When QBO stops scaling for bookkeepers running 15+ client portfolios. 5 breakpoints past 15 clients, honest comparison vs Growthy, Xero, Puzzle, FreshBooks, plus a 30-day migration overview.
Bank rules vs AI categorization across 8 dimensions. Hybrid stack wins: rules for high-confidence repeat vendors (Stripe, payroll, recurring SaaS), AI for everything else. Real numbers.
The 4-layer framework for evaluating bookkeeping automation (import, categorize, match, report) plus a 7-tool comparison: Growthy, Digits, Puzzle, Hubdoc, Pilot, Docyt, QBO Live.
The 5-to-15 client transition is where solo bookkeepers either invest in automation or burn out at 12-13. Here's the stack, the pricing, and the ROI math that makes it work.
Receipt OCR is solved tech. The unsolved problem is matching the captured receipt to the bank transaction across timing, amount, and multi-line splits. Here's how the stack actually fits together.
12-step month-end close checklist with honest automation flags. Each step marked Manual, Automatable, or Already Automated, with time estimates and the judgment calls software can't make.
Week-by-week 30-day plan to migrate 15 QBO clients to AI bookkeeping: COA mapping, historical import, AI training, parallel run, cutover validation, and a real rollback plan if it doesn't work.
Honest ranking of 8 AI bookkeeping tools (Growthy, Digits, Puzzle, Pilot, Bench, Docyt, QBO Live, Botkeeper) by accuracy, multi-client capability, transparency, and per-client TCO.
AI bookkeeping handles 85% of transactions on first import. The other 15% need human judgment: owner draws, intercompany transfers, payroll reclasses, accruals, fixed assets, and tax-basis adjustments.
Bench and Pilot are services that do the bookkeeping for you. Growthy and other AI bookkeeping software hand the controls back to you. Honest tradeoffs at every client size.
Per-client TCO math at 15 clients: QBO Plus ~$34,762/yr, Xero Established ~$30,262/yr, Growthy alpha ~$8,251/yr. Includes hidden costs (cleanup, migration, integrations).
AI bookkeeping for CPA firms: workflow layer over QBO and Xero, 67% reduction in categorization time, $112,500 per bookkeeper per year capacity recapture at 30 clients.