CLEER

What CLEER does

Cleer Tax (legal entity Bona Chance LLC, dba Cleer Tax, headquartered at 1321 Upland Dr PMB 4533, Houston, TX) is a U.S.-domiciled, remote-first professional services firm that delivers tax preparation and ongoing bookkeeping exclusively to U.S. small businesses — with primary specialization in startups and foreign-owned U.S. entities (LLCs, C-Corps, foreign subsidiaries, and disregarded entities with non-U.S. owners). The company's core technical foundation is a Xero Platinum Partner integration that bundles the Xero Cashbook, Early, and Established subscription tiers directly into its monthly bookkeeping packages, paired with a secure client portal for document uploads and accountant communication. Service delivery is performed by IRS Enrolled Agents supported by in-house attorneys, organized around a dedicated-accountant model where each client is matched to a specific bookkeeper/tax preparer.

The product surface consists of entity-specific tax-preparation packages (C-Corp starting at $599, LLC at $599, foreign-owned LLC at $999, foreign subsidiary Form 5471 at $2,599, and Delaware Franchise Tax at $199), tiered monthly bookkeeping subscriptions ($199-$799/month scaled to monthly transaction volume), catch-up bookkeeping on per-transaction unit pricing ($300-$2,100), and add-on modules including 83(b) election filing, FinCEN Beneficial Ownership reports, R&D tax credits, corporate dissolutions, and IRS Enrolled Agent consultations. All services are sold through a transparent, self-serve website with flat-fee pricing on Stripe-integrated buy-now buttons, complemented by dedicated accountant engagement and channel-sourced leads from incorporation firms and the Xero marketplace.

The firm serves a customer base of 5,000+ clients across all 50 U.S. states and 5 continents, was founded in 2016 by David McKeegan (CEO; IRS Enrolled Agent, MBA from IESE Business School, Barcelona) and was recognized on the Inc. 5000 list in 2022. The company operates without institutional funding — bootstrapped to 50+ team members globally — and is currently pursuing SOC 2 Type 2 certification. Recent strategic emphasis has shifted from one-time tax prep toward recurring monthly bookkeeping subscriptions, while expanding into FinCEN Beneficial Ownership reporting and R&D tax credits as new compliance verticals.

Name

CLEER

Legal name

Bona Chance LLC

Website

https://cleertax.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cleer Tax is a U.S.-domiciled, remote-first accounting firm that delivers tax preparation and ongoing bookkeeping services, specializing in startups and foreign-owned U.S. businesses (LLCs, C-Corps, and foreign subsidiaries), via a Xero Platinum Partner platform and IRS Enrolled Agent staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grandville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tax Preparation Services: Flat-rate tax preparation services for C-Corps, LLCs, foreign-owned businesses, foreign subsidiaries, and Delaware franchise tax. Pricing varies by company income/expense tier and complexity of forms required.
2. Monthly Bookkeeping Subscription: Recurring monthly subscription for ongoing bookkeeping services with tiered pricing based on monthly income/expense levels ($199-$799/month). Includes Xero subscription, financial statement preparation, and dedicated bookkeeper.
3. Catchup Bookkeeping: One-time project-based pricing based on number of transactions requiring cleanup ($300-$2,100). Designed for companies that have fallen behind on their books.
4. 83b Election Filing: One-time filing service for restricted stock elections ($199). Includes preparation of election letter and guidance on submission.
5. R&D Tax Credits: Project-based service for R&D tax credit preparation ($1,500 total, $250 initial payment to qualify)
6. Consultation Services: 1:1 telephone consultation with IRS Enrolled Agent ($299) including 30 minutes research time and 30 minute call

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CLEER (Cleer Tax) is a U.S. tax preparation and bookkeeping firm that prepares entity-level tax returns, handles ongoing monthly bookkeeping, and files specialty compliance forms for foreign-owned U.S. businesses and early-stage startups. Its service catalog spans C-Corp and LLC tax preparation, foreign subsidiary reporting (Form 5471), Delaware franchise tax (DEFT) filing, FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information reporting, 83(b) elections, and corporate dissolution, delivered on a fixed-fee basis using cloud accounting software and a secure client portal.

Product overview

Cleer Tax provides a comprehensive suite of tax preparation and bookkeeping services designed specifically for startups, early-stage companies, and foreign-owned U.S. businesses. The core offering consists of entity-specific tax filing packages (C-Corp Tax Preparation, LLC Tax Preparation, Foreign Subsidiary Tax Reporting, Foreign-Owned U.S. Company Tax Filing, and Delaware Franchise Tax Filing) paired with ongoing bookkeeping solutions (Monthly Bookkeeping and Bookkeeping Catch-Up). Additional services include 83(b) Election Filing, Final Tax Return & Corporate Dissolution, Phone Consultation with IRS Enrolled Agents, FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Reporting, and R&D Tax Credits. Free resources include a Business Tax Calendar, Delaware Franchise Tax Calculator, and Tax Services Purchase Help Quiz. All bookkeeping services are delivered through Xero accounting software, positioning Cleer as a Xero Platinum Partner. The company operates on a flat-fee pricing model with packages tiered by company size and complexity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• C-Corp Tax Preparation Flat-fee preparation and filing of U.S. federal and state C-Corporation (Form 1120) tax returns for small and early-stage U.S. companies, targeted at foreign-owned C-Corps and startup C-Corps.
• LLC Tax Preparation Flat-fee preparation and filing of U.S. LLC tax returns (single- or multi-member) for foreign-owned and startup LLCs operating in the United States.
• Foreign Subsidiary Tax Reporting (Form 5471) Preparation and filing of IRS Form 5471 information returns for U.S. persons (including U.S. corporations and individuals) that own interests in foreign corporations, serving CLEER's cross-border clientele.
• Foreign-Owned U.S. Company Tax Filing Tax preparation and filing service tailored to U.S. companies (C-Corps and LLCs) that are owned by non-U.S. persons, addressing withholding, reporting, and entity-level compliance specific to foreign ownership.
• Delaware Franchise Tax Filing (DEFT) Preparation and filing of the annual Delaware franchise tax (DEFT) report and payment for Delaware-incorporated C-Corps and LLCs, including the Authorized Shares Method and Assumed Par Value Capital Method calculations.
• Monthly Bookkeeping Recurring monthly bookkeeping service delivered via the Xero cloud accounting platform, including transaction categorization, bank and credit card reconciliations, and monthly financial statements for startups and foreign-owned U.S. businesses.
• Bookkeeping Catch-Up One-time cleanup and catch-up of overdue or disorganized bookkeeping records in Xero, bringing client accounts current so ongoing monthly bookkeeping and tax preparation can proceed.
• 83(b) Election Filing Preparation and timely filing of IRS Section 83(b) elections for founders receiving stock in their startup, targeting the strict 30-day post-issuance filing window at incorporation.
• Final Tax Return and Corporate Dissolution Preparation of final U.S. federal and state tax returns and handling of corporate dissolution paperwork for U.S. C-Corps and LLCs being wound down, including final Delaware franchise tax filings as needed.
• FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Reporting Preparation and submission of FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information reports for U.S. reporting companies, including identification of beneficial owners and required updates, as required under federal BOI rules.
• R&D Tax Credits Identification, documentation, and filing support for federal R&D tax credits available to qualifying startups and U.S. companies with research and development activities.
• Phone Consultation Paid phone-based consultation service for prospective and existing clients seeking advice on U.S. tax preparation, bookkeeping, or cross-border compliance issues handled by CLEER.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delaware franchise tax savings of up to $100k+ through optimized calculation method selection
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero Platinum Partner - highest level in Xero's accreditation program. Cleer Tax provides expert setup, migration, and ongoing bookkeeping services using Xero accounting software. Xero subscriptions are included in monthly bookkeeping packages at various tiers (Cashbook, Early, Established).
• Incorporation FirmscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred and long-standing tax partner to numerous high-profile companies and leading incorporation firms. Acts as the tax compliance partner for clients referred through incorporation services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pilot: Pilot provides bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services for venture-backed startups — directly comparable to Cleer Tax's monthly bookkeeping + tax filing model for startup-stage clients, with overlap on the funded/startup segment.
• Bright!Tax: Bright!Tax provides U.S. expat and international tax services for individuals and small businesses — a comparable cross-border tax practice serving internationally mobile clients.
• Bench: Bench offers monthly small-business bookkeeping with optional tax filing — competing head-to-head with Cleer's Monthly Bookkeeping tiers for SMB and startup clients seeking outsourced books.
• 1-800Accountant: 1-800Accountant delivers on-demand accounting, tax, and bookkeeping to small businesses and startups — a direct competitor to Cleer's bundled tax + bookkeeping flat-fee service model.
• Taxes for Expats: Taxes for Expats specializes in U.S. and international tax filings for Americans abroad and foreign nationals — overlapping cross-border tax niche with Cleer's foreign-owned U.S. business focus.
• Greenback Tax Services: Greenback Tax Services — founded by Cleer's CEO David McKeegan and exited in 2023 — served U.S. expats with international tax filings; directly comparable in DNA, leadership, and cross-border tax specialization.
• Kruze Consulting: Kruze Consulting provides accounting, tax, and CFO services specifically to VC-funded startups — overlapping with Cleer's funded-startup segment and tax preparation for C-Corps.

Others

• Xero: Xero is the cloud accounting platform Cleer builds its bookkeeping service around and where it holds Platinum Partner status — an ecosystem enabler and distribution channel rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• H&R Block: H&R Block is a large incumbent tax preparation chain with DIY software plus in-person and online professional tax services — broad overlap with Cleer's tax filings, but without Cleer's foreign-owner specialization.
• TurboTax (Intuit): TurboTax / Intuit dominates DIY U.S. tax preparation software and adjacent small-business accounting via QuickBooks — competes with Cleer for price-sensitive self-directed filers among early-stage founders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cleertax
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleer-tax
• Instagraminstagram.com/cleertax
• Xx.com/cleertaxnbooks

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CLEER