The bank balance as your only gauge
You check the account to know if the month was good. But that balance mixes uncleared checks, a card bill due next week and money that already belongs to a subcontractor.
Massachusetts · Remote service
Portuguese speaking bookkeeper for Massachusetts small businesses
Your CPA asks for the numbers and you spend the weekend digging through bank statements.
GS Brasil is a Portuguese speaking bookkeeper for Massachusetts small businesses, also working in English and Spanish, fully remote. Every month we reconcile bank and credit card accounts in QuickBooks Online, categorize every transaction, close the month with a P&L and Balance Sheet, and walk you through the numbers on a video call. Your CPA gets clean books to handle state and federal taxes. GS Brasil does not prepare or file taxes: we make sure the numbers your accountant receives are right.
If you first want the background on Brazilian owned businesses in the state, read the article on bookkeeping for Brazilian businesses in Massachusetts. This page is about the service itself: what gets done, how it starts and what you receive.
Signs it is time
When the books no longer fit into your weekend
January comes and cash runs thin
Summer was strong, but nobody worked out how much had to be left for the snow months. Every year the squeeze feels like a surprise.
Your CPA bills you to clean up
At tax time they spend hours separating personal from business spending and asking what each transfer was. Those hours end up on their invoice.
What matters in Massachusetts
Five state specific points your monthly books need to track
State income tax and the surtax
Massachusetts has a flat 5% state income tax, plus an extra 4% surtax on income above roughly 1 million dollars. That threshold is adjusted every year. Your CPA is the one who calculates, plans and files.
What the monthly routine does is give them a reliable profit figure all year, not only in March. If the P&L shows in September that the year may land near that threshold, your CPA has time to talk with you before year end, not after.
6.25% sales tax
If you sell taxable goods, you collect 6.25% sales tax and pass it on to the state. The common mistake in the books is recording that amount as revenue. Sales look higher than they are, and money that belongs to the state gets lost in your cash. In QuickBooks it sits in a liability account, apart from the sale. What is taxable, and the return itself, stay with your accountant.
PFML on payroll
Employers in Massachusetts contribute to PFML (Paid Family and Medical Leave), the state paid leave program. That cost goes out with payroll and needs its own line on the P&L. Otherwise the true cost of each employee is understated, and your prices get built on a number lower than reality.
LLC annual report
An LLC files an annual report with the state every year on its anniversary date, with a 500 dollar fee. You, your accountant or your formation service handles the filing. GS Brasil does not file it, but puts the date and the fee in your cash forecast so it never shows up as a surprise.
Winter, cash and subcontracting
Construction and outdoor services produce less in the snow. That is why a cash forecast in Massachusetts looks at the whole year: how much of the summer profit has to stay put to cover rent, insurance and payroll in the slow months.
The same companies usually pay a lot of subcontractors. Each one needs a W-9 before the first payment and a year to date total, which becomes the 1099 package for your CPA. Details are on the 1099 bookkeeping for contractors page.
How it starts
From first contact to your first close
01
No commitment
First conversation
Twenty to thirty minutes on WhatsApp or video, directly with Gustavo. You explain how your finances run today, which systems you use and what your CPA usually asks for.
02
Fixed proposal
A plan for your volume
You get a recommendation for the plan that fits, with a clear scope. Pricing depends on transaction volume and how much support you need.
03
Setup
QuickBooks reviewed and months caught up
We connect your accounts in read only mode, review the chart of accounts and bring any late months up to date. If you are far behind, the path is catch-up bookkeeping.
04
Every month
Close and video meeting
Reconciliation, reports and a meeting to explain what the numbers show. Between closes, questions go straight to Gustavo, with no ticket queue.
What you receive
Monthly deliverables for Massachusetts companies
Bank and card reconciliation
Every account matches its statement at month end. No duplicates, no pile of uncategorized transactions.
P&L and Balance Sheet
The P&L (Profit and Loss) shows whether the month made money. The Balance Sheet shows what the company owns and owes. Both reviewed with you in a meeting.
Sales tax and PFML kept apart
Tax collected from customers stays out of revenue, and PFML contributions show up as payroll cost.
W-9 tracking and totals per contractor
Each subcontractor on file with a W-9 and a year to date total always current, ready for 1099s.
Cash forecast for winter
With Financial Support Premium, the forecast shows in August how much cash you need in February.
Package for your CPA
Closed books, year end reports and the contractor list handed to your CPA, so fewer of their hours go into fixing data.
Who does what in Massachusetts.
GS Brasil keeps the books and prepares the material. State and federal income tax, the surtax, sales tax returns, the annual report and 1099 filing stay with your accountant or CPA. If you do not have one yet, it is worth getting one before we start.
Frequently asked
Questions from Massachusetts business owners
Do you have an office in Massachusetts?
No. GS Brasil is based in Florida and serves Massachusetts remotely. The work happens in QuickBooks Online, with accounts connected read only, and meetings are held by video.
Do you calculate the surtax or state income tax?
No. That is your CPA's job. GS Brasil delivers a closed, reconciled profit figure, and shows during the year how results are trending, so your accountant can plan with real data.
Do I keep my current accountant?
Yes. GS Brasil works alongside the accountant you already have. They keep handling taxes and state filings, and start receiving organized books every month.
My books are months behind. Can we still start?
Yes. Late months get organized first, then the monthly routine starts. When you are far behind, catch-up bookkeeping or the Diagnosis and Strategy project makes sense.
Is service only in Portuguese?
No. Service is in Portuguese, English and Spanish. You can talk to GS Brasil in your own language while the conversation with the American CPA stays in English, with nothing lost in translation.
Keep reading
More on Massachusetts and services
Boston and Framingham
Portuguese speaking bookkeeper for MetroWest and the Boston area.
Article: Brazilians in Massachusetts
Where the companies are and what changes in the state.
1099 bookkeeping
W-9s, contractor totals and a 1099 package for your CPA.
Construction
Job costing and margin per job in QuickBooks.
Year-end bookkeeping
The October to April calendar to close the year before tax season.
Financial Support Premium
Weekly support, cash and KPIs.
First step
Start with the first conversation
Twenty minutes, no commitment, to understand where your company is and point the way.