Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.
Bookkeeping · Payroll · Tax · Shelbyville, TN

Your back office shouldn't hold back your business.

Bookkeeping Plus coordinates the books, payroll, tax filings and financial details that growing businesses cannot afford to lose control of.

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Founded in Shelbyville in 1997  ·  Led by Carla K. Ralston, EA  ·  Serving businesses across Middle Tennessee

Bookkeeping Plus office at 635 North Main Street, Suite E, Shelbyville, Tennessee
The Team Behind The Books

Built like a team.
Designed to feel personal.

Clients aren't handed off to a single bookkeeper. They're supported by a department-based team — each function coordinated with the others so nothing slips between disciplines.

Department

Tax

Preparation, planning and coordinated year-round strategy.

Department

Bookkeeping

Monthly close, reconciliations, financial statements.

Department

Payroll

Processing, filings and year-end reporting.

Department

Sales Tax

Multi-jurisdiction filings and specialized business filings.

Department

Client Service

Onboarding, portal support, day-to-day answers.

Department

Training & Billing

Onvio access, engagement, and QuickFee payments.

Department

Marketing & Education

Updates on filings, deadlines and tax changes.

Department

Leadership

Carla Ralston, EA — coordinating the whole practice.

Carla K. Ralston, EA — Founder and President of Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.
Carla K. Ralston, EA — Founder & President
Our Story

It started with a few tax returns — and grew with the businesses it served.

Carla Ralston is a Shelbyville native. In 1997 she began Bookkeeping Plus from her home with a handful of tax returns and a straightforward promise: get the numbers right, and treat every business owner like a neighbor.

Client by client, the work grew. Bookkeeping followed the returns. Payroll followed the bookkeeping. Sales-tax filings, business filings and year-round planning followed the payroll. In 2009 the firm moved into its current office on North Main Street — and Carla built the year-round team that stands behind the practice today.

What began with a few tax returns is now a coordinated financial operations partner for businesses across Middle Tennessee.

The Plus

Our service is the Plus.

Five commitments that make Bookkeeping Plus more than a bookkeeper or a seasonal tax office.

01

The Plus is Team

Support across bookkeeping, payroll, tax, compliance, training and client service.

02

The Plus is Coordination

The books, payroll, sales tax and tax planning work together — not in silos.

03

The Plus is Foresight

Help preparing for deadlines, tax changes and growth decisions before they arrive.

04

The Plus is Accessibility

Know how to reach us, share documents securely and understand the next step.

05

The Plus is Business Insight

Accurate books become a tool for pricing, cash flow and margin decisions.

When The Business Grows

When the business grows, the financial workload grows with it.

You didn't plan to become a payroll processor or a sales-tax specialist. These are the moments most owners call us.

Payroll has become difficult to manage

Sales-tax filings are becoming more complex

Tax season requires too much cleanup

The owner no longer trusts the monthly reports

The business has entered new jurisdictions

A lender is requesting stronger financials

Revenue is growing, but cash is still tight

You need more support without hiring an internal accounting team

Tell us what has become too complicated
Business Services

Coordinated services, one team, one calendar.

We work as an extension of your operation — so the books, the payroll, the filings and the planning all point in the same direction.

Keep the business financially organized

  • + Monthly bookkeeping
  • + Account reconciliation
  • + Expense categorization
  • + Monthly write-ups
  • + Financial statements

Pay employees accurately and on time

  • + Payroll processing
  • + Payroll-related reporting
  • + Year-end filings
  • + Coordinated bookkeeping support

Stay compliant across more requirements

  • + Sales-tax filings
  • + Annual reports
  • + Business-tax renewals
  • + Tangible personal-property schedules
  • + Industry-specific filings

Plan beyond tax season

  • + Tax preparation
  • + Tax planning
  • + Estimated taxes
  • + Cash-flow considerations
  • + Coordination with bookkeeping & payroll

Understand what the numbers mean

  • + Pricing discussions
  • + Profit-margin awareness
  • + Financing readiness
  • + Business organization
  • + Growth planning

Specialized business filings

  • + Industry-specific returns
  • + Multi-jurisdiction registrations
  • + Business license renewals
  • + Ongoing compliance review
Meet The Team

Organized by department. Answering as one firm.

Every client works with a specialist in each area — coordinated across tax, bookkeeping, payroll and client service.

Full team directory coming soon
The full team of Bookkeeping Plus, Inc. — Carla K. Ralston, EA and the tax, bookkeeping, payroll and client service departments
The Bookkeeping Plus team — the tax, bookkeeping, payroll, compliance and client-service specialists behind every client engagement.
Carla K. Ralston, EA — Founder & President at Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.

Carla K. Ralston, EA

Founder & President

Enrolled Agent · Shelbyville native · Firm founder 1997

Barbara Newsom, EA — Tax Department at Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.

Barbara Newsom, EA

Tax Department

Enrolled Agent

Joan McCreary, EA — Tax Department at Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.

Joan McCreary, EA

Tax Department

Enrolled Agent

Kathy — Bookkeeping Department at Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.

Kathy

Bookkeeping Department

Client bookkeeping specialist

Kelly — Bookkeeping Department at Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.

Kelly

Bookkeeping Department

Client bookkeeping specialist

Heather — Payroll Department at Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.

Heather

Payroll Department

Payroll & compliance specialist

Kassidy — Client Service at Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.

Kassidy

Client Service

Front-office & client coordination

Fritzi Solis-Lagunes — Client Service at Bookkeeping Plus, Inc.

Fritzi Solis-Lagunes

Client Service

Bilingual — English & Spanish support

Business Performance Review

Clean books are the beginning — not the final outcome.

Once the numbers are right, we sit down with owners to translate them into decisions. A repeatable review, on a rhythm that fits your business.

Request a Business Performance Review

01

Revenue trends

02

Gross profit

03

Payroll & labor costs

04

Operating expenses

05

Cash flow

06

Sales-tax exposure

07

Upcoming tax obligations

08

Pricing considerations

09

Financing readiness

Industry Knowledge

Filing knowledge that reflects the businesses we actually serve.

Middle Tennessee industries have their own reporting quirks. We stay close to the ones we know.

Retail

Sales-tax cycles, inventory posting, seasonal payroll patterns.

Transportation

Fuel and mileage reporting, IFTA-adjacent filings, driver payroll.

Hospitality

Tip reporting, occupancy considerations, high-turnover payroll.

Fuel

Excise-related documentation, jurisdiction-specific filings.

Freight

Multi-state exposure, contractor vs. employee classification.

Lodging

Occupancy tax, seasonal cash flow, hospitality payroll.

Professional Affiliations

Our Affiliations

Bookkeeping Plus is proud to be affiliated with trusted professional and community organizations.

National Society of Accountants

National Society of Accountants

National Society of Tax Professionals

National Society of Tax Professionals

National Association of Tax Professionals

National Association of Tax Professionals

Society for Human Resource Management affiliate

SHRM Affiliate

Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership

Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership

Credentials, Affiliations & Recognition

Verified credentials. Named affiliations. Local recognition.

Every badge on this page reflects verified professional standing — nothing decorative.

National Association of Tax Professionals member

NATP Member

Active member of the National Association of Tax Professionals.

Verify →
Voted Best Tax Service in Bedford County

Best Tax Service in Bedford County

Recognized by the Bedford County Post — two consecutive years.

Enrolled Agents on Staff

Carla K. Ralston, Barbara Newsom and Joan McCreary are federally licensed Enrolled Agents — authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS.

Client Journey

A clear path from "we need help" to a financial system that works.

  1. 01

    Business Fit Conversation

    A first call to understand where things stand and where they're headed.

  2. 02

    Financial Operations Review

    We look at the books, payroll, filings and pain points together.

  3. 03

    Customized Service Plan

    A scope that fits — nothing you don't need, no gaps in what you do.

  4. 04

    Secure Digital Onboarding

    Onvio portal access, engagement letters, secure document collection.

  5. 05

    Monthly Service Rhythm

    Coordinated bookkeeping, payroll and compliance on a repeatable cadence.

  6. 06

    Planning & Growth Conversations

    Ongoing reviews so the numbers inform your next decision.

Secure Client Experience

Sensitive documents don't belong in email.

Our Onvio Client Center lets you share documents securely, access your tax information, and communicate with our office — without exposing PII over email.

Sign in to OnvioRequest portal accessMake a payment
  • Encrypted document upload and download
  • Direct access to your tax information
  • Secure back-and-forth communication with our office
  • No sensitive files traveling through email
Built In Shelbyville

Built in Shelbyville. Working for the businesses that keep Middle Tennessee moving.

You'll find us on North Main Street — the same office we've worked from since 2009. The businesses we serve are the ones we run into at the grocery store.

1997

Founded

2009

Current office

Middle TN

Service area

The Bookkeeping Plus office on North Main Street in Shelbyville
Our office on North Main Street
Shelbyville City Hall in downtown Shelbyville, Tennessee
City Hall
Bedford County Courthouse in Shelbyville, Tennessee
Bedford County Courthouse
Historic former post office in Shelbyville, Tennessee
Historic Post Office
Middle Tennessee Business Desk

Practical writing on the financial questions Middle Tennessee owners actually ask.

Long-form guidance from the team. New pieces publish here as our editorial calendar comes online.

Category

Bookkeeping

Category

Payroll

Category

Tennessee Taxes

Category

Sales Tax

Category

Business Growth

Category

Industry Filings

Category

Tax Planning

Category

Compliance Alerts

Coming to the Business Desk

When a business has outgrown basic bookkeeping

Draft in the editorial queue.

Coming to the Business Desk

How payroll costs quietly shape your margins

Draft in the editorial queue.

Coming to the Business Desk

Which reports owners should actually review each month

Draft in the editorial queue.

Let's Talk

Your business has outgrown doing everything the hard way.

Start with a conversation about the financial work creating the most pressure — and what a coordinated team could take off your plate.

Schedule a Business Fit Conversation Call (931) 685-0503
Shelbyville, TN info@bkpweb.com Mon–Fri · 8–4:30