US · Pricing guide · Bookkeeping
How Much Does a Bookkeeper Cost in the US?
Short answer
US bookkeeping typically costs $300–$1,200 per month for a small business in 2026, depending on transaction volume, the number of accounts and whether payroll or sales tax is included. Hourly bookkeepers charge roughly $40–$90 an hour, but the unpredictable bill is why most owners prefer a fixed monthly fee. BlackpeakCFO's US bookkeeping starts at $495/month, agreed in writing before any work begins.
What it costs with BlackpeakCFO
| Engagement | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor / micro business | From $495/mo | Low transaction volume, one or two accounts. Bank feeds reconciled, transactions categorized, monthly close. |
| Growing small business | $695–$995/mo | Multiple bank and card accounts, higher transaction volume, monthly close and management figures. |
| Bookkeeping + add-ons | $995–$1,495/mo | Full bookkeeping plus payroll coordination or sales-tax filing support for a small team. |
| Catch-up / cleanup | Fixed one-off quote | Behind on the books? Priced as a separate one-off so the monthly fee stays clean. |
All prices fixed and agreed in writing before any work starts. No hourly meter, no surprise invoices. Prices shown in USD, current as of May 2026.
What drives the price
Transaction volume
The number of bank, card and payment-platform transactions each month is the single biggest driver. Thirty transactions a month is a different job from five hundred, and the price reflects that honestly.
Number of accounts
Each bank account, credit card, loan and merchant platform — Stripe, PayPal, Square — is a separate feed to reconcile. More accounts means more work, and that is priced transparently.
Payroll and sales tax
Coordinating payroll runs or supporting multi-state sales-tax filings are distinct tasks. If you need them, they are bundled in clearly as separate line items — never buried in the headline fee.
Software and the state of the books
Clean QuickBooks Online or Xero with working bank feeds keeps the monthly job efficient. If your setup needs fixing first, that is a one-off — quoted separately, not hidden inside the retainer.
What you'd pay elsewhere
US bookkeepers commonly charge $40–$90 an hour, which sounds reasonable until the invoice arrives and never quite matches what was done. An in-house bookkeeper costs $45,000–$60,000 a year in salary, plus payroll taxes, benefits and the cost of supervising them — realistically $55,000–$75,000 all-in for one role. Online bookkeeping services and software-led providers quote $200–$600 a month, but the work is frequently handled by rotating offshore staff with no single accountable owner. The market is moving towards fixed monthly fees precisely because hourly billing makes the cost impossible to plan around — and because clean, consistent books are what make tax season and any future financing painless rather than a scramble.
How we price it
BlackpeakCFO charges one fixed monthly fee for US bookkeeping, from $495/month, agreed in writing before the first transaction is touched. The work is done by Stuart Wilson, ACMA CGMA — a chartered management accountant and AICPA member, not a rotating junior — so the books are not just reconciled but read: if something in the numbers looks wrong, you hear about it. Bank and card feeds reconciled, transactions categorized to a clean chart of accounts, monthly close completed promptly and a clean year-end package handed to your CPA. No hourly meter, no surprise invoices, no offshore team.
Common questions about how much does a bookkeeper cost in the us?
Is a fixed monthly fee better than paying a bookkeeper hourly?
For almost every small business, yes. An hourly bookkeeper gives you a bill you cannot forecast and a quiet incentive not to ask questions. A fixed monthly fee — from $495/month with BlackpeakCFO — turns bookkeeping into a known budget line, agreed in writing, with unlimited email contact included. You pay for the outcome, not the clock.
Does the price include payroll?
Payroll coordination is offered as a clear, separate component when you need it, typically within the $995–$1,495/month band, covering the payroll run and the reconciliation of payroll into the books. If you do not have employees, you are not paying for payroll work you do not need — the quote is always scoped to your actual situation.
What about sales tax — is that bookkeeping?
Sales tax is related but distinct. Day-to-day bookkeeping records the transactions; multi-state sales-tax compliance — economic-nexus monitoring and filings — is a separate service. BlackpeakCFO can support sales-tax filing alongside your bookkeeping and will price it as its own line item so you can see exactly what each piece costs.
What if I am behind on my bookkeeping?
Catch-up work is quoted as a fixed one-off, separate from the ongoing monthly fee, so the monthly price stays clean and predictable once you are current. BlackpeakCFO will look at how many months behind the books are, give you a fixed figure to bring them up to date, and then move you onto the standard monthly service.
Will my CPA still file my taxes?
Yes — bookkeeping and tax filing are different jobs. BlackpeakCFO keeps your books accurate and current month by month and hands a clean, organized year-end package to your CPA or tax preparer, who files the return. Good bookkeeping makes their job faster and cheaper; it does not replace it.
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