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Bench

Online bookkeeping and tax provider, owned by Employer.com since December 2024

Overview

Bench is an online bookkeeping service for US small businesses, founded in 2012 in Vancouver as 10sheet Inc. and renamed Bench in 2013[5]. Before December 2024 it had raised US$113 million, employed more than 600 people and served roughly 35,000 customers[5]. On 27 December 2024 it stopped operating without warning, leaving clients without access to their books over the year-end period; on 30 December Employer.com announced it would acquire the business[5]. Bench says it resumed service in January 2025 and is run by Employer.com as a dedicated bookkeeping business[4].

Its current range is priced in two ways. Standard plans start with Bookkeeping Light at US$199 a month for businesses with up to US$250,000 in annual revenue, Bookkeeping at US$399 a month and Bookkeeping + Tax at US$649 a month; a parallel set of QuickBooks Online plans is tiered by monthly transaction volume, from 500 to unlimited[3]. Annual prepayment carries a 20% discount, and the current-year backlog is included free with an annual plan[3]. The 2024 shutdown remains the main consideration for buyers, and Bench’s own site does not describe how the business is now financed[4].

Bench features

  • Unlimited access to an assigned bookkeeper
  • Year-end tax-ready financial package
  • Bookkeeping + Tax bundle with licensed tax professionals
  • QuickBooks Online plans tiered by transaction volume
  • Free current-year catch-up with annual plan
  • Up to four advisory calls a year on tax plans
  • Monthly bookkeeping
  • Bookkeeping Light for revenue up to US$250K

Bench pricing

  • Bookkeeping Light: US$199/month or US$1,910/year; revenue up to US$250,000.
  • Bookkeeping: US$399/month or US$3,830/year.
  • Bookkeeping + Tax: US$649/month or US$6,230/year.
  • QuickBooks plans: Complexity 1 US$399/month (up to 500 transactions); Complexity 2 US$699/month (up to 2,000); Complexity 3 from US$999/month (unlimited).
  • Full-service tax alone: US$300/month or US$2,880/year.
  • Catch-up beyond one year: quote-based.

Bench strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Published prices with three bookkeeping tiers
  • Tax filing can be bundled
  • Free current-year catch-up on annual plans
  • Long operating history and large former customer base
  • Clear flat monthly prices
  • Low-cost Light plan

Limitations

  • December 2024 shutdown interrupted client access to books
  • Ownership and financing changed recently
  • Monthly tax billing requires a 12-month commitment
  • Revenue cap of US$250,000 on the Light plan
  • 2024 service interruption
  • No CFO services advertised

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