee
Portuguese speaking bookkeeper for the Orlando area.
Miami
Import, foreign exchange, card sales and real estate, books kept current.
Fort Lauderdale and Pompano
Cleaning, remodeling, marine and restaurants in Broward and Boca.
Construction bookkeeping in Florida
Hurricanes, draws, retainage and subcontractors in your job cash.
Tax-ready bookkeeping
A monthly routine that keeps the books ready for your CPA all year.
Catch-up bookkeeping
When the books are months behind, with or without QuickBooks.
First step
Start with the first conversation
Twenty minutes, no commitment, to understand where your company is and point the way.