Accounts Payable Services & AP Automation Providers in Mchenry, IL

Steph's Books is an outsourced bookkeeping firm based in McHenry, Illinois. It takes over the recurring financial back-office work of small and mid-sized companies. Its main market is professional services firms with annual revenue of roughly one to ten million dollars. Naperville is one of the Chicago-area communities it lists as served. Because the team works remotely through cloud tools, it also supports clients in other states, including California, Texas and New York.

Accounts payable support

The firm does not sell a standalone AP software platform. Instead, it handles payables as part of its broader bookkeeping engagements. Its AR/AP offering covers recording incoming vendor bills, sending them for approval and releasing payments on a set schedule. The same offering also covers client invoicing and tracking of receipts.

The company presents this as a control measure: its staff records each transaction, and the business owner reviews and authorizes it before funds leave the account. That keeps spending authority with the client and helps reduce fraud exposure. Monthly reconciliation of every bank and card account adds a second check on what has actually been paid.

• Bill entry, approval routing and scheduled vendor payments
• Customer invoicing, payment tracking and past-due follow-up
• Monthly bank, credit card and loan account reconciliation
• Payroll with tax filings and year-end W-2s
• Catch-up work for companies that have fallen months or years behind
• Year-end financial packages prepared for the client's CPA

How engagements work

New clients start with an online assessment that produces a custom quote, with no sales call required. Onboarding typically takes about two weeks. During that time the team connects to the client's QuickBooks file, clears any backlog and sets up the chart of accounts. Each client works with one assigned bookkeeper who learns its vendors and preferences.

Communication runs through email, Slack or scheduled calls, and documents are shared through a secure portal. The monthly cycle aims to close the prior month during the first week and deliver reviewed P&L, balance sheet and cash flow statements in the second week. Bill pay, invoicing and payroll continue for the rest of the month.

Engagements run month-to-month rather than under extended contracts.

Industries and specialties

The firm stresses sector knowledge over generic bookkeeping. For law firms, it handles IOLTA trust compliance and matter-level revenue tracking. For property managers, it offers per-property income and expense tracking, statements and payouts to owners, and CAM reconciliation. It also works with:

• Medical and dental practices, including insurance reconciliation
• Construction contractors, including job costing
• Consulting firms and marketing agencies
• IT companies
• Franchises
• Amazon sellers

Background and credentials

Founder Stephanie earned an accounting degree at the bachelor's level and holds the QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor credential. She brings more than 25 years of bookkeeping experience. Client reviews also name team members Valerie and Grace, so clients work with a small team rather than a single practitioner. The company presents this as protection against coverage gaps and staff turnover.

It reports serving more than 300 clients. It has also helped businesses move from spreadsheets or QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. For companies that want payables handled by people rather than through a self-service automation product, Steph's Books is a hands-on alternative to hiring an in-house bookkeeper.