GUIDE · BOOKKEEPER COST
How much does a bookkeeper cost?
Four ways to pay, priced on one business.
A bookkeeper employed full time costs a U.S. small business about $4,500 a month before benefits, based on the $50,670 median wage (BLS, May 2025) plus employer payroll tax. A part-time bookkeeper or freelancer usually costs a few hundred dollars a month for a small business, and monthly bookkeeping services such as ZeraBooks start at $150 a month.
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THE WAGE DATA
What does a bookkeeper earn per hour and per year?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics groups bookkeepers with accounting and auditing clerks. Its May 2025 figures are the starting point for any in-house cost. What the business pays is higher, because the employer adds payroll tax and benefits on top of the wage.
| Figure (May 2025) | Per year | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earned less than | $36,000 | $17.31 |
| Median wage | $50,670 | $24.36 |
| Highest 10% earned more than | $74,550 | $35.84 |
| Median plus employer Social Security and Medicare (7.65%) | $54,546 | $26.22 |
Hourly figures for the 10% and 90% marks are the yearly figure divided by 2,080 hours. The last line is still before health insurance, paid time off, unemployment insurance and the software the bookkeeper needs. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks.
Tell us about your books. We’ll scope the work and quote it before anything starts.
WHAT MOVES THE PRICE
What makes a bookkeeper cost more?
Whoever you hire, the price follows the amount of work in a month. These are the things a bookkeeper asks about before quoting.
Number of bank and card accounts
Every account has to be reconciled to its statement each month. Five accounts with light activity can take longer than one busy account.
Transactions a month
Each line on a statement has to land in the right account. A business with 150 lines a month and one with 1,500 are different jobs, even at the same revenue.
Payroll
Recording payroll from the provider’s reports adds wages, taxes and liabilities to clear each pay run. Running payroll itself is usually a separate service.
Inventory
A business that holds stock needs counts and cost of goods sold worked out each month, not just purchases recorded as they happen.
Bills and invoices you track
If you want to see who owes you and whom you owe, each invoice and bill is entered and later matched to its payment.
Months behind
Catch-up work on months that were never done, or a cleanup of books that don’t add up, is quoted on its own and paid once. What that involves is in our guide to bookkeeping cleanup.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Example: one small business priced four ways
A fictional design studio with 2 bank accounts, 1 credit card and about 180 transactions a month. No payroll, no inventory, books up to date. We assume the routine work takes about 8 hours a month by hand.
| Way to pay | How it’s priced | Monthly cost | Who reconciles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time employee | Median wage plus 7.65% payroll tax, plus an assumed $8,000 a year of benefits | $5,212 | Your employee |
| Part-time employee | 8 hours at $24.36 plus 7.65% payroll tax | $210 | Your employee, if you can find someone for 8 hours |
| Freelance bookkeeper | 8 hours at an assumed $45 an hour | $360 | The freelancer |
| Monthly bookkeeping service | A fixed monthly fee. ZeraBooks starts at $150 | From $150 | The service’s team |
| Software you run yourself | ZeraBooks at $79 a month billed annually, plus your own hours | $79 plus your time | You, with the software checking each statement |
A full-time hire makes sense once there is a full week of work every week. At 180 transactions a month there isn’t, which is why most businesses this size pay by the hour or by the month. The $45 freelance rate and the $8,000 of benefits are assumptions for this example; ask for quotes where you are.
HIRE OR HAND OVER
Is it cheaper to hire a bookkeeper or outsource the books?
For most small businesses, outsourcing costs less, because you pay for the hours the books actually need instead of a salary. An employee also needs a desk, software, training and someone to cover their holidays. A monthly service has more than one person who knows your books.
Hiring starts to win when the work fills most of a week, or when you want someone in the office who also handles bills, collections and admin. Many growing businesses do both for a while: a part-time person for daily admin and a service that reconciles and closes each month.
If you want to compare the two in more depth, our guide to outsourced bookkeeping walks through the handover step by step.
GETTING A QUOTE
How do you get an accurate bookkeeping quote?
A quote is only as good as what the bookkeeper knows about your month. Have these ready before you ask.
- 1
Count your accounts
List every bank account, credit card, loan and payment processor that touches the business, including the ones you rarely use.
- 2
Count a normal month
Open last month’s statements and add up the lines. A rough count is fine. It is the single best guide to the monthly price.
- 3
Say how far behind you are
Name the last month you trust. Everything after it is catch-up, priced once on top of the monthly fee.
- 4
Say what you want back
Monthly or quarterly reports, a profit and loss only or the full set, and who else needs them, such as your tax preparer or lender.
WITH ZERABOOKS
What do you get for the monthly fee at ZeraBooks?
ZeraBooks bookkeeping starts at $150 a month in U.S. dollars, for businesses anywhere in the world. The exact price is agreed after a free call, before any work starts.
- 1
An upload portal
Send bank and card statements, bills and invoices from your own login, a month or several years at once, without sorting them first.
- 2
Books kept on an AI ledger
Our team categorizes and reconciles each account on ZeraBooks, and every statement has to tie to its printed opening and closing balances before the month is signed off.
- 3
A read-only dashboard
Log in any time to see your transactions, reconciled months and reports as the work is done. Nothing changes by accident because the view is read-only.
- 4
Reports on your schedule
Profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow, monthly or on whatever schedule you choose.
How much does a bookkeeper charge per hour?
Employed bookkeepers in the U.S. earned a median $24.36 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Freelancers charge more than that wage because they pay their own taxes, software and unpaid time between clients, so get two or three quotes in your area before deciding.
How much does a bookkeeper cost per month for a small business?
It depends on accounts and transactions. A business with a few accounts and under 200 transactions a month usually needs a few hours of work, which is a few hundred dollars from a freelancer. ZeraBooks bookkeeping starts at $150 a month and is quoted after a free call.
How much does a full-time bookkeeper cost a year?
The median wage was $50,670 in May 2025. Employer Social Security and Medicare add 7.65%, which brings it to about $54,546, before benefits, paid time off and software.
Is catch-up bookkeeping included in the monthly price?
Usually not. Months that were never done, or books that need fixing, are quoted once on top of the monthly fee. ZeraBooks quotes catch-up and cleanup on their own after the free call.
Is a bookkeeper cheaper than an accountant?
Usually, because bookkeeping is recurring recording and reconciling, while accountants and CPAs charge more for tax returns and advice. ZeraBooks does not prepare tax returns. Many businesses pay a bookkeeper monthly and a tax preparer once a year.
Coming from Bench?
Bench was shut down in December 2024 and taken over by Employer.com. If you are deciding whether to stay, our page on Bench alternatives compares the prices and explains how to move your books.
Is software alone cheaper than a bookkeeper?
In money, yes. In time, it depends on you. ZeraBooks software is $79 a month billed annually or $149 monthly, and its AI bookkeeping does the routine categorizing and reconciling from your statements. You still review it and close each month yourself. See ZeraBooks pricing.
WE DO YOUR BOOKS
Get a price for your books.
Start with a free call.
Tell us how many accounts you have and how far behind the books are, and we’ll quote the monthly fee and any catch-up before anything starts. Book the free call.
Last updated October 15, 2026 · Written by Damin Mutti, founder of ZeraBooks