A 1-800Accountant alternative when the P&L is not really a tax question
1-800Accountant packages a dedicated accountant, year-round tax advice, and return filing, sold as annual plans. If your real problem is a return that needs filing and a business that needs tax advice, that is the right category of answer and this product does none of it. But a lender asking for a Profit & Loss is not asking a tax question, and answering it does not require signing up for a year of tax service first.
Keep using 1-800Accountant if
- — You have returns to file and want the same provider handling them.
- — You want a named accountant you can call during the year.
- — You want tax planning rather than a document.
- — You have tax matters outstanding that need somebody accountable for them.
- — You want quarterly reviews and someone watching the business's tax position.
This is for you instead if
- — The request is a Profit & Loss covering a stated past period, by a date.
- — You are not looking to change how your taxes get done right now.
- — You do not want an annual commitment to answer a single question.
- — You have the bank statements and no books, and the deadline is close.
Side by side
| 1-800Accountant | ONE CLICK P&L | |
|---|---|---|
| What you are buying | An annual accounting and tax package with a dedicated accountant | One document, paid for once. $6.98 per statement-month, $19.99 minimum, first statement-month free |
| Commitment | Plans presented as annual, billed on that basis | None. Download the files and close the tab |
| What the deliverable is | Filed returns, advice, and books kept alongside them | A Profit & Loss, and an optional balance sheet draft from the same reading |
| Time to the document | After onboarding with an assigned accountant | As long as it takes to upload the statements and review the categories |
| Who decides the categories | Your accountant | You do, before anything is final, with unclear items asked in plain English |
Work out which problem you actually have
These get confused because a Profit & Loss shows up in both. If the return for those years has not been filed, or the business genuinely needs somebody on its taxes, then the statement is a by-product of work that has to happen anyway, and buying it as part of tax service is sensible.
If the returns are filed and current, and the reason you are reading this is that a lender, a landlord, or a licensing body asked for a statement covering a period, then no tax work is required to answer them. What is required is a reading of what happened, laid out as a document, consistent with the returns you already filed.
Those are different problems and they cost very different amounts to solve.
What a dedicated accountant gives you that this does not
Somebody who knows your situation, will notice the thing you did not ask about, and is accountable when it matters. That is worth real money and this product does not provide it — it produces draft financial statements, not advice, and using it creates no accountant-client relationship.
It is made by a licensed California CPA firm, which is why the output is built to disclose exactly what it is: prepared from bank statements, cash basis, unaudited, with a signature line for the owner who stands behind it. Being clear about what a document is not is part of what makes it usable.
Upload one statement and see whether a document was all you needed. Start from your bank statements.
Questions people ask
Do I need an accountant to produce a Profit & Loss for a lender?
Often not. Lenders commonly accept owner-prepared statements, and the lender is the one who decides. Some ask for statements a CPA has reviewed, which is a different and more expensive thing — ask which one you have been asked for before you buy either.
Does this file my taxes?
No. There is no tax filing, no tax advice, and no return preparation here. It reads bank statements and produces a Profit & Loss for the period they cover.
Can I give this to my tax preparer?
Yes, and that is a common use. You get Excel and PDF with monthly columns and notes disclosing how the statements were prepared, which is what a preparer needs to work from.
Is this cheaper than hiring an accountant?
It is a different purchase rather than a cheaper one. An accountant does work this does not do at all, including filing and advice. Compare them only when the thing you need really is one document.
Sources
- 1-800Accountant — packages and pricing — that 1-800Accountant sells tax-forward packages billed annually, including a dedicated accountant, year-round tax advice, quarterly reviews and business return filing. Checked 2026-08-28.
Product names belong to their owners and are used here to describe what those products do. Prices and features change; check the vendor's own page for what is true today.
ONE CLICK P&L produces draft financial statements, not accounting, tax, or legal advice, and using it does not create an accountant-client relationship. It is made by SWCPALAB, a product of SW Accounting & Consulting Corp, a California licensed CPA firm.