In this article
"How much does an accountant cost?" is really three questions, because an accountant for a small business does three different jobs, priced three different ways. This article separates them, explains what moves each price, and uses our own published prices as the example, since those are the only numbers we can vouch for.
Three jobs, three prices
Bookkeeping is monthly work: recording and categorizing every transaction, reconciling the bank and card accounts, and producing a report. It is priced per month, usually by the size of the business.
Tax preparation is a yearly job: the business return, the owner's personal return, or both. It is priced per return, by the forms involved.
Advisory is the ongoing part: answering questions during the year, estimated payments, a decision about a hire or a purchase, whether an S corporation election makes sense. Some firms bill it by the hour; we price it as a flat monthly amount so you never hesitate to ask.
One-time services sit beside those three: forming an LLC, the annual renewal, an S corporation election, catch-up work on months that were never recorded.
What moves the price
For bookkeeping, the main driver is volume. More sales usually means more transactions, more accounts and more questions, which is why most firms, including ours, price by annual sales. Clean records cost less than messy ones: an owner who uses one business account and sends receipts as they go takes less time than one who mixes personal spending through the business card. Payroll, inventory and multiple locations add work. Industry matters less than owners expect; a restaurant and a contractor with similar sales take similar time if their records are in similar shape.
For tax preparation, the driver is forms. A sole proprietor's Schedule C is simpler than a partnership or S corporation return with K-1s. Rental property, multiple states, or a year with a sale of equipment adds schedules.
For advisory, the driver is how much access you want and how complex the questions are.
Our prices, as a worked example
Monthly bookkeeping starts at $200 a month for a business with up to $100,000 in annual sales and rises in bands as sales grow, to $550 a month and up for businesses over $400,000. The QuickBooks subscription is paid separately. The full table is on the bookkeeping page, and the cost estimator turns your sales figure into a monthly range in a few seconds.
Monthly tax advisory is $50 a month for businesses under $100,000 in annual sales and $100 a month above that.
Individual tax preparation starts at $200 and business tax preparation at $300. Catch-up bookkeeping starts at $200. LLC formation is $150 and the annual renewal $100, with state fees asked about separately. Payroll setup is $250 with $40 a month of supervision for one or two employees, and $300 with $60 a month for three to five.
Those are starting points, confirmed in a written proposal before any work begins, so the number on the proposal is the number you pay.
What should be included
Whatever you are quoted, ask what it covers. For monthly bookkeeping, the minimum you should expect is every transaction categorized, every bank and card account reconciled to the statement, a monthly profit and loss report, and the ability to ask questions about it without being billed for each one. If any of those is extra, the headline price is not the real price.
For tax preparation, expect the return to be reviewed by a second person before you see it, and an explanation of the result before anything is filed.
Questions to ask any accountant
Who actually does the work, and will I talk to that person? What happens when I have a question in July? How do I send you documents? What is not included? Can we work in my language? What does the handover look like if I leave? A firm that answers those plainly is usually worth its price; one that cannot is expensive at any price.
Price is a conversation, not a form
Every number above is public so that you can self-qualify before we talk. The next step is a short conversation about your business, after which we send a proposal with the scope and price in writing, in English or Spanish. Start on the contact page.
Questions about this topic
Is a cheaper bookkeeper a good deal?
Sometimes. Ask what is reconciled, what report you receive and who answers questions. Books that are not reconciled to the bank are cheap because they are not finished, and the cost shows up at tax time.
Do I pay more if I am behind?
The months already behind are a separate, one-time catch-up job priced by how many there are; monthly bookkeeping then continues at the normal price.
Is QuickBooks included in the monthly price?
No. The QuickBooks Online subscription is paid to QuickBooks directly. We help set it up and work inside it, and you keep access to your own file.
Written by the team at Choice Business Advisors, a bookkeeping, tax, and advisory firm based in Utah serving small businesses across the United States in English and Spanish.