BACK-OFFICE EXPERTS FOR GROWING BUSINESSES
How Much Does a Bookkeeper Cost?
Outsourced bookkeeping typically costs $200 to $1,000 per month for a small business, with basic packages around $250 to $350. Freelance hourly rates commonly run $43 to $80 and up. Price is driven by account count and transaction volume rather than revenue.
The Short Answer
Most small businesses pay somewhere between $200 and $1,000 per month for outsourced bookkeeping. Where you land inside that range depends on how many accounts you run and how many transactions flow through them — not on your revenue.
That last point surprises people. A consultancy turning over two million dollars with one bank account and forty transactions a month is cheaper to keep books for than a busy restaurant turning over four hundred thousand.
The Three Pricing Models
Hourly. Common with independent bookkeepers. US Bureau of Labor Statistics data puts median bookkeeper pay at roughly $23.66 per hour, but that is employee wage, not what a firm charges. Freelance rates commonly start around $43 per hour and reach $80 or more for specialized work. The problem with hourly is budgeting: you cannot forecast the cost, and you hesitate before asking a question.
Flat monthly. The dominant model for outsourced firms, priced on accounts and transaction volume. Predictable for you, and it removes the incentive to be slow.
Per-transaction or tiered. Some platforms price purely on transaction count. Clean in theory, but it tends to under-price complexity — inventory, job costing, and multi-entity work take time that transaction counts do not capture.
Typical Market Ranges
| Option | Typical cost | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Basic outsourced package | $250–$350 / month | Solo owners, low transaction volume, one or two accounts |
| Mid-range outsourced | $500–$700 / month | Growing businesses with several accounts, AP/AR needs, payroll |
| Full-service outsourced | $1,000+ / month | Higher volume, inventory, multi-entity, class or job tracking |
| Freelance hourly | $43–$80+ / hour | Irregular or project-based needs |
| In-house full-time | ~$49,000–$57,000 / year salary, plus taxes and benefits | Businesses with enough volume to fill a full-time role |
| Cleanup or catch-up | Quoted per project, larger jobs from ~$3,000 | Books that are behind or inaccurate |
Figures reflect published US market data for 2026 and BLS wage data; local rates vary.
What Actually Drives Your Price
- Number of accounts. Every bank, credit card, loan, and merchant account has to be reconciled separately. Six accounts is roughly three times the work of two.
- Transaction volume. The single largest driver. A hundred transactions a month is a different job from six hundred.
- Complexity. Inventory, job costing, retainage, multi-entity consolidation, class and location tracking, and foreign currency all add real time.
- Payroll. Reconciling payroll and liabilities adds work even when a provider runs it.
- Condition of the file. A clean, well-structured ledger costs less to maintain than one that needs constant correction.
- Scope. Whether AP/AR management, bill pay, invoicing, and a monthly review call are included.
The In-House Comparison, Honestly
An in-house bookkeeper averages roughly $49,000 to $57,000 a year in salary depending on the source and region. Salary is not the cost. Add employer payroll taxes, benefits, paid leave, software licences, equipment, recruiting, and the management attention to keep someone productive.
Against that, the relevant question is whether you have enough work to fill the role. Most businesses under a few million in revenue need perhaps a quarter of a full-time person, and paying for four times what you need is a poor trade regardless of the hourly maths.
The in-house case gets strong when volume is genuinely high, when the role expands into office management or AP processing, or when you need someone physically present.
Why Cheap Quotes Are Often Not Cheaper
A $99 monthly quote is not the same service as a $500 one, and the difference is rarely disclosed on the pricing page.
The most common omission is reconciliation. Categorizing imported transactions is fast and largely automated. Matching every account line by line against statements is the slow part, and it is the part that catches duplicated income, missing expenses, and errors that compound. Categorization without reconciliation is data entry wearing bookkeeping’s name.
Other frequent gaps: no AP/AR tracking, no payroll reconciliation, no human explanation of the reports, and a rotating pool of staff who never learn your business.
The real cost surfaces later, as a cleanup engagement. It is genuinely common for a business to spend three thousand dollars fixing two years of cheap bookkeeping — more than the difference in fees they saved.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
“Is every account reconciled against statements every month?” Ask it plainly. The answer sorts most of the market.
“What specifically is included, and what is billed extra?” Bill pay, invoicing, additional entities, and cleanup are commonly extras.
“Will I work with the same person?” Continuity is most of the value.
“What happens when I have a question?” If the answer involves a ticket and a two-day wait, that is the relationship.
“What would make this price go up?” A straight answer here tells you the provider understands their own economics.
What We Charge
Hanson Ledgers prices on accounts and transaction volume, flat monthly: Clarity at $397, Momentum at $597, Scale at $897, and Premium at $1,297 for unlimited accounts and transactions. Cleanup and catch-up are quoted per project once we have seen the file. Detail is on the Bookkeeping Support page.
Related reading: what a bookkeeper does, bookkeeper vs accountant, and when to hire one. If the books are already behind, see catch-up bookkeeping or QuickBooks cleanup.
A Worked Example
Numbers in the abstract are hard to apply, so take a specific case: a growing service business with three bank accounts, two credit cards, one loan, payroll for four employees, and roughly 300 transactions a month.
Outsourced monthly. That profile sits in the mid range, somewhere around $600 per month, or $7,200 a year. Reconciliation of all six accounts, payroll reconciliation, AP/AR tracking, monthly statements.
Freelance hourly. The same work is perhaps eight to twelve hours a month. At $50 an hour that is $400 to $600 — comparable, but unpredictable, and you will hesitate before asking questions.
In-house part-time. Ten hours a week at $25 an hour is $13,000 a year in wages before payroll taxes, benefits, software, and equipment. More capacity than the business needs, at roughly double the cost.
Doing it yourself. Ten hours a month. If your own time is worth $100 an hour, that is $12,000 a year of capacity, taken from evenings, done by someone untrained — and it does not include the cost of decisions made on numbers you do not fully trust.
The outsourced option is not always the answer, but it wins this comparison decisively, and this profile is extremely common.
What Makes the Price Go Up Later
A quote reflects the business as it is today. A few changes reliably move it, and knowing them in advance prevents an unwelcome conversation.
Adding accounts, particularly merchant accounts with their own settlement cycles. Taking on payroll. Adding a second entity, which means consolidation rather than simply more transactions. Introducing inventory. Moving into job costing or class tracking. And a sharp rise in transaction volume — usually good news, but it does change the work.
A provider who explains this up front is easier to budget around than one who quotes low and revisits it in month four.
Talk It Through With Someone Who Does This Daily
If you are weighing this decision for your own business, a conversation is usually faster than more reading. Hanson Ledgers is a Dallas/Fort Worth back-office team, and the consultation is free.
Tell us what the business does, what is taking too much of your time, and where the books stand. We will tell you honestly what you need — including if the answer is that you do not need us yet.
Call 682.304.7152, email info@hansonledgers.org, or request a free consultation.
Bookkeeping Costs: Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a bookkeeper cost per month?
Outsourced monthly bookkeeping commonly runs from about $200 to $700 per month for small businesses, with basic packages around $250 to $350 and more involved ones from $500 to $1,000 and up. Price is driven by transaction volume and account count rather than revenue.
What is the hourly rate for a bookkeeper?
US Bureau of Labor Statistics data puts median bookkeeper pay at about $23.66 per hour. Independent and freelance bookkeepers charge more — commonly $43 per hour and up, reaching $80 or more for specialized work.
Is it cheaper to hire in-house or outsource?
For most small businesses, outsourcing. A full-time in-house bookkeeper averages around $49,000 to $57,000 a year before payroll taxes, benefits, software, and equipment. Most businesses under a few million in revenue need a fraction of that capacity.
Why do bookkeeping quotes vary so much?
Because scope varies. Some quotes include reconciliation of every account, AP/AR tracking, and a monthly call; others are categorization only. Always ask specifically whether every account is reconciled against statements each month.
What does a cheap bookkeeping service usually leave out?
Reconciliation is the most common omission, followed by accounts payable and receivable tracking, payroll reconciliation, and any human explanation of the reports. Categorization without reconciliation is data entry.
How much does bookkeeping cleanup cost?
Cleanup and catch-up are quoted per project because scope varies enormously. Larger engagements commonly start around $3,000. It is almost always cheaper to maintain books monthly than to reconstruct them later.
Should I pay hourly or a flat monthly fee?
Flat monthly is generally better for both sides. It makes budgeting possible, removes the awkward incentive around efficiency, and means you are not billed for asking a question.
Get a Real Number for Your Business
Tell us how many accounts you run, roughly how many transactions, and what condition the books are in. We will give you a flat monthly price, not a range. Call 682.304.7152.
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