Updated September 6, 2026. Prices quoted for other providers were checked on that date and change often; AB The Tax Expert’s plans are the ones published on our pricing page.
The short answer: the national online bookkeeping services we checked on September 6, 2026 publish monthly plans from $199 to $995, and in Los Angeles, where bookkeeper wages run about 18 percent above the national average, a real bookkeeper doing monthly reconciliations and financial statements realistically starts around $400 a month. At AB The Tax Expert, monthly bookkeeping is $399, $549 or $899 a month depending on how many accounts and how much complexity your business has. Below is what those numbers include, why quotes differ so much, what an in-house or hourly bookkeeper actually costs in Los Angeles, and how to compare quotes so you are paying for reconciled books rather than a name.
The four ways bookkeeping is priced
Almost every quote you will see is one of these four models. Knowing which one you are looking at is half the comparison.
Hourly. A bookkeeper bills for time. This works for small, predictable workloads, but the monthly cost floats with how messy the month was, and it rewards slow work. As one verified reference point, Bench lists its QuickBooks Online certified bookkeeper service at $55 an hour plus a $1,200 onboarding fee.
Flat monthly fee. A fixed price for a defined scope: categorizing transactions, reconciling each account, producing monthly statements, and answering questions. This is the model most small businesses end up preferring because the cost is known and the bookkeeper is motivated to keep the process clean. AB The Tax Expert prices this way.
Per transaction or per account. Some firms price by volume, which is transparent but punishes growth: a good month costs more.
Percentage of revenue or expenses. Online services often tier by monthly expenses. Xendoo, for example, caps its $395 plan at $50,000 of monthly expenses and its $695 plan at $75,000. The price is tied to your size rather than to the work.
What actually drives the price
When we scope a bookkeeping engagement, the number moves on a handful of things. If a quote you receive does not ask about these, be cautious.
Number of accounts. Every bank account, credit card, loan and merchant processor is a statement that has to be reconciled every month. Three accounts is a different job from eleven.
Transaction volume. A consultant with 40 transactions a month and a restaurant with 900 are not the same workload, even if revenue is similar.
Payroll, inventory and cost of goods sold. Payroll journal entries, inventory adjustments and job costing add recurring work and require someone who understands them.
Entity structure and locations. Multiple entities, multiple locations, or intercompany transactions mean more books, more reconciliations and more questions.
The state of the books today. If the last six months were never reconciled, that has to be fixed first. Catch-up work is priced separately from the monthly plan, and we explain how on our catch-up bookkeeping page.
Software. Whether you are on QuickBooks Online, Xero or a spreadsheet, and whether you already pay for the subscription. Note that some online services require you to carry your own QuickBooks Online subscription on top of their fee; QuickBooks Online itself currently lists Simple Start at $38 a month and Plus at $140 a month at full price.
Our plans, and what “included” should mean
AB The Tax Expert’s monthly bookkeeping has three plans, published on the bookkeeping page:
- Essentials, $399/month — clean monthly books for straightforward businesses: monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations, monthly financial statements, and questions resolved each month.
- Growth, $549/month — everything in Essentials, plus support for more accounts and workflows and more detailed monthly reporting.
- Scale, $899/month — everything in Growth, plus multi-location or multi-entity handling and a more involved monthly relationship.
Whatever provider you are comparing, the word “included” should cover at least the following, or the price is not comparable: every transaction categorized; every account reconciled to its statement each month; a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet delivered monthly; a defined way to get your questions answered; and books that are handed to whoever prepares your tax return in a state they can file from. That last point matters more than it sounds. When the same team keeps the books and prepares the return, year-end stops being a reconstruction project. That is how we work, and it is why our business tax preparation starts from books we already trust.
Bookkeeping cost comparison: your options side by side
Provider prices below were taken from the companies’ own pricing pages on September 6, 2026 and are “starting at” figures with the caveats noted. The in-house estimate is an illustration built from federal wage data, not a quote.
| Option | Typical monthly cost | What you get | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself in QuickBooks Online | $38–$140 software, plus your time | Software only | Your hours; reconciliations often skipped; year-end cleanup |
| Hourly bookkeeper | Varies with hours; e.g., Bench lists $55/hr + $1,200 onboarding for a certified QBO bookkeeper | Time-based work | Cost rises in messy months; scope often undefined |
| Part-time in-house bookkeeper (Los Angeles) | Illustration: 10 hrs/week at the $28.58 LA mean wage ≈ $1,240/month before payroll taxes and benefits | An employee you manage | Payroll taxes, coverage when they are out, no tax preparation |
| National online services | Bench from $199 (under $250K revenue) or $399; QuickBooks Live full-service from $300 after a cleanup fee, plus a QBO subscription; Xendoo $395–$995; Bookkeeper360 $399–$599; 1-800Accountant $469 (billed annually) | Remote bookkeeping team, tiered by size | Expense or revenue caps, annual billing, tax as a paid add-on, rotating staff |
| AB The Tax Expert | $399 / $549 / $899 | Reconciled monthly books, monthly statements, questions resolved, same team prepares the return | Catch-up work and tax returns priced separately and quoted up front |
What a bookkeeper costs in Los Angeles specifically
Labor is the biggest input, and Los Angeles labor is not cheap. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median wage for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks at $24.36 an hour, or $50,670 a year (May 2025). In the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro area the mean wage was $28.58 an hour against a national mean of $24.12, about 18 percent higher (May 2024, the latest metro figure published for this occupation). Add employer payroll taxes and benefits and a full-time in-house bookkeeper in Los Angeles is a $70,000-plus decision before you have bought software or covered vacations. That is why most businesses under a few million in revenue outsource.
Los Angeles businesses also carry compliance that a bookkeeper should be keeping straight for you:
- City of Los Angeles business tax. Any business operating in the city, including single-member LLCs and 1099 contractors, must hold a Business Tax Registration Certificate. Renewals are due January 1 and become delinquent after the last day of February; for 2026 the last timely filing day was March 2. Late renewals add penalties starting at 5 percent and climbing to 40 percent, plus interest.
- California sales tax. The CDTFA assigns your filing frequency (monthly, quarterly, quarterly prepay or annual) based on your sales; returns are due the last day of the month after the period.
- California payroll taxes. Once you pay more than $100 in wages in a calendar quarter you must register with the EDD within 15 days, and four state payroll taxes come into play alongside federal ones.
Clean monthly books are what make each of those filings a five-minute task instead of a scramble. If you want the local picture but you are not in Los Angeles, the same logic applies: we work with clients nationwide, online, and the bookkeeping process does not change with your zip code.
Is bookkeeping tax-deductible?
Yes, when it is for your business. Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs deduct bookkeeping and accounting fees on Schedule C, line 17, “Legal and professional services,” which the IRS instructions describe as fees charged by accountants that are ordinary and necessary expenses directly related to operating your business, including tax preparation fees for the business forms. Partnerships and corporations deduct them as ordinary business expenses on their own returns. The IRS also expects you to keep records that support your income and expenses for the period of limitations, generally three years and longer in specific situations, which is exactly what reconciled books are (Publication 583).
When the price is not the point
The cheapest option is the one that leaves you filing a return from unreconciled books, or paying for a cleanup in March. If the last few months are already behind, get a quote for the catch-up first, then the monthly plan; we scope both together so nothing is duplicated. And if you are not sure which plan fits, answer a few questions on our Get Started page and we will recommend one, or see all of our prices in one place on the pricing page.
Common questions
How much does bookkeeping cost for a one-person LLC?
Usually the low end of any provider’s range. With one or two accounts and modest volume, our Essentials plan at $399 a month is the fit. National online services start between $199 and $399 with revenue or expense caps.
Do I need a bookkeeper if I already have a tax preparer?
A tax preparer works from your books; they do not usually build them. If your preparer is rebuilding the year every spring, you are paying for bookkeeping at tax-preparation rates and getting no monthly information. Having one team do both is cheaper and produces better returns.
Is QuickBooks Live cheaper than a bookkeeping firm?
Intuit lists its full-service bookkeeping at $300 a month after an initial cleanup fee, and it excludes tax filing, payroll and bill pay, and requires a QuickBooks Online subscription. Once you add those, the comparison with a $399 flat plan that includes a tax-ready handoff is closer than the headline suggests.
What if my books are months behind?
That is a separate one-time project priced by how far behind you are and how many accounts are involved. We explain the process, documents and timeline on the catch-up bookkeeping page, and we quote it before starting.
Are the prices on this page guaranteed?
Our own plan prices are the ones published on our pricing page and confirmed in writing before work begins. Other providers’ prices are as published on the date above and change without notice.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (May 2025 OEWS medians) — bls.gov
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages in Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, May 2024 — bls.gov
- IRS, 2025 Instructions for Schedule C, line 17 — irs.gov; IRS Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records — irs.gov
- City of Los Angeles Office of Finance, business tax renewal instructions — finance.lacity.gov
- CDTFA, sales and use tax return filing dates — cdtfa.ca.gov; EDD, employer registration requirements — edd.ca.gov
- Provider pricing pages checked September 6, 2026: Bench, QuickBooks Live, QuickBooks Online, Xendoo, Bookkeeper360, 1-800Accountant
Questions about how this applies to your situation? We can talk it through and point you to the right next step.