Stuart Wilson, ACMA CGMA Fractional CFO & Controller · AICPA Member
California's compliance burden is the heaviest in the nation — FTB, EDD, AB5, LLC fees, and a corporate tax rate that demands precision. Management accounts on your desk by the 5th, R&D credit documentation maintained quarterly, and cash-flow forecasts updated weekly — by a CGMA with 24 years in professional finance.
No contracts · Cancel anytime · From $3,995/mo
Between the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), Employment Development Department (EDD), and the Board of Equalization, California businesses face more regulatory filings than any other state. The minimum $800 annual LLC fee hits even dormant entities. A fractional CFO keeps every deadline tracked and every filing prepared — so you focus on building your business, not fighting the bureaucracy.
California's AB5 law (and the ABC test) redefined independent-contractor relationships. Misclassification penalties are severe — back taxes, benefits, and fines. We audit your contractor relationships quarterly, ensure your 1099 vs. W-2 classifications are defensible, and model the cost impact of reclassification before it surprises you.
California is the epicenter of SaaS, biotech, and venture-backed startups. ASC 606 revenue recognition, deferred revenue waterfalls, ARR/MRR tracking, and investor-ready metrics are non-negotiable. We speak the language of Series A through growth-stage finance — because we've been on both sides of the table.
California offers its own R&D credit (on top of the federal credit) at 24% of excess qualified research expenses or 15% of basic research payments. Most businesses under-document and under-claim. We maintain quarterly R&D logs, track qualified expenses in real time, and prepare the documentation your CPA needs to file the credit confidently.
Everything a full-time CFO delivers — without the $250K salary.
Full P&L, balance sheet, cash flow statement. US GAAP-compliant. Board-ready with variance commentary — not a raw trial balance.
Revenue, gross margin, AR days, AP days, cash runway, burn rate. Updated live. Know where you stand before month-end.
Rolling weekly cash forecast with scenario modelling. The document lenders and investors ask for — always current.
FTB filings, LLC fee calculations, EDD payroll tax, sales-tax nexus monitoring. Working papers prepared for your CPA.
45-minute call to review the numbers, flag risks, discuss opportunities. Like having a CFO in the room without the full-time overhead.
Monthly variance analysis so you know exactly where you're over or under plan — before it becomes a problem.
No contracts. No hidden fees. Cancel with 30 days' notice.
Monthly management accounts, bank reconciliation, compliance tracking
Full strategic CFO — for businesses scaling past $5M
Multi-entity, M&A-ready, investor reporting
California's 8.84% corporate tax rate (or 1.5% minimum franchise tax) requires quarterly estimated payments and annual filings. We track all FTB deadlines, prepare estimated tax calculations, and maintain the working papers your CPA needs.
Every California LLC pays a minimum $800 annual tax — plus an additional fee based on total income ($900 at $250K, scaling to $11,790 at $5M+). We calculate your LLC fee exposure quarterly so there are no surprises at filing time.
We review your contractor relationships against the ABC test quarterly: (A) free from control, (B) outside usual business, (C) independently established trade. We flag risky classifications and model the financial impact of reclassification before the EDD does it for you.
California's R&D credit — 24% of excess qualified research expenses — is one of the most generous in the country. We maintain quarterly logs of qualified activities, track employee time allocation, and prepare the documentation your CPA needs to maximize the claim.
California's base 7.25% rate (up to 10.25% with district taxes) applies to tangible goods and some digital products. We reconcile sales-tax filings, monitor district-rate changes, and ensure SaaS taxability is handled correctly — California is one of the few states that taxes certain SaaS transactions.
SDI, UI, ETT, and PIT — California's four-layer payroll tax system is unique. We reconcile payroll liabilities monthly, ensure quarterly DE 9 filings are accurate, and flag any discrepancies before they become audit triggers.
ARR/MRR tracking, ASC 606 revenue recognition, deferred revenue waterfalls, cap table management support, and investor-ready reporting.
Grant tracking, R&D expense capitalization, burn-rate modelling, and milestone-based financial reporting for pre-revenue and clinical-stage companies.
Project-based accounting, residual tracking, production-company financials, and California film tax credit documentation.
Property-level NOI, Prop 13 tax-basis tracking, 1031 exchange documentation, and lender-ready financial packages for California's dynamic market.
Multi-channel revenue reconciliation, inventory valuation, COGS analysis, sales-tax nexus across all 50 states, and unit economics tracking.
IOLTA trust accounting, matter-level profitability, partner draw modelling, and California Bar compliance for client trust accounts.
We calculate your LLC fee exposure quarterly based on projected total income. The $800 minimum is unavoidable for active LLCs, but the additional fee (which scales from $900 at $250K to $11,790 at $5M+) requires careful income estimation. We ensure your quarterly estimates are accurate and coordinate payment deadlines with your CPA so you never face underpayment penalties.
Yes — this is one of our specialties for California tech companies. We maintain quarterly logs of qualified research activities, track employee time allocation to qualified projects, document the four-part test (permitted purpose, technological uncertainty, process of experimentation, technological in nature), and calculate the credit using both the regular and alternative simplified methods. Your CPA gets a clean package ready for filing.
We audit your contractor relationships against the ABC test quarterly. For each contractor, we assess all three prongs and flag any classifications that may not pass scrutiny. We then model the financial impact of reclassification — payroll taxes, benefits, workers' comp — so you can make informed decisions before the EDD makes them for you.
Fluently. We track ARR, MRR, net revenue retention, churn, LTV:CAC, magic number, rule of 40, and gross margin by product line. We prepare deferred revenue waterfalls under ASC 606, model cohort-based unit economics, and create the investor-ready reporting packages that VCs and growth-equity firms expect. Stuart's background includes private equity — he knows what the other side of the table looks for.
Most California engagements are fully onboarded within 2 weeks. We connect to your QuickBooks, Xero, or NetSuite instance on day one, run a diagnostic on your chart of accounts by day three, and deliver your first management pack by the end of week two. No long implementation projects.
Also Serving
30-minute discovery call. We'll review your current setup, identify gaps, and show you exactly what your management accounts should look like. No pitch — just proof.
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