How Much Does QuickBooks Bookkeeping Cost? Guide to Pricing in 2025

Bookkeeping is a crucial function for any business—keeping track of income and expenses, reconciling bank accounts, generating financial statements, and helping ensure compliance come tax time. If you use QuickBooks, there are multiple ways to get bookkeeping done: QuickBooks Live, hiring a freelance/ProAdvisor, or using an outsourced/bookkeeping firm. Costs vary widely depending on scope, complexity, and frequency. Below is a breakdown of what you can expect, what influences cost, and how to get the best value.

1. Key Pricing Options

Here are the main ways to get bookkeeping services for QuickBooks, with their typical costing:

Option	What It Means	Typical Cost
QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping	A managed subscription service by Intuit/QuickBooks where a dedicated bookkeeper helps with categorization, reconciliation, and monthly close.	US$200–US$400/month depending on monthly expenses. There's usually a one-time cleanup fee to get your books up to date. Forbes+2NerdWallet+2
Freelance / QuickBooks ProAdvisor	Hiring an individual expert or small outfit, often on an hourly or flat project-basis.	Rates tend to be US$40-US$80/hour for ongoing work; cleanup or setup projects can cost US$500-US$2,500+ depending on the backlog or complexity. Remote Books Online+1
Outsourced Bookkeeping Firms	Firms which handle everything (transaction entry, reconciliation, reporting), sometimes including catch-ups, payroll, etc.	Flat monthly rates begin around US$150/month for basic service and scale up (to US$700+, or even in thousands) depending on business size, number of transactions, number of bank accounts, payroll etc. Remote Books Online+2Lazard Solutions+2

2. Breakdown of QuickBooks Live Cost

Since “QuickBooks Live” is a commonly chosen path, it helps to see how pricing for that works more specifically:

• Tiered by monthly expense volume. For example, if your business has less than US$25,000 in monthly expenses, you might pay around US$200/month. If expenses are higher (say US$25,001–US$150,000), you may see US$300/month. Above that, the rate may go up to about US$400/month. Remote Books Online+2NerdWallet+2

• Setup / Cleanup Fee: When books are behind or in disarray, there can be a one-time charge to catch up and clean things up. The size of that fee depends on how far off the books are. Remote Books Online+2Remote Books Online+2

• Included vs Excluded Services: Some services are included (expense categorization, monthly reconciliation, report generation). Others may be add-ons (payroll, multiple bank accounts, inventory, sales tax, etc.). If you need more of the latter, expect higher cost. NerdWallet+1

3. What Influences Cost Heavily

There are several variables that can make bookkeeping cost more or less depending on your business:

1. Volume of transactions. More invoices, bank statements, credit card transactions = more time.

2. Complexity. Multiple revenue streams, inventory, multiple bank or credit accounts, international transactions, sales tax in many jurisdictions, payroll—all this adds complexity.

3. State of the books. If books are not organized (many months behind, unreconciled accounts, missing records), cleanup increases cost.

4. Frequency. Monthly bookkeeping usually costs less per period than paying for ad-hoc or less frequent services, but overall monthly cost depends on how detailed you want reports, how often reconciliations are done.

5. Level of expertise. Certified Pro Advisors, experienced firms, or outsourced services with CPA oversight tend to cost more.

6. Add-ons. Things like payroll, tax preparation, sales tax filing, inventory management, or reporting beyond Profit & Loss/Balance Sheet may be additional.

7. Geographical location. Rates in places with higher cost of living tend to be higher. Remote/outsourced providers may offer lower per-hour costs or flat monthly fees.

4. Realistic Pricing Scenarios

To help you budget, here are sample scenarios:

• Solo entrepreneur / very small business with simple bookkeeping: One bank account, few transactions, just expense tracking and invoicing – using a freelancer or basic QuickBooks Live tier. Cost might be US$200–US$300/month.

• Growing small business with higher transaction volume, payroll, perhaps inventory, maybe sales tax across multiple jurisdictions: Might go through outsourced firm or higher QuickBooks Live tier. Costs could rise to US$400–US$800/month, sometimes more if add-ons are needed.

• Midsize business / complex books: Multiple bank accounts, credit cards, payroll, inventory, possibly multiple locations. Cleanup required. This might cost US$1,000/month or more depending on providers and needs.

• One-time cleanup or audit prep: If your books are behind, expect a flat fee. Could range from US$500 to several thousand dollars, depending how many months need to be brought up, how many discrepancies, etc.

5. How to Choose the Right Option (Value Considerations)

When deciding which bookkeeping option to go with, it’s not just about cost—it’s about value. Here are some tips:

• Define your needs clearly. What exactly do you want: reconciliation, track inventory, payroll, tax preparation, etc. Don’t pay for stuff you don’t need.

• Get a quote from providers, and ask what’s included vs what’s extra. Use hourly vs flat rate comparisons.

• Check references & credentials. A ProAdvisor or outsourced firm that is experienced can avoid costly mistakes.

• Start small. If your books are clean, you might try a lower tier plan or freelancer; then scale up when needed.

• Regular maintenance vs backlog. Try to keep on top of books regularly to avoid big cleanup jobs down the line, which almost always cost more.

• Consider software subscription cost too. QuickBooks’ own plans (Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, Advanced) have monthly fees. You’ll need the appropriate level plan to support the accounting features you need. QuickBooks+1

6. QuickBooks Software Subscription Costs

It’s important to separate the cost of bookkeeping services from the cost of the QuickBooks software subscription itself. You generally need to pay for QuickBooks Online (or the version appropriate to your business) plus any bookkeeping service. Here are current plan costs (as of mid-2025):

• Simple Start: about US$35/month mcdonaldbookkeeping.com+1

• Essentials: ~ US$65/month mcdonaldbookkeeping.com+1

• Plus: ~ US$99/month Merchant Maverick+1

• Advanced: ~ US$235/month mcdonaldbookkeeping.com+1

You’ll want to ensure that the QuickBooks plan you have (or buy) can support what your bookkeeper needs (multi-bank feeds, number of users, inventory, etc.).

7. Typical Total Costs (Software + Bookkeeping)

When you combine the software subscription plus bookkeeping service, here are rough monthly budgets to expect for different tiers:

Business Size / Complexity	Software Plan Cost	Bookkeeping Service Cost	Total Monthly Estimate
Very small / simple	~$35	~$200	US$235
Small with moderate needs	~$99	~$300-$500	US$400-US$600
Growing business with payroll/inventory	~$235	~$500-US$1,000+	US$700-US$1,300+

8. Hidden Costs to Watch Out For

When budgeting, be aware of these extra or “hidden” costs that often catch businesses by surprise:

• Backlog cleanup fees if records are behind.

• Inventory management or multiple product lines may need special attention.

• Sales tax filings or payroll taxes—these might be extras.

• Bank-feed fees or charges from third-party integrations.

• More frequent reporting (weekly vs monthly) or additional reports beyond the basic Profit & Loss / Balance Sheet.

• Rush services or after-hours help.

Conclusion

So, how much does QuickBooks bookkeeping service cost? There is no one-size-fits-all answer—it depends heavily on how many transactions you have, how disorganized (if at all) your books are, and how many add-ons or complexity you need (payroll, inventory, etc.).

To summa rise:

• Expect US$200–US$400/month for the basic QuickBooks Live plan once books are up-to-date.

• If hiring a freelancer or ProAdvisor, rates are often US$40-80/hour or flat project fees of US$500-US$2,500+ for cleanup or setup work.

• Outsourced bookkeeping firms may start around US$150/month for basic services and climb much higher depending on scope.

  
  

To pick the best option: define your bookkeeping needs, clarify what’s included, get multiple quotes, and ensure consistency. That way you can balance cost with quality and avoid surprises.