Bookkeeping Prices for Small Business: What to Expect in 2025

Small businesses should expect to pay at least $300 each month for bookkeeping. But prices range dramatically. We based our estimate on:

• Pay data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

• Price quotes from freelancers on the hiring website Upwork.

• An AI-assisted analysis of more than 2,200 comments on Reddit.* 

How much you’ll pay a bookkeeper depends on a number of factors. Read on for more details about each and when it’s time to hire a professional.

You can pay a bookkeeper a fixed rate or by the hour. Unless you’re hiring a bookkeeper for a one-off task, we recommend flat monthly subscription pricing or project-based pricing. That way, you know exactly what you’re paying ahead of time and can budget for it.

The median pay for bookkeepers in 2024 was $23.66 per hour or $49,210 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.^[0]

Upwork lists the average rate for bookkeeping services as $43 per hour. But you’ll find bookkeepers there who charge anywhere from that amount to $80 or more.

These flat fees are common among online bookkeeping services. For that fixed price, you’ll get a set list of tasks. Packages range anywhere from around $250 per month to $700 and up.

Many of these services offer various plans that cover everything from just the bookkeeping basics to other back-office tasks, like payroll and accounts receivable. Popular choices include QuickBooks Live, Pilot Bookkeeping and Bookkeeper360.

Individual bookkeepers may also use this pricing model. Based on our AI-assisted analysis of r/Bookkeeping and similar subreddits, average monthly bookkeeping costs are:

• For basic services: $250 to $350. 

• For mid-range services: $500 to $700.

• For premium services: $1,000+.

Project-based pricing is similar to monthly subscription pricing. Costs vary by project. “Cleanups” often follow this model. Bookkeepers and bookkeeping services offer this one-off service to bring outdated or disorganized books up to speed.

QuickBooks Live, for example, doesn’t advertise a set cleaning fee. Instead, the company says it depends on the business’s sign-up month, tax-filing status and when it opened. Bookkeeper360, on the other hand, charges $1,000 and up for its “setup and prior bookkeeping” add-on.

The type of bookkeeping service you choose will impact how much you pay, too. In-house bookkeepers are usually the most expensive option. Hiring a virtual bookkeeper or online bookkeeping service can be less costly.

An in-house bookkeeper is your employee. On the upside, this lets them become familiar with your business’s ins and outs. And if they work on site, you can consult them in person when you have questions.

The downside of hiring an in-house bookkeeper is the expense. This is especially true if you live in a city or region with a particularly high cost of living. For instance, accountants in New York state earn $56 on average, compared to $44 in North Carolina, according to BLS data.^[0]

On top of a competitive salary, you may also offer benefits. And if this is their full-time job, you might provide a computer and other office equipment.

None of this is bad. In fact, it can be worth it. These are just brass-tacks expenses you need to budget for.

Virtual bookkeepers work remotely and are typically contractors. Since they’re not on site, you won’t work as closely with them. But if they get the job done, that trade-off might be worth the savings.

You can find virtual bookkeepers on freelance marketplaces, like Upwork, or professional networking sites, like LinkedIn. Word of mouth is also a great way to connect with solid bookkeepers. Try asking other business owners in your industry whom they work with.

Online bookkeeping services often match their clients with a team of bookkeepers. That means you might not have a single point of contact if you run into issues. Before deciding on a particular service, make sure to read online reviews of their customer support and quality of work.

Additionally, check to confirm the online bookkeeping service uses the same small-business accounting software as you. If they don’t, you’ll need to switch products to collaborate. This can cost additional time and money. If you’re satisfied with your current accounting software, we don’t recommend going through the trouble of switching.

Aside from pricing model and type of bookkeeping service, here are the main factors that affect small-business bookkeeping prices.

The range of bookkeeping tasks you need completed (and how often) impacts what you’ll pay. Basic bookkeeping tasks include categorizing transactions, reconciling accounts and running reports at the end of each month.

Bookkeepers may also take on additional back-office tasks. These include running payroll, preparing your business to file taxes and handling invoices and bills. Some online bookkeeping services, like Bookkeeper360, consider these add-on services.

Like any profession, bookkeepers often charge more as they gain experience or certifications. Newer bookkeepers who have only worked with a handful of businesses will likely charge less. But that doesn’t mean they won’t do a good job.

When you chat with bookkeepers, try to get a feel for their business acumen. Can they provide at least a handful of recommendations from previous clients? At a minimum, they should also be certified by a respected institution, like the National Association of Certified Bookkeepers or the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers.

As businesses grow, their bookkeeping needs will likely become more complex. Naturally, this will require more work.

For example, a mature business with investors might need to prepare quarterly earnings reports on top of completing basic bookkeeping tasks. Additionally, larger small businesses will probably have more transactions to categorize and more accounts to reconcile.

It’s probably time to bring a bookkeeper or bookkeeping service on board if any of the following scenarios apply:

It’s normal to fall behind on bookkeeping in the first few months after your business opens. But after that initial rush, you should settle into a consistent bookkeeping routine. If that doesn’t happen and you find yourself falling months behind, you should consider hiring it out.

Hiring a bookkeeper costs money, but bookkeeping errors can be expensive, too. This is especially true if they go unnoticed and your business gets audited. If you can’t rely on the accuracy of your reports or confidently compare income and expenses period over period, you might weigh getting help.

In reality, you’d be hard pressed to come across a business owner who isn’t strapped for time. But if bookkeeping tasks are distracting you from successfully running your business, outsourcing them is a smart move. Doing this can free up time for you to do other things, like meeting with employees, focusing on production or negotiating lower prices for raw materials.