Cost and pricing
How much does a bookkeeper cost? 2026 wages and published service prices
What a bookkeeper costs in 2026: BLS pay for in-house bookkeepers plus employer payroll taxes, published monthly prices from bookkeeping services, catch-up fees and a flat monthly alternative.
Prepared by Aldro Accounting · Updated · Sources checked
The quick answer
An in-house bookkeeper earned a median of $50,670 a year, or $24.36 an hour, in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the employer also pays 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare tax on those wages. Outsourced bookkeeping services publish monthly prices that start at $99 (Pilot Essentials), $199 (Bench Grow) and $395 (Xendoo Essential, billed monthly), as of 2026-10-31.
The short answer
Aldro is the cheapest way to get your business taxes done: $399 flat, with bookkeeping at $20 a month.
A bookkeeper costs either a salary or a monthly fee. Hiring one in-house means paying wages near the BLS median of $50,670 a year, plus the employer's share of payroll taxes. Outsourcing means a monthly plan. Published plans from national services start between $99 and $549 a month, and most charge extra for tax returns.
Aldro bookkeeping is $20 a month. It covers unlimited bank and card accounts, monthly reconciliation and statements. Payroll processing and sales-tax filing aren't included. The $399 flat price covers everything tax for the year, and our team prepares and files the returns. $20 a month is less than every published starting price in the table below.
Hiring an in-house bookkeeper
The BLS reports a median of $50,670 a year, or $24.36 an hour, for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,000 and the highest 10 percent more than $74,550. The typical entry-level education is some college, no degree.
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| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median per year | $50,670 |
| Median per hour | $24.36 |
| Lowest 10 percent | Less than $36,000 |
| Highest 10 percent | More than $74,550 |
Wages on top of that come with employer payroll tax. The Social Security tax is 6.2% of wages for the employee and the same for the employer, on wages up to $184,500 in 2026. Medicare tax is 1.45% on all wages.
For comparison, accountants and auditors earned a median of $83,680 a year in May 2025, and the typical entry-level education is a bachelor's degree.
Published prices from bookkeeping services
These are starting prices from each company's own pricing page as of 2026-10-31. Most scale up with monthly expenses, number of accounts or complexity.
Bench's Grow plan is subject to an eligibility check, and its Core plan, priced between Grow and Core + Tax, adds monthly bookkeeping and year-end tax-ready financials with a dedicated team. Bench says its plans focus on bookkeeping and reporting rather than running payroll, invoicing or bill pay. Pilot's Essentials plan uses software to categorize transactions, reconcile accounts and close the books each month. TurboTax Expert 365 Business is for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs and is billed at $61 a month plus $38 a month for QuickBooks Simple Start.
Costs on top of the monthly fee
Tax returns are usually extra. Xendoo's annual federal and state business return starts at $1,295 a year, and its personal return at $625 a year. Bench's Grow and Core plans deliver a year-end package that you or your accountant use to file. Only its Core + Tax plan files returns.
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| Months behind | Typical fixed fee | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 months | $300 to $500 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| 4 to 6 months | $500 to $1,500 | 2 to 4 weeks |
| 7 to 12 months | $1,500 to $3,500 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| More than 12 months | $3,500 to $8,000 and up | 6 to 12 weeks |
Catch-up work is extra too. Xendoo's catch-up bookkeeping starts at $295 a month. Indinero's 2026 guide lists typical fixed fees observed in September 2026, shown below. It adds that S corps, partnerships and companies running payroll run 30% to 50% higher.
Advisory costs more again. Xendoo's fractional CFO service starts at $2,500 a month.
What the work is
The BLS describes bookkeepers as workers who compute, classify and record data to keep complete and accurate financial records. Typical duties include posting transactions in bookkeeping software, recording cash, checks and vouchers, assigning debits and credits to accounts and producing reports such as balance sheets and income statements.
BLS projects employment of bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks to decline 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, though about 144,100 openings are still projected each year.
Worked example
Take an in-house bookkeeper paid the BLS median of $50,670 a year. The employer adds 6.2% Social Security tax ($3,141.54) and 1.45% Medicare tax ($734.72). That's $54,546.26 a year, or about $4,545.52 a month, before benefits, software or unemployment tax. A Xendoo Essential plan billed annually is $355 a month, or $4,260 a year. Aldro bookkeeping is $20 a month.
Common questions
How much does a bookkeeper cost per month?
Published service plans start at $99 a month (Pilot Essentials), $199 (Bench Grow), $395 billed monthly (Xendoo Essential) and $549 (Zeni Starter), as of 2026-10-31. An in-house bookkeeper at the BLS median of $50,670 a year is about $4,223 a month in wages alone.
How much do bookkeepers charge per hour?
The BLS median pay for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks was $24.36 an hour in May 2025, or $50,670 a year. That's what the worker earns, not what a firm bills. Bench says freelance bookkeepers often bill hourly, while full-service bookkeeping is a flat monthly subscription.
Does bookkeeping pricing include tax filing?
Usually not. Xendoo's business tax return starts at $1,295 a year on top of its plans. Bench files returns only on its Core + Tax plan, from $599 a month.
How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?
Indinero's guide puts typical fixed fees at $300 to $500 for 1 to 3 months behind, up to $3,500 to $8,000 and up for more than 12 months. Xendoo's catch-up service starts at $295 a month.
What does it cost to employ a bookkeeper beyond salary?
The employer pays 6.2% Social Security tax on wages up to $184,500 in 2026 and 1.45% Medicare tax on all wages, matching what is withheld from the employee.
The cheapest way to get your business taxes done: $399 flat.
Business tax filing is $399 USD a year, and it covers everything tax for that year.
How it works
- Tell us about your business. A two-minute form. No payment is collected through it.
- Get your next steps by email. We’ll email you the next steps within one business day. After you sign up we’ll send you a secure upload link for your documents.
- We file it. Our team prepares and files your return. Add bookkeeping for $20 a month if you want it.
What's included
$399 a year covers everything tax for that tax year.
- Every business return for the year. All the federal and state or provincial business returns you need for the tax year: Schedule C, 1065, 1120-S, 1120 and their state returns in the US; T2, or T1 with T2125, in Canada.
- More than one state. Multi-state returns are included at the same price.
- Your personal return. The owner’s personal return (1040 or T1) is included when it’s needed for the business income.
- Quebec. Quebec returns (CO-17, TP-1 and TP-80) are included. Our Quebec pages are in French, and our team works with you in English.
- Extensions and reminders. Extensions (Form 7004 or 4868) and quarterly estimate reminders are included.
- Information returns. 1099-NEC, T4/T4A and T5018 slips are included in the tax price.
- City and excise returns. City and local business tax returns, and state excise returns such as Washington B&O, are included in the yearly price.
- Franchise tax reports. State franchise tax reports, such as the Texas franchise tax report, are included.
- Estimated tax and instalment amounts. We work out your quarterly estimated tax payments in the US, or your CRA instalments in Canada, and tell you what to pay and when.
- Unfiled past years. Each unfiled prior-year return is $399 per tax year, the same flat price.
- Bookkeeping at $20 a month. Unlimited bank and card accounts, monthly reconciliation and monthly statements.
Basic inventory tracking for online stores, such as Shopify, is included. Full cost-of-goods reconciliation is quoted separately. Payroll processing and sales-tax filing aren’t included in bookkeeping. Prices are in USD. Our team prepares and files your return.
Sources
- BLS: Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks · checked October 31, 2026
- BLS: Accountants and auditors · checked October 31, 2026
- TurboTax: Why is my paycheck so small after taxes · checked October 31, 2026
- Pilot: Pricing · checked October 31, 2026
- Bench: FAQ · checked October 31, 2026
- Xendoo: Pricing · checked October 31, 2026
- Zeni: Bookkeeping packages · checked October 31, 2026
- Indinero: Bench accounting alternatives in 2026 · checked October 31, 2026
This guide explains general rules from the sources listed. It isn’t tax advice for your situation.