Bench shut down: what to do with your books and your tax return

Bench went offline on December 27, 2024 and now sells under the Mainstreet name

Bench told customers on December 27, 2024 that its platform would no longer be accessible. On December 30, 2024 Employer.com said it would acquire Bench, and TechCrunch reported about 12,000 customers could keep the service or port their data. Bench filed for bankruptcy in Canada on January 7, 2025, per Wikipedia.

Service resumed in January 2025. On August 11, 2025 Employer.com rebranded Bench as part of Mainstreet. Bench's own pricing page still lists bookkeeping plans at $199, $399 and $649 a month.

Get these seven files out of Bench first

Bench says the general ledger report is available to your bookkeeper on request. Ask for all of these in one email and keep the reply.

1. 1

   Step 1: The year-end financial package: Bench says it holds the income statement, balance sheet, general ledger and trial balance.

2. 2

   Step 2: Monthly income statements and balance sheets. Bench's Reports page downloads them, with Excel export for period comparisons.

3. 3

   Step 3: The chart of accounts.

4. 4

   Step 4: Every bank and card statement for the year, from your banks directly if Bench cannot send them.

5. 5

   Step 5: Receipts and attachments linked to transactions.

6. 6

   Step 6: W-9 forms and the vendor totals for 1099 filings.

7. 7

   Step 7: Payroll reports, if Bench handled payroll journals.

If you consented to data access after the shutdown, the Pilot FAQ says Bench needed your I Consent click before it would build your download. Without it, you may not see the export. Ask support whether it is recorded on your account.

Give your CPA the year-end package before the filing date

A CPA needs the same handful of reports from any bookkeeper: trial balance at December 31, general ledger for the year, profit and loss, balance sheet, and bank statements that reach the year-end balance. If you did not finish a year with Bench, rebuild the missing months from bank statements before you decide anything else.

If books are not ready, file for an extension. Form 7004 requests an automatic 6-month extension for the business returns it covers, including Forms 1120, 1120-S and 1065. The IRS says it does not extend the time to pay any tax due, so send an estimate of what you owe by the original due date.

Ask your CPA for your exact due date; see the startup tax deadlines guide for the common ones.

Decide whether to stay, using three checks

If you move, see Bench alternatives for nine options with prices.

Keep your own copy from now on

• Each month, download the general ledger and trial balance and save them outside the tool.
• Keep every bank statement and receipt. The IRS says keep records for 3 years from filing in the usual case, 6 years if you leave out income that is more than 25% of the gross income on your return, and 7 years for a bad debt or worthless securities loss. Employment tax records are kept at least 4 years.
• The IRS lets you choose any recordkeeping system that clearly shows income and expenses, so a copy in a spreadsheet counts if it supports your return.

Moving your Bench books into Accountable takes one file

Upload the general ledger from Bench's year-end package through the spreadsheet move. Accountable rebuilds your history, checks every month-end against the file's own numbers to the cent, and goes live only when you approve. You can undo the whole move for 30 days. If you cannot export, we move you for free and you approve before anything goes live.