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How Much Should I Charge for Bookkeeping? 2026 Firm Prices and Calculator

Bookkeeping firms that publish their prices charge a median of $320 a month for their cheapest monthly plan. We checked 25 US firms' pricing pages on September 29, 2026, and their entry plans run from $99 to $1,500.

The client's size moves the price. Firms that price on monthly expenses charge a median of $358 for a client spending $20,000 a month, $393 at $50,000, $720 at $100,000 and $890 at $200,000.

The calculator below prices a client by transaction volume and scope instead. Its core band for a typical small business, 50 to 150 transactions a month, is $250 – $450, and the firms' entry-plan median and their medians at $20,000 and $50,000 in expenses all fall inside it. Add payroll, bill pay, sales tax or advisory and it prices each one on top. It's for the bookkeeper or accountant setting the price.

Compiled by Silver Taza. Firm prices checked .

Region & currency

The client & the engagement

Try a scenario

Typical benchmark rate for an established bookkeeper in an average market.

Assumes ~50–150 transactions per month.

Core bookkeeping (categorization, reconciliation, monthly close) is always included. Toggling these scales the rate and sets the scope tier.

accounts

Recommended monthly rate

$525–$1,100

Implied hourly

≈ $85/hr

Annual value

$6,300–$13,200

Scope tier

Standard

Estimated effort: ~7–12 hours / month at ≈ $85/hr effective. Bump your pricing tier and the effective rate moves; the hours don't.

Estimate based on 2026 industry pricing benchmarks and the inputs above. Not a guarantee; your market, niche, and the client relationship move the final number. Excludes one-time cleanup or catch-up work and tax filing.

What bookkeeping firms charge per month in 2026

27 firms and 77 plans, each read off the firm's own pricing page on September 29, 2026. 25 are US firms. One Canadian and one UK firm are listed in their own currency and left out of the numbers below. Where a firm shows both, the price is month-to-month, with the yearly-billing price under it.

Median entry plan

$320/mo

23 US firms

Entry plans range

$99–$1,500

Cheapest plan with a monthly close

Entry tier stops at

$25K/mo

In expenses, median of 6 firms

When a cheapest plan has a limit, it's usually the client's monthly expenses. 6 firms stop their entry tier between $20K and $100K a month. 3 cap it by revenue, at $250K to $1M a year, and 3 by transactions, at 50 to 100 a month.

4 entry plans come in under the calculator's lowest core figure of $150: Pilot ($99), Profitjets ($100), Heard ($129) and Unified Books ($149). Read each one's note in the table before matching it: the cheapest plans lean on AI or offshore teams, or bill a year upfront.

Price by client size

For the firms that price on monthly expenses (Pilot, Fincent, BooksTime, Xendoo, CoCountant and Haven), this is each firm's cheapest plan with a human bookkeeper that covers a client of that size.

Client's monthly expenses Firms Median price Range
Up to $20,000 6 $358/mo $175–$599
Up to $50,000 6 $393/mo $235–$669
Up to $100,000 6 $720/mo $349–$995
Up to $200,000 5 $890/mo $549–$1,199

Pilot's AI-only Essentials plan and Fincent's quarterly Basic plan are left out so every firm is compared on the same service. Xendoo publishes no price above $125,000 a month, so the last row has one firm fewer.

Against the calculator's core bands

A few firms cap plans by transaction count, the same measure the calculator uses, so their prices can be set against its core band for that volume. 5 of 7 sit inside the band. Unified Books' Starter ($149) sits below it; 1-800Accountant's Business Complete ($469) sits above it, and it includes a tax return.

Firm and plan Transactions a month Firm price Calculator core band
Unified BooksStarter Up to 50 $149 Below the band $150 – $250 under 50 transactions
1-800AccountantBusiness Complete Up to 75 $469 Above the band $250 – $450 50–150 transactions
Bookkeeper.comSmall Business Up to 100 $399 Inside the band $250 – $450 50–150 transactions
Unified BooksStandard Up to 150 $299 Inside the band $250 – $450 50–150 transactions
Bookkeeper.comSmall Business Plus Up to 200 $599 Inside the band $450 – $800 150–400 transactions
Bookkeeper.comSmall Business Advanced Up to 300 $799 Inside the band $450 – $800 150–400 transactions
Unified BooksGrowth Up to 400 $499 Inside the band $450 – $800 150–400 transactions

Core band means core books only (categorizing, reconciling, the monthly close) for a sole proprietor with two accounts at the standard pricing tier. Most firms price on expenses or scope rather than transactions, so this comparison covers only the plans that state a transaction limit.

Every plan, as published

Firm Plan Per month Scales on / limit Listed as included
Pilot Startups and small businesses Core prices come from the page's expense slider. At the check the page also showed a 20% promotional discount on Core.EssentialsAI only $99 Up to $100K monthly expenses ReconciliationAI categorizes, reconciles and closes the books; year-end package for your tax preparer.
Core from $399$299 billed yearly Up to $15K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / ARUS-based bookkeeper; bill management for up to 10 vendor bills a month.
Core from $599$499 billed yearly Up to $30K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR
Core from $669$559 billed yearly Up to $60K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR
Core from $815$679 billed yearly Up to $100K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR
Core from $959$799 billed yearly Up to $150K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR
Core from $1,199$999 billed yearly Up to $200K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR
Bookkeeper360 Small businesses Onboarding and prior-period cleanup is a separate project, from $1,000.Monthly from $399 Not stated Monthly statements
Weekly Weekly bookkeeping from $599 Not stated Monthly statements
Merritt Bookkeeping Small businesses on QuickBooks One plan $250 No tiers Monthly statementsCatch-up months billed at $200 each ($100 for months that are mostly done). No payroll or tax filing.
inDinero Established and growing companies Essential from $750 Not stated Monthly statements
Growth from $1,250 Not stated Monthly statementsAccrual accounting managed by controllers.
1-800Accountant Small businesses Its cheaper plans include tax work and bookkeeping software but no bookkeeper.Business Complete $469billed yearly Priced from 75 transactions a month Payroll, Tax returnDedicated bookkeeper, owner payroll, one business tax return and quarterly estimates.
Fincent Small and growing businesses Pro and Advanced prices come from the page's expense slider; annual billing takes 10% off.Basic Quarterly bookkeeping from $55billed yearly Up to $100K expenses a year Not itemizedQuarterly bookkeeping, cash basis, year-end tax prep reports.
Pro from $189$170 billed yearly Up to $25K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Pro from $249$224 billed yearly Up to $50K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Pro from $349$314 billed yearly Up to $100K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Pro from $449$404 billed yearly Up to $150K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Pro from $549$494 billed yearly Up to $200K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Advanced from $389$350 billed yearly Up to $25K monthly expenses Monthly statements, Tax returnBusiness tax filing, 1099s and extension included.
Kruze Consulting VC-backed startups (from $500K raised) One-time onboarding fee per entity; tax services sold separately.Basic $650–$850 Not stated Not itemizedAccrual-basis bookkeeping, dedicated accounting manager, monthly call.
Founder Timesaver $850–$1,500 Not stated Bill pay / ARAdds revenue recognition support, class tracking and bill pay.
Bench Small businesses All three plans list year-end tax-ready financials. A 12-month prepay takes 20% off. Also offers a fractional bookkeeper at $55/hr plus $1,200 onboarding.Bookkeeping Light $199 Up to $250K revenue a year Not itemized
Bookkeeping $399 Not stated Not itemized
Bookkeeping + Tax $649 Not stated Tax return
Bookkeeper.com Small businesses Small Business $399 $500K revenue, 100 transactions a month Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Small Business Plus $599 $750K revenue, 200 transactions a month Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / ARSemi-monthly service; bill pay for 20 invoices a month.
Small Business Advanced Weekly bookkeeping $799 $1M revenue, 300 transactions a month Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / ARBill pay for 40 invoices a month.
Zeni Startups AI bookkeeping with a dedicated finance team; price also depends on monthly expenses and revenue.Starter from $549$494 billed yearly Pre-revenue companies Not itemized
Growth from $799$719 billed yearly Companies with revenue Not itemized
BooksTime Small businesses and nonprofits One Essentials plan priced by monthly expenses on a slider; no limit on transactions or accounts.Essentials $320$295 billed yearly Under $25K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Essentials $390$355 billed yearly $25K–$50K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Essentials $540$485 billed yearly $50K–$75K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Essentials $690$625 billed yearly $75K–$115K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Essentials $820$735 billed yearly $115K–$160K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Essentials $890$805 billed yearly $160K–$200K monthly expenses Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Xendoo Small businesses Weekly bookkeeping by a dedicated team. Business tax return from $1,245 a year extra.Essential Weekly bookkeeping $395$355 billed yearly Up to $50K monthly expenses, 4 accounts Not itemized
Growth Weekly bookkeeping $695$625 billed yearly Up to $75K monthly expenses, 6 accounts Not itemized
Scale Weekly bookkeeping $995$895 billed yearly Up to $125K monthly expenses, 12 accounts Not itemized
Graphite Financial Startups and growing companies Accounting from $1,500 Not stated Reconciliation, Bill pay / AR, Catch-upPriced on transaction volume, close cadence, entity structure and cleanup needs.
Profitjets Small businesses US (Delaware) address with an India-based team.Starter $100 Not stated Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Plus $150 Not stated Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR
Premium $200 Not stated Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / ARAdds advanced reporting.
Finaloop E-commerce brands Larger brands get a quote after a call.Starter $245 Up to $1M revenue a year, 4 years or less in business Reconciliation, Monthly statements
AccountingDepartment.com Businesses with $1M–$50M revenue Two higher tiers start at $3,500 and $7,500 a month.Essential up to $1,500 For $1M–$3M revenue a year Monthly statementsOnly a ceiling is published, so this plan is left out of the summary.
Core from $1,500 For $2M–$10M revenue a year Monthly statementsAdds controller oversight.
Intuit Experts (QuickBooks) QuickBooks Online users Expert Full Service Bookkeeping from $300 Not stated Reconciliation, Monthly statementsAfter an initial cleanup fee. No bill pay, payroll or tax filing.
Collective Solo business owners Bundles automated bookkeeping with tax work. Yearly billing takes 15% off.LLC $199 Not stated Monthly statements, Tax returnMonthly financial reports, quarterly estimates, basic individual tax return.
S Corp $349 Not stated Monthly statements, Payroll, Tax returnAdds the 1120-S return and member payroll.
Heard Therapists and group practices Prices shown are the annual plan, billed upfront. Catch-up is extra.Lite $129billed yearly Not stated ReconciliationMonthly bookkeeping and quarterly tax estimates; no annual return.
Essential $169billed yearly Not stated Reconciliation, Tax return
Premium $255billed yearly Not stated Reconciliation, Tax returnFor S corps and group practices; payroll is an add-on.
Fondo Startups Quarterly ($1,198 a quarter) and annual ($950 a year) closes are also offered.Monthly Plan from $499 Not stated Monthly statementsShown at $399 as a limited-time offer at the check.
CoCountant Small businesses and startups Prices come from the page's expense slider; selected steps shown.Launch $175$160 billed yearly Up to $20K monthly expenses Monthly statementsController-signed monthly close.
Launch $235$210 billed yearly Up to $50K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Launch $380$310 billed yearly Up to $100K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Launch $480$420 billed yearly Up to $150K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Launch $670$570 billed yearly Up to $200K monthly expenses Monthly statements
Scale $580$460 billed yearly Up to $20K monthly expenses Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR, Payroll
Command $1,390$1,270 billed yearly Up to $50K monthly expenses Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR, Payroll
Peacock Bookkeeping Services Small businesses Essentials from $399 Not stated Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Growth from $599 Not stated Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR
Scale from $1,199 Not stated Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / ARMulti-entity and multi-location.
Haven Startups Prices come from the page's spending slider; above $200K a month it reads over $1,200.Bookkeeping $450 Up to $20K monthly spending Not itemized
Bookkeeping $600 Up to $50K monthly spending Not itemized
Bookkeeping $750 Up to $100K monthly spending Not itemized
Bookkeeping $900 Up to $150K monthly spending Not itemized
Bookkeeping $1,000 Up to $200K monthly spending Not itemized
Unified Books Freelancers and small businesses Lists US and India phone numbers.Starter $149 Up to 50 transactions a month, 1 account Reconciliation, Monthly statements
Standard $299 Up to 150 transactions a month, 3 accounts Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR
Growth Weekly bookkeeping $499 Up to 400 transactions a month Reconciliation, Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR, PayrollPayroll coordination for up to 25 employees.
Ignite Spot Businesses with $1M+ revenue The page's calculator divides the yearly percentage by 12 and turns away revenue under $1M. Priced as a percentage, so it's left out of the summary.Bookkeeping 0.5% of revenue 0.5% of annual revenue Reconciliation, Bill pay / ARSales tax filing through Avalara at $100 a return.
Enkel Canadian businesses and nonprofits · CAD The page doesn't print a currency code; Enkel serves Canadian clients, so the price is read as CAD. 10% off with an annual prepaid contract.Monthly Bookkeeping from C$1,000 Not stated Monthly statements, Bill pay / AR, Sales tax filingGST/HST and PST filings; year-end support for your CPA.
Mazuma UK sole traders · GBP Prices are plus VAT. Each package includes year-end accounts and one self-assessment return.Basic £38 20 transactions a month Monthly statements, Tax return
Standard £45 70 transactions a month Monthly statements, Tax return
Plus £52 100 transactions a month Monthly statements, Tax return
Premium £60 200 transactions a month Monthly statements, Tax return

Prices checked on September 29, 2026 on each firm's pricing page, linked from its name. "Listed as included" is what the pricing page lists for that plan; a service missing from the list may still be offered. Monthly statements means a P&L and balance sheet each month. Prices behind a slider come from the slider's own data on the page.

Firms that don't publish prices

These firms came up in the search but quote each client, so they aren't in the table.

  • Decimal: The pricing link goes to a contact form.
  • Supporting Strategies: No pricing page; quotes after a consultation.
  • Paro: A marketplace of freelance accountants; rates are set per engagement.
  • Accounting Prose: Pricing page with no prices; usually works with $1M+ revenue companies.
  • Ledger Gurus: E-commerce brands from about $3M revenue; no published prices.

How much should you charge for monthly bookkeeping?

For a small business at typical volume, about 50 to 150 transactions a month, charge $250 – $450 a month for core books: categorizing transactions, reconciling accounts and closing the month. That's where the firms' medians for a small client land. Once you take on payroll, bill pay, sales tax or management reports, price each one on top. With AR/AP, payroll and reporting added, the calculator's estimate for the same client is $475 – $1,100.

Size is the other lever. Lower-volume sole proprietors sit below the typical band, and high-volume or e-commerce clients with many accounts sit above it. The calculator also adds 5 to 40% for LLCs, partnerships and corporations, for the extra accounts and payroll they tend to bring. None of the firms in the table prices bookkeeping by entity type, though, so treat that uplift as a judgment call for the client in front of you.

How much do bookkeepers charge in 2026?

Firms that publish prices charge $99 to $1,500 a month for their cheapest plan, with a median of $320. Independent bookkeepers more often quote by the hour: pricing guides put US rates at $40 to $90 an hour, or a fixed monthly fee set by scope. The UK runs a little lower per hour and Australia notably higher. The calculator prices in your region's currency and benchmark, so the range reflects local rates rather than a US average applied everywhere.

An average hides the thing that matters. A sole proprietor's core books and a full-service engagement with payroll and advisory can differ by 4x, and a published "average bookkeeping rate" blends the two. Price against your client's volume and scope, then check the result against firms' prices for a client that size.

What is the average bookkeeper hourly rate in 2026?

In 2026, a US bookkeeper's hourly rate typically runs $40 to $90, with most independent bookkeepers charging in the middle of that band. Entry-level and pure data-entry work sits lower; experienced full-charge bookkeepers, and anyone handling payroll, sales tax, or advisory, charge toward the top of the range or above it. Rates vary by region: the UK runs roughly £30 to £70, Australia A$60 to A$120, and Canada C$35 to C$80 an hour. Few firms publish an hourly price at all; Bench's fractional bookkeeper is one, at $55 an hour plus a $1,200 onboarding fee.

Freelance and self-employed bookkeepers usually sit at the upper end of their local range, because the rate has to cover self-employment tax, software, and the unbilled admin time a salaried role would absorb. A freelancer billing $60 an hour does not take home $60 once those costs come out, which is the main reason most bookkeepers move from hourly billing to fixed monthly fees as they grow.

The calculator above turns any monthly engagement into an implied hourly rate: it prices the work by scope, then divides by the estimated monthly hours. That lets you check what a fixed fee actually earns per hour and compare it against these benchmarks before you quote.

What do bookkeepers charge: hourly vs fixed monthly?

Two billing models dominate. Hourly is simple to start but penalizes you for getting faster and caps your income at your available hours. Fixed monthly ties the fee to the scope of the work rather than the clock. Nearly every firm in the table sells a fixed monthly plan. The calculator shows both: a recommended monthly fee and the implied hourly rate it works out to, so you can check one against the other.

If you're moving a client from hourly to fixed, price the monthly fee against the scope, then divide by your estimated monthly hours to confirm the effective rate clears your hourly floor. If it doesn't, the scope is underpriced or the hours are underestimated.

How to price bookkeeping services

A repeatable method beats quoting from gut feel:

  1. Start from the core monthly band for the client's region and transaction volume.
  2. Add the services you'll actually deliver beyond core books: AR/AP, payroll, sales or VAT tax, management reporting, advisory.
  3. Adjust for structure: extra bank or credit-card accounts, and the payroll and accounts an incorporated client tends to bring.
  4. Set the price to your market position: a value, standard, or premium tier shifts the same scope up or down.
  5. Check the result against what firms charge a client of that size in the tables above.
  6. Quote a range, not a single number, until you've seen the books and confirmed the scope.

The calculator runs the first four steps and shows the factor chain under "how this number was built," so you can see what each input contributes to the fee.

Service scope is the real price driver

The most common pricing mistake is charging core-bookkeeping rates for a full-service engagement. A client who needs payroll run, sales tax filed, and a monthly management pack is not the same engagement as categorize-and-reconcile, even at identical transaction volume. Each added service carries its own recurring work, its own deadlines, and its own liability. The firms price it the same way: in the table, bill pay, payroll and tax returns mostly sit in higher plans or cost extra.

Pricing by scope also makes upgrades easy to explain to the client. When the fee is tied to a clear list of services, adding payroll or advisory later is a line item with a number attached, not an awkward renegotiation. The scope tier the calculator assigns (core only, standard, or full-service) also decides which pool your rate joins if you add it below.

Add your own rate

The tables show what firms ask on their pricing pages. They can't show what independent bookkeepers charge their own clients. If you priced a client in the calculator, you can add what you charge a client like that.

Filed under the client you priced in the calculator: US, medium volume, standard.

Your rate for this client

One number, anonymous. It's pooled with other bookkeepers' rates for the same region, volume and scope, and a pool stays hidden until it holds 20 rates.

2026 industry-guide rangeStandard · guide

$400 – $850/mo

This is the published-guide range for the profile, not a median of other bookkeepers' rates.

$
/mo

Anonymous and aggregated. Your number is never shown on its own.

How these numbers are calculated

The firm tables come from each firm's own pricing page, checked on September 29, 2026. A firm's entry plan is its cheapest plan that closes the books at least monthly; plans priced as a ceiling or a percentage of revenue are listed but left out of the medians.

The calculator's core monthly bands come from published 2026 ongoing-bookkeeping pricing guides for each region, in local currency. Each additional service adds its own monthly band, scaled to the region. Entity type, account count, and your pricing tier then scale the total. Transaction volume is taken as a band, since the exact count is rarely known in advance.

Everything is an estimate, not a guarantee. The output gives you a defensible starting range; you confirm the final number against the actual client and relationship. One-time cleanup or catch-up work and tax return filing are priced separately.

Sources

Firm pricing pages, checked September 29, 2026

Pricing guides behind the calculator's bands

Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge for bookkeeping per month?

For a small business with about 50 to 150 transactions a month, charge around $250 to $450 a month for core bookkeeping: categorizing transactions, reconciling accounts and closing the month. Published firm prices agree: across 23 US firms checked in September 2026, the median entry plan is $320 a month. Price payroll, bill pay, sales tax and management reports on top, and quote more for high-volume clients or clients with many accounts.

What do bookkeeping firms charge at each client size?

Firms that price on a client's monthly expenses charge a median of $358 a month at $20,000 in expenses, $393 at $50,000, $720 at $100,000 and $890 at $200,000, based on their pricing pages in September 2026. Their cheapest tiers usually stop at $20,000 to $25,000 a month in expenses. A few cap the entry tier by revenue ($250,000 to $1 million a year) or by transactions (50 to 100 a month) instead.

What's included in a bookkeeping firm's entry plan?

Monthly categorization and reconciliation, and on most plans a monthly P&L and balance sheet: 14 of the 23 entry plans checked list monthly statements. Payroll, bill pay, tax returns and catch-up work usually sit in higher plans or cost extra. Only 2 of the 23 entry plans include a tax return, and both are bundles built around tax prep.

How much do bookkeepers charge per hour?

Pricing guides put US bookkeepers at $40 to $90 an hour, the UK at roughly £30 to £70, Australia at A$60 to A$120 and Canada at C$35 to C$80. Few firms publish an hourly price; Bench's fractional bookkeeper is $55 an hour plus a $1,200 onboarding fee. Most firms sell a fixed monthly plan instead.