NEW BUSINESS SETUP
New Business Bookkeeping Setup: Business Formation & Financial Setup in Dallas
Open your doors with the company registered, QuickBooks built for your business and payroll ready, instead of fixing a rushed setup a year from now.
Short answer: Business Formation & Financial Setup is LUCI Financial Solutions' full-service setup for new businesses, starting at $1,500. We handle business formation, EIN registration, QuickBooks setup and payroll setup, and put in place the financial systems a new company needs so the books are clean from the first transaction. LUCI is a bookkeeping and financial operations firm based in Dallas-Fort Worth that works virtually with clients nationwide. The price for your setup is confirmed after a consultation.
What the business formation and bookkeeping setup includes
A new owner usually pieces this together from several places: one service for the filing, a guess at QuickBooks, a payroll account opened in a hurry. We do it as one engagement, so each part is built to work with the next.
| Part | What LUCI sets up | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Business formation | The formation of your new business, handled inside the same engagement | One team that knows the company from its first day |
| EIN registration | Registration for the Employer Identification Number | The business has its own tax ID for payroll and filings |
| QuickBooks setup | QuickBooks Online configured for how your business operates | Income and expenses land in the right place from the start |
| Payroll setup | Payroll through QuickBooks Online or an approved third-party provider | Wages and employer taxes post to the right accounts |
| Financial systems | The workflows and reporting that keep records in order | You start clean and stay organized |
Pricing starts at $1,500. What your business needs beyond that starting point is settled in a consultation, before work begins.
QuickBooks setup for a new business
A new company has one advantage an older one has lost: no history to repair. The file can be right from the first entry. Our QuickBooks Online setup covers:
- Chart of accounts. Built around how your business earns and spends, so reports read clearly later.
- Bank and credit card connections. Accounts linked so transactions flow in consistently.
- Reports and invoicing. Financial reports and invoice settings configured for clear tracking and billing.
- Training. Focused training so you know how to use QuickBooks Online day to day.
The QuickBooks subscription and the data stay yours. If you later want us to keep the file each month, our QuickBooks bookkeeping service in Dallas picks up from the same setup, with nothing to rebuild.
Payroll and contractor setup before the first paycheck
Payroll is where a new business most easily falls out of step with its books. We set payroll up through QuickBooks Online or an approved third-party provider, so each pay run records wages and employer taxes in the accounts where they belong.
Many new businesses pay contractors before they hire employees. Two public rules are worth knowing from day one:
- A W-9 is collected from a contractor before the first payment.
- Form 1099-NEC goes to contractors and the IRS by January 31. The reporting threshold is $600 for payments made in 2025 and $2,000 for payments made in 2026 and later.
Our guide to IRS Form 1099 covers the form itself. Ongoing payroll management and 1099 preparation, filing and W-9 collection are add-on services, described on our bookkeeping, payroll and tax support page. If you want to see how the two fit together, read why one team should run bookkeeping and payroll.
What we set up, and what stays with your attorney or CPA
LUCI is a bookkeeping and financial operations firm. We are not a law firm and not a CPA firm, and this service does not include legal or tax advice.
- We do not advise on which type of entity to form. That decision belongs to you and your attorney or tax professional. We set up the business you have decided on.
- We do not prepare standalone tax returns. Tax preparation and planning are an add-on for ongoing clients only, prepared by Katrina Lochocki, CPA, our Tax Strategist.
What we do own is the financial side: the registrations named above, the QuickBooks file, payroll, and the systems around them. Our article on bookkeeper vs. CPA explains who does what once the business is running.
Cost of a new business bookkeeping setup, and what comes after
Business Formation & Financial Setup starts at $1,500. It is a setup engagement, separate from any monthly fee. To begin, schedule a consultation and tell us what you are starting, whether you will have employees or contractors, and how you plan to bill customers.
Once the setup is finished, you choose how the books are kept:
- Keep them yourself. You have a configured QuickBooks file and the training to use it.
- Hand them to us. Monthly bookkeeping comes in three fixed-fee levels: Core, Growth and Scale. Monthly fees start at $500 and are set in a proposal after a discovery call. See how LUCI prices bookkeeping.
- Add what you need. Sales tax reporting, accounts payable and receivable management, and multi-state registration are available as add-ons, based on needs and scope.
We work virtually, through secure cloud access and video or phone meetings. Reach us at 214-233-5454 or [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to set up bookkeeping for a new business?
Business Formation & Financial Setup at LUCI Financial Solutions starts at $1,500. That covers a full-service setup for a new business: business formation, EIN registration, QuickBooks setup, payroll setup and the financial systems to start clean. The price for your business is confirmed after a consultation.
Can you tell me whether to form an LLC or a corporation?
No. We do not give legal advice or recommend an entity type. That is a decision to make with an attorney or tax professional. Once you have decided, we handle the formation and build the financial setup around the business you chose.
Do I need QuickBooks before I make my first sale?
It is easier to start with it than to add it later. When QuickBooks Online is configured before money starts moving, every transaction is recorded in the right account from the first one, and there is no backlog to sort out afterward.
Which payroll system do you set up?
We set up payroll through QuickBooks Online or an approved third-party provider. Which one fits depends on your business and is discussed in the consultation. Either way, payroll is connected to the books so wages and employer taxes are recorded correctly.
Do I have to sign up for monthly bookkeeping after the setup?
No. The setup is its own engagement. Afterward you can keep the books yourself or move to one of our monthly levels, Core, Growth or Scale. Monthly fees start at $500 and are set in a fixed-fee proposal after a discovery call.
Is this service only for businesses in Dallas?
No. We are based in Dallas-Fort Worth and work virtually with clients nationwide, using secure cloud access and video or phone meetings. If you will operate in more than one state, multi-state registration and compliance is available as an add-on service.
Start your business with clean books
Schedule a consultation and tell us what you are starting. We will confirm what your setup includes and what it costs before any work begins. Call 214-233-5454 or email [email protected].
214-233-5454 · [email protected]