# How much does it cost to hire a bookkeeper for a small business?

It depends on how many accounts and transactions you have and whether you hire an employee or an outside service. For employees, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $24.36 an hour, or $50,670 a year, for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks in May 2025. ProfitDrawer's guide to starting a bookkeeping business works through an example monthly package of $300 for a small client; that is an example, not a market rate.

**What the BLS figure measures:** the median wage paid to employed bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks across the U.S. in May 2025. Half earn more and half less; the lowest 10% earned under $36,000 and the highest 10% over $74,550 a year. It is not what an outside bookkeeping firm charges, which also covers its own software, insurance, taxes and profit.

**How outside bookkeepers often price:** many quote a monthly package based on the number of bank and card accounts and transactions. In our guide's example, a client with 2 bank accounts, 1 credit card and about 150 transactions a month takes about 4 hours, which becomes $300 a month after overhead and a 25% buffer. Catch-up work is often priced separately; the guide's example is 6 months behind at $150 per month, a $900 project.

**To get real prices:** ask two or three bookkeepers for a written quote listing what is included each month, what costs extra and how you send documents.

**Ways to keep the cost down:** a separate business account, receipts saved as you go, and your own monthly entries, so a bookkeeper only reviews and reconciles.

- Source: [How to Start a Bookkeeping Business From Home (Step by Step)](https://profitdrawer.com/guides/how-to-start-a-bookkeeping-business.html)
- Updated: 2026-10-29
- Published: 2026-10-29
- Category: Bookkeeping basics
- Canonical: https://profitdrawer.com/answers/how-much-does-it-cost-to-hire-a-bookkeeper-for-a-small-business.html
- Publisher: ProfitDrawer (https://profitdrawer.com)