What Platform Handles Both Delaware Incorporation and Ongoing Bookkeeping?

Most startups incorporate with one provider (Stripe Atlas, Clerky or a law firm) and then hire a different bookkeeper. The bookkeeper starts without the charter, the cap table or the 83(b) records, and the formation provider never sees the books.

That gap shows up in a few predictable places:

• The Delaware franchise tax is due March 1, and neither provider assumes it is their job
• The gross asset figure needed for the Assumed Par Value Capital Method sits with the bookkeeper, while the share counts sit with the lawyer
• SAFEs and stock issuances are recorded late or not at all
• Founders end up managing two or three vendors with separate billing and support

A missed March 1 deadline costs a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest per month on the tax and penalty, and filing without gross assets defaults the tax to the Authorized Shares Method ($85,165 for 10,000,000 authorized shares).

For formation: the Delaware Certificate of Incorporation (the state fee is $109 minimum under the August 1, 2026 fee schedule), registered agent, EIN application, bylaws and initial board consents, founder stock purchase agreements and 83(b) election support.

For bookkeeping: monthly categorization, bank and card reconciliations, accrual-basis financial statements, accounts payable and receivable, and payroll integration.

For annual compliance: the Delaware annual report and franchise tax under the Assumed Par Value Capital Method, the federal Form 1120, and state returns and foreign qualification in the states where you operate.

The real value is in connection. When a funding round closes, the cash raised should flow into the year-end gross asset figure, and the new shares into the issued share count, without anyone re-keying data.

Options fall into roughly three groups, and features change often, so confirm current scope with each provider.

• Formation-first services such as Stripe Atlas and Clerky focus on incorporation and legal documents. Bookkeeping, if offered, is usually through partners.
• Bundled formation and bookkeeping platforms combine formation with software-led bookkeeping and sometimes tax filing. They can work for solo founders with simple activity; check whether a person reviews the books and whether they handle accrual accounting.
• Startup accounting firms offer accrual bookkeeping, tax and compliance, and some also coordinate formation. They are better suited to companies with SAFEs, preferred stock, payroll in several states and investor reporting.

Questions to ask any provider: Who files the Delaware franchise tax and by what date? Is Form 1120 included? Are SAFEs and stock compensation recorded each month? What does year two cost?

SpryTax runs Delaware C-Corp formation and ongoing accounting under one engagement. Formation covers the standard documents, registered agent coordination and the EIN application. After formation, the same team keeps your books on an accrual basis, prepares monthly financial statements, handles payroll tax filings, files the Delaware annual report and franchise tax, and prepares federal and state income tax returns.

Because one team holds the cap table data and the books, the March 1 Delaware filing and the April 15 federal Form 1120 deadline (October 15 with an extension) are tracked in one calendar. For current plans and what each includes, see our pricing page.

The first 90 days after a Delaware incorporation set up every record your bookkeeper and tax preparer will rely on later, so they are where a combined provider adds the most value. The usual sequence:

1. File the Certificate of Incorporation and receive the file number.
2. Adopt bylaws and initial board consents, elect officers and authorize founder stock issuances.
3. Apply for an EIN using Form SS-4. Founders without a US taxpayer ID number cannot use the online application and apply by fax or mail instead.
4. Sign founder stock purchase agreements and file each founder's 83(b) election within 30 days of the stock grant. The deadline has no extension.
5. Open the company bank account and fund the founder stock purchase price.
6. Set up the cap table and the accounting system, with the stock issuances and any founder loans recorded from day one.
7. Register in your home state as a foreign corporation if you operate there, and register for payroll tax before the first pay date.

One thing you can skip: companies formed in the United States no longer file FinCEN beneficial ownership (BOI) reports.

When one provider handles all seven steps, the opening balance sheet, the cap table and the 83(b) records agree from the start.

A new calendar-year Delaware C-Corp has a fixed set of first-year deadlines, and the provider you choose should own each one in writing.

• Within 30 days of founder stock issuance: 83(b) elections, mailed or filed with the IRS.
• January 31: Forms W-2 for employees and Forms 1099-NEC for contractors paid $2,000 or more (the threshold for payments made after December 31, 2025).
• March 1: Delaware annual report, $50 fee and franchise tax, filed with gross assets and issued shares so the Assumed Par Value Capital Method applies.
• April 15: federal Form 1120. A Form 7004 extension moves the filing date to October 15.
• State deadlines: income or franchise tax returns and annual reports in each state where the company is registered.

A company incorporated in, say, November still owes the March 1 Delaware report and a Form 1120 for its short first year, even with almost no activity. Those are the first two deadlines new founders tend to miss.

If you already have separate formation and bookkeeping vendors, you can consolidate without starting over, as long as you collect the right records first.

• Certificate of Incorporation, amendments, bylaws and all board consents
• Copies of filed 83(b) elections and the proof of mailing or filing
• Cap table export and copies of every SAFE, note and stock purchase agreement
• Accounting system access, bank and card statements, and prior tax returns
• Delaware file number and registered agent login

Switch at a month end or, better, at year end, so one provider owns the full year's books and the March 1 filing. The new provider should reconcile opening balances to bank statements before it relies on anything the old one booked.

A solo founder before launch, with no revenue and few transactions, can often get by with a formation service plus simple bookkeeping software for a few months. Things change once you raise money, hire or start selling.

Three questions decide it:

1. Do investors need accrual-basis financial statements? If yes, you need human-reviewed accrual accounting.
2. Do you have employees or contractors in more than one state? If yes, you need multi-state payroll and tax filings.
3. Are you raising on SAFEs or priced rounds? If yes, your accountant needs to handle SAFEs, convertible notes, stock compensation and 409A coordination.

If you answer yes to any of these, a single provider covering formation, books and tax usually costs less in total than stitching together separate vendors and cleaning up the gaps later. This is general information, not tax advice for your specific facts.