Bookkeeping prices depend mostly on how much activity your books have: transactions per month, the number of bank and card accounts, payroll and contractors, and whether the books are current. National online services advertise starting prices from roughly $150 to $300 a month, but those usually assume very low volume. A service business with a small team, payroll and several accounts should expect a meaningfully higher monthly fee, plus a one-time fee if the books need catching up.
What actually sets the price
1. Transactions per month
Every transaction has to be categorized and matched to a statement. A solo consultant with 40 transactions a month and an agency with 300 are very different jobs, even if both are called monthly bookkeeping.
2. Number of accounts
Each bank account, credit card, loan and payment processor is another statement to reconcile every month. Several business cards used by different people adds up quickly.
3. Payroll and contractors
Payroll from Gusto, ADP or QuickBooks Payroll needs to be recorded and checked each month. Contractors need W-9s and 1099 tracking. Both add work.
4. How clean the books are today
If the books are behind or have errors, that work is usually quoted separately as a catch-up or cleanup fee before monthly work starts. This is often the biggest cost in the first year.
5. What is included
Some prices cover categorizing only. Others include reconciliation, a monthly report, invoicing, bill pay or year-end 1099s. Two quotes can look far apart simply because they cover different work.
Why the advertised price rarely matches
Online bookkeeping services advertise a starting price, and it is real, but it is built for the smallest businesses: low transaction counts, one or two accounts, no payroll. Once you add a team, several cards and contractors, most services move you to a higher tier.
That is not a trick. It is just that "bookkeeping" covers very different amounts of work. The useful comparison is not starting price, but what you will pay for your actual volume, with everything you need included.
Flat fee or hourly?
Hourly billing makes costs hard to predict, and it quietly rewards slow work. A flat monthly fee, set from your volume and reviewed if your business changes a lot, lets you budget and removes the hesitation about asking a question.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Is every bank and credit card account reconciled to its statement every month?
- What do I receive each month, and by what date?
- Is catch-up or cleanup work included, or quoted separately?
- What happens to the price if my transaction volume grows?
- Who does the work, and how quickly do they answer?
- Is there a contract, and how do I leave?
Common questions
Is a bookkeeper cheaper than a CPA?
For day-to-day bookkeeping, usually yes. A CPA's time is typically priced for tax and advisory work. Many businesses use a bookkeeper to keep the books current and a CPA to prepare the tax return from them.
Why do bookkeeping quotes vary so much?
Mostly because they cover different amounts of work: different transaction volumes, numbers of accounts, whether reconciliation and reports are included, and whether catch-up work is part of the price.
Is catch-up bookkeeping included in the monthly fee?
Usually not. Catch-up or cleanup work is normally quoted as a separate one-time fee, because it depends on how many months are missing and how much needs fixing.
Want someone to look at yours?
We charge one flat monthly fee based on your actual volume, with no hourly billing and no contract. We quote it after a free Books Checkup, once we have seen what your books need.
Get a free Books CheckupThis guide is general information about bookkeeping, not tax or legal advice. Rules change, so check the details with your CPA before you act on them.