Bench Reviews

All of my book-keeping headaches are gone!

I like the product, but am unsure of the value for smaller firms with fewer expenses.

I saw many articles about bad experiences with Bench before I decided to work with them. I also saw dozens of good reviews about them. I didn't mind bad ones and thought it won't happen to me. But it happened.

Let's talk about the service and value I got; It's just bookkeeping software with a guy sitting in front of it. They consistently put my expenses in the wrong category. I had to check all the transactions manually every time. I did this with Xero for less than $40/mo. All transactions from my bank account are automatically imported to Xero and I just need to check once a month. No value here.

I didn't mind paying +$200/mo more for the same result since we had no problem with them. I also felt more secure since there is someone on the line. They offered me to file my taxes for an additional fee. I agreed. They filed franchise and corporate taxes for 2020. Everything was smooth and simple. I decided to extend my subscription for another year.

Last month, in the middle of tax season, I received an email saying that they will not file my taxes since I am a US non-resident. I respectfully understand that they made some decisions regarding their services. I am totally ok with it, but I should be informed about this in advance.
But informing me a few weeks before the deadline, in the middle of tax season, when it's impossible to find an available CPA is a selfish attitude that shows they don't care about their clients.

I love it. Bench tracks all expenses and the team communicates regarding expenses in question and suggest "expense categories."

So far so good! Love seeing reports every month.

I've gained more time and mental space to focus on other things since handing my books over to bench.

Bench is useful and helped me to navigate the early days of my company, but I could've saved a lot of money doing some of the data correlation myself and hiring a tax expert directly.

Like family

I am saving myself hours and hours of handling the bookkeeping. I am confident that it is done correctly and I am not missing anything. I like having someone to ask bookkeeping questions to if need be.

tldr; terrible - incompetent, will not support client if there are missed filing deadlines, penalties and fees.

During my sales onboarding call, I talked about my 10 years of doing business in NYC as a sole owner of an s-corp. I have to file extensions from time to time. Bench assured me this would be no problem. They missed the deadline to file my business return with NYC. When I asked Bench about this, they replied that they don't do municipal filings. I asked why didn't my tax preparer notify me - the short answer: he didn't even know NYC requires a seperate business filing. It took several intense phone calls to get a refund. My personal returns were the same. They didn't calculate my estimated tax liability when the filed my extension. I got hit with hundreds in penalties and interest. Again I asked why they didn't notify me. Answer: it was in our disclaimer.

If you look at what Bench offers, they are charging a premium for essentially googling information for you. The actual issues you will need guidance on, they don't offer. Furthermore, they will not advise you of critical filing necessities because it's in their list of "disclaimers".

Find a local tax accountant who understands your business and will have your best interests in mind.

My overall experience is great. this is my second time using them. I had to leave the first time while switching my business format but it’s worth the investment knowing that my books are in order in I can easily track my growth and readjust expenses.

Overall, I recommend bench to everyone. They do have their shortcomings, but in my experience it can be fixed by not giving so many clients to one person. My current bookkeeper is great and very prompt on delivering my books each month. I hope she sticks around. YMMV, but keep with it, bench is the best out there.

Great experience, we've been with them for 2 years now and we will not switch to anything else!

With bench.co I've been able to see in real-time our financial statements without having to ruffle through paperwork or calling someone/visiting an office. I would highly recommend this service to any small business owner.

I had Bench do a full year of bookkeeping for my company and consulted them on aspects of the PPP loan program.

I found them shockingly incompetent. Many mistakes. Much flat-out wrong technical information about the PPP program. It was the most recent encounter with them over the PPP program that motivates me to write this review, to warn the public.

They should not represent themselves as PPP experts.

Overall, I find Bench.co to be an accessible, easy-to-use, game-changing bookkeeping tool and resource for entrepreneurs & SMEs. The team is efficient, friendly, patient, and thorough (even when I had an adverse reaction to tackling my stuck-point when it comes to bookkeeping and I managed to even annoy myself I was treated kindly, a currency I don't take lightly, especially this year). I even got a goodie from a referral. It felt awesome to be rewarded!

My experience has been overall positive! My bookkeeper is there when I need him and always professional and friendly!

Easy Way To Stay On Top Of My Business, Taxes & Reports.

Bench has made accounting for our small business so simple.
I struggled with other software that had clunky user interfaces (Quickbooks) and a steep learning curve, I needed something that could ensure that my business accounting would be accurate and up to date without it eating all of my time.
Our Bench bookkeepers have all been wonderful - they're fast to respond, give good information and work really well with our accountant. Taxes were a breeze this year after a full year with Bench! I have recommend them to other small business owners and urge you to try them out. You'll wonder what you ever did without them.

The customer service is helpful with any questions we may have