For restaurants, cafés, bars and food trucks, where most of the money moves through the till. Your books done the day you upload your statements, for $79 a month.
Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.
Sales tax
Connecticut's sales tax is 6.35%, with no local sales tax on top. If what you sell is taxable, you collect it and file returns with the state.
State income tax
Connecticut taxes income at 2% to 6.99% in 2026, including the profit from your business.
Federal tax
Working for yourself, you pay 15.3% self-employment tax on most of your profit, plus federal income tax, usually in four estimated payments: April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15.
Contractors
Paid a contractor $2,000 or more in 2026? Send them a 1099-NEC by January 31.
What every business here keeps track of in 2026. Rates change, so check with your accountant before you file.
Why restaurants need different books
Card sales land a few days later with the processor's fees taken out, cash goes into the till and the bank on its own schedule, tips belong to staff, delivery apps pay you less their commission, and food costs move every week. Getting from all that to a real profit number is a restaurant bookkeeper's whole job.
What a bookkeeper for restaurants in Connecticut keeps track of
Daily sales from your point of sale, split into cash, card and gift cards
Card payouts net of fees, matched to the day they came from
Tips owed to staff, kept out of your sales
Delivery app payouts, split into sales and commission
Food and drink costs as a share of sales
Cash counted against what the till says
Taxes for restaurants in Connecticut
Restaurant meals in Connecticut are taxed at the state's 6.35% plus local tax, and some places add a separate meals tax.
Restaurant meals are taxable in every state that has a sales tax, and some cities and counties add a meals tax on top.
Tips aren't your sales, but you report them through payroll, and you may get a tax credit for the Social Security and Medicare you pay on them.
Delivery apps send you a yearly 1099-K for what they paid you.
What SumSwift does for restaurant and café owners, for $79 a month
Point of sale reports read from Square, Toast, Clover, Lightspeed, TouchBistro and others, each day split into cash, card, tips and gift cards
Card payouts matched to their days, with the processor's fees split out
Uber Eats, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes payout reports split into sales and commission
Till counts with over or short, and cash deposits matched
Recipes and food cost, actual against what sales should have used
Payroll worked out each payday, with the deposit file for your bank and the remittance to send
Every statement checked against the balances your bank printed, to the cent, with personal spending kept off your profit
Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in USD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.
Questions.
How much does a bookkeeper for restaurants cost in Connecticut?
Published price guides put most small businesses at $300 to $1,500 a month for a bookkeeper, more when the books are busy, as they often are for restaurants. SumSwift does the monthly work for $79 a month, the day you upload your statements.
What's a good food cost percentage?
Many restaurants aim for food cost around 28% to 35% of food sales. SumSwift shows yours each month from your real purchases and sales.
Why don't my deposits match my sales?
Card processors and delivery apps take their fees before paying you, and cash goes in on its own schedule. SumSwift matches each payout to its sales day and splits out the fees.
Does SumSwift know Connecticut's tax rules?
Restaurant meals in Connecticut are taxed at the state's 6.35% plus local tax, and some places add a separate meals tax. Restaurant meals are taxable in every state that has a sales tax, and some cities and counties add a meals tax on top.
Behind on my books. Can you catch me up?
Yes. A catch-up of up to 12 months is $599, once, checked against your bank to the cent.