How Much Does Bookkeeping Cost a Small Business in 2026?

Bookkeeping is the single most over-bought and under-bought service in the small business stack. Founders either pay $90/hour to a part-timer who takes 20 hours a month, or they pay nothing and discover at tax time that the books are unusable. This guide gives you the real 2026 numbers and the decision rule we use with new Efficacité bookkeeping clients.

The three pricing models

Most U.S. providers price one of three ways. The right model depends on transaction volume, not revenue.

• Hourly ($45-$120/hr): Best for businesses under 50 transactions per month. Cheapest on paper, hardest to budget.
• Fixed monthly retainer ($300-$2,500/mo): The mainstream choice. Predictable cost, defined scope, monthly close on a calendar.
• Outsourced firm ($500-$5,000/mo): Includes bookkeeper + reviewer + software + reporting. Best when you also need a CPA touch and clean books for tax.

What drives the price up

Transaction count, number of bank and credit-card accounts, whether you carry inventory, payroll headcount, sales-tax states, and the cleanliness of last year's books. A 30-transaction SaaS business pays $400/month. A 1,200-transaction e-commerce business with three states of sales-tax nexus pays $2,000+.

When in-house actually wins

Hire in-house once you cross roughly 600 monthly transactions AND need same-day responsiveness (inventory, multi-entity, weekly payroll). Below that line, outsourcing wins on cost, continuity, and tax integration. We pair every bookkeeping engagement with payroll and year-end business tax preparation so nothing falls between providers.

Red flags when comparing quotes

• No scope document - just a monthly fee. You will be nickel-and-dimed.
• No named reviewer - junior staff doing both entry and review.
• Quarterly close instead of monthly - too late to act on the numbers.
• No tax-ready deliverable in December - your CPA will redo the work.

Get a real quote in 24 hours

Send us last month's bank statement and a transaction count - we'll return a fixed monthly number. See the full bookkeeping service or book a 30-minute call.