How much does a bookkeeper really cost?
Most small businesses pay roughly $200 to $700 a month for part-time bookkeeping, or about $40 to $100 an hour for a freelancer. The price moves with your transaction count, how many accounts you have and whether your books are current. Catch-up work is usually quoted separately as a one-time job.
Updated November 2026 · By Pankil Kumar, Managing Partner
Quick facts
- Monthly. About $200 to $700 for part-time outsourced bookkeeping, higher for busy books
- Hourly. Published price guides put freelancers around $40 to $100 an hour
- Biggest driver. Your transaction count matters more than your revenue
What actually sets the price?
Revenue isn't what drives a bookkeeping bill. Volume is. A consultant with $400,000 in revenue and 30 transactions a month is a far simpler job than a restaurant with $400,000 and 900 card batches, tips and three delivery apps.
These are the things that move a quote the most.
- How many bank and card accounts you have
- How many transactions land each month
- Whether you carry inventory or track jobs
- Whether payroll and sales tax touch the books
- How far behind you are when you start
Is a flat fee better than hourly?
For most owners, yes. A flat monthly fee tells you the number before the month starts, and it means you won't hesitate to ask a question because the clock's running. Hourly can work if your books are tiny and steady, but a messy month costs you more at exactly the moment cash is tight.
Ask what's included before you compare two quotes. One firm's $300 may cover reconciliations only, while another's covers monthly reports and 1099s in January. You can see how our monthly plans are laid out if you want a yardstick.
What should a bookkeeper deliver every month?
You're paying for finished work, not activity. Each month you should get every bank and card account reconciled, transactions categorized, and a profit and loss statement plus a balance sheet you can actually read. If you can't tell whether you made money last month, the service isn't working.
Should you do your own books instead?
You can, especially in your first year with a few dozen transactions a month. Software like QuickBooks Online or Xero handles the basics. The real cost is your time, plus the errors that show up at tax time when your preparer has to fix a year of guesses. Once bookkeeping eats more than a few hours a month, or you've hired someone, outside help usually pays for itself. If you've already fallen behind, read what catch-up bookkeeping involves first.
Sources
General information, not tax advice for your situation.
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See our bookkeeping serviceIs a bookkeeper worth it for a small business?
Usually yes once your books take more than a few hours a month or you have employees. Clean books also make your tax return faster and cheaper to prepare.
How much should I pay for bookkeeping if I have under 50 transactions a month?
Expect the low end of the range, often around $200 to $300 a month. Simple books with one bank account and one card take much less time.
Do I still need a bookkeeper if I use QuickBooks?
Software sorts and matches transactions, but it can still categorize them wrong. Someone has to review the entries, reconcile the accounts and catch mistakes.
Tell us what's messy. We'll tell you what it takes.
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