What outsourced bookkeeping costs a firm of 20 to 100 people
The short answer: online bookkeeping services start around $400 a month, and that usually buys monthly books and reports. A bookkeeper on your payroll costs about $72,000 a year once you count benefits. Monclose, which also checks your bills and reminds your clients, costs $4,500 to $6,500 a month.
- Online service$400a month, to start
- Bookkeeper on staff$72,000a year with benefits, about
- Monclose$4,500 to $6,500a month
The right one depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. Here is what each option costs and covers.
The options side by side
| Option | What it costs | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Online bookkeeping service | $399 a month at Bench, from $400 a month at Bookkeeper360 | Books kept, monthly reports, year-end numbers for your tax accountant |
| Bill pay and invoicing, added on | From $150 a month more at Bookkeeper360 | Bills and invoices handled in the service's tools |
| Fractional CFO, added on | From $1,600 a month at Bookkeeper360, from $1,750 a month at Pilot | Budgets, forecasts, a regular call with a finance lead |
| Bookkeeper on staff | About $72,000 a year | One person, in your team, doing what you ask |
| Accountant on staff | About $120,000 a year | One person with deeper accounting training |
| Monclose | $4,500 a month for 20 to 49 people, $6,500 a month for 50 to 100 | Every bill checked, clients reminded, bank matched weekly, a page every Monday, the month closed on a date in your contract |
Vendor prices are the ones listed on their own sites in October 2026. Most are starting prices, and real quotes rise with volume.
The staff figures start from US government medians: $50,670 a year for bookkeepers and $83,680 for accountants (May 2025). Benefits make up about 30% of what private employers pay for a worker, which brings those wages to about $72,000 and $120,000. Your city and your hire may differ.
What pushes the price up
Volume
More bills and more bank lines mean more work. This is the biggest factor.
Being behind
Catching up on old months is usually billed once. Bookkeeper360 lists setup and prior bookkeeping from $1,000. Our setup costs one month's fee.
Who deals with bills
Keeping books is one job. Reading each bill, checking it and getting it ready for your approval is another, and it is often an add-on.
Who chases clients
Many services report who owes you and leave the chasing to you.
How fast the month closes
A fixed early date takes more work than "when it's done".
Which one fits
A $400 service is probably enough
If you have few bills, someone already pays them carefully, and you mainly need clean numbers for tax time. If that's you, buy it. We'd be the wrong fit.
Hire someone
If you want a person in the building who can take on whatever comes up. Plan for the days that person is sick, on holiday or leaves.
A service like ours fits
If bills pile up, nobody has time to chase clients, and you only learn how much money you have when it gets tight.
Five questions to ask before you sign
- 1
What is not in the price? Ask about bill handling, client reminders and catch-up work.
- 2
Where do my books live, and can I leave with them? Bench shut down without warning on December 27, 2024, and thousands of clients lost access to their accounts just as tax season began. It was later bought and is running again.
- 3
Is the close date in the contract, or only a promise?
- 4
Who exactly will I talk to?
- 5
How much notice do I give to leave?
Questions
Is outsourcing cheaper than hiring a bookkeeper?
Sometimes. A bookkeeper costs about $72,000 a year with benefits. Our price comes to $54,000 a year for firms of 20 to 49 people and $78,000 for firms of 50 to 100. So for larger firms, one bookkeeper can cost less than we do. What you compare is the work covered and what happens when that one person is away.
Why does Monclose cost so much more than $400 a month?
Because it covers more. A $400 service keeps your books. We also read and check every bill, remind clients who owe you, match every bank payment weekly and send you one page every Monday.
Do I still need a tax accountant?
Yes. We don't file taxes. We hand your tax accountant what they need, on time.
Show us how one bill gets paid today.
Sources
- Bench: pricing
- Bookkeeper360: pricing
- Pilot: pricing
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: accountants and auditors
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: employer costs for employee compensation, June 2026
- TechCrunch: Bench to be acquired after abruptly shutting down
Prices checked on October 30, 2026.