How Bookkeepers Can Boost Revenue and Client Loyalty with Compliance Services

In an episode of The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast, Nellie Akalp explains why compliance services are a natural—and often overlooked—way for bookkeepers to generate new income, differentiate their business, and become even more valuable to their clients.

While most bookkeepers focus on day-to-day transactions and reporting, many miss the opportunity to help clients with ongoing compliance needs—especially those tied to business structures, filings, and state obligations.

Here’s how offering compliance support can increase both your revenue and your relevance.

🧾 What Are Compliance Services?

Compliance services refer to the tasks that help businesses meet government and regulatory obligations. These vary depending on business type and location, but common examples include:

• Business entity formation (LLC, corporation, etc.)
• Annual report filings
• Business license registration and renewals
• Registered agent services
• State tax ID registrations
• Amendments to business details (e.g., name, address, ownership)

These are tasks that many small business owners either forget to do—or stress over doing incorrectly.

💡 Why Compliance Is a Smart Add-On for Bookkeepers

Bookkeepers are already trusted advisors when it comes to financial matters. Clients are comfortable sharing sensitive data and often ask for guidance beyond the scope of accounting.

By offering compliance support or partnering with services like CorpNet, bookkeepers can:

• Add a recurring revenue stream (e.g., annual report filing reminders and services)
• Improve client retention by solving more problems in one place
• Stand out from competitors who only offer standard bookkeeping
• Position themselves as proactive advisors, not just number crunchers
  
  

Bonus: Many of these services are simple to fulfill—especially when partnered with a trusted third-party provider—yet highly valuable to clients.

🚩 Common Pain Points You Can Solve

Nellie highlights several issues small business owners frequently run into:

• Missing deadlines for state filings, resulting in penalties or dissolved entities
• Filing incorrect paperwork when forming or restructuring their business
• Not realizing they need to register in multiple states
• Letting business licenses lapse
• Failing to maintain corporate compliance (especially for S-corps and LLCs)
  
  

These issues create real risks—and your clients may not even know they exist.

What you can do:
Offer a compliance check-up during onboarding or end-of-year reviews. Ask whether the business is up to date with filings, licenses, and entity structure. You’ll likely uncover opportunities to help.

📈 How to Get Started

You don’t need to become a legal expert to offer compliance services. Here’s a simple path to expand your services:

1. Educate Yourself
   
   
   • Learn the basics of business entity types and state-level requirements.
   • Understand what you can do directly vs. what requires a third-party service or referral.
     
     
2. Partner with a Provider
   
   
   • Services like CorpNet allow bookkeepers and accountants to offer white-label compliance services to clients—handling the backend while you manage the relationship.
     
     
3. Start with What You Know
   
   
   • Begin by helping clients with the tasks they already ask about: “Should I incorporate?” “Do I need to register in this state?”
   • Formalize that advice into a service offering.
     
     
4. Bundle & Bill
   
   
   • Consider adding compliance checks into your onboarding, monthly reviews, or annual planning packages.
   • Price based on value—not just time.
     
     

✅ Compliance Services You Can Offer

Compliance is one of the most valuable—but neglected—areas for small business owners. Bookkeepers who step into this gap aren’t just adding revenue—they’re removing stress and earning long-term loyalty. These services aren’t just “add-ons”—they’re relationship builders and revenue boosters.

For more great content, check out The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast!