How much does bookkeeping cost for a small business?
A plain-English guide to what drives bookkeeping prices, what is usually included, and how to tell whether a quote is fair.
The six things that set your bookkeeping price
- 1Transaction volumeThe number of bank, card and payment-processor transactions each month is the biggest single factor.
- 2Number of accountsEvery bank account, credit card, loan and merchant processor is another reconciliation.
- 3Payroll and contractorsEmployees, multi-state payroll and 1099 contractors add setup and monthly reconciliation work.
- 4Inventory and cost of goodsProduct businesses need inventory and COGS tracking, which takes more care than service businesses.
- 5Sales tax footprintCollecting in one state is simple; tracking nexus in many states is not.
- 6How current the books areClean, current books cost less to maintain. Books that are behind need a one-off catch-up project first.
DIY, part-time hire, or outsourced
Do it yourself
Lowest cash cost, highest time cost. Works for very small, simple businesses if you reconcile monthly and your CPA reviews at year-end.
In-house bookkeeper
Full-time or part-time salary plus taxes and benefits. Makes sense once there is enough work to fill the role.
Outsourced online bookkeeping
One affordable rate for a whole team — we charge $15 per hour — with cover when someone is away and reporting expertise built in. The usual choice for businesses between startup and mid-size.
Catch-up project first
If your books are behind, expect a one-time block of catch-up hours to bring them current before regular monthly hours apply.
All of our accounting, bookkeeping and Excel work is billed at $15 per hour, with a written estimate of hours before we start. See pricing.
Bookkeeping cost FAQ
Outsourced monthly bookkeeping for a small business typically runs from a few hundred dollars a month for simple books to $1,000–$2,500 a month for higher-volume businesses with payroll, inventory or several entities.
Software alone costs less, but owners commonly spend several hours a month on it and pay their CPA to fix errors at year-end. Once those hours are worth more than a monthly fee, outsourcing is usually cheaper overall.
Hourly billing lets you pay only for the work your business actually needs. We charge a flat $15 per hour and give a written estimate of monthly hours first, so the cost stays predictable.
Get your exact bookkeeping price
Reply from Jay within one business day with a written scope and an estimate of hours at $15 per hour. No obligation.
Want an exact number?
Share your state, software and rough monthly transaction count. You get a monthly hours estimate at $15 per hour within one business day.