When business owners ask me what bookkeeping costs, the honest answer is that it depends. That answer is frustrating when you’re trying to budget, though, so I’ll show you exactly what it depends on, what you can expect to pay, and what doing it the cheap way can end up costing you.
What Monthly Bookkeeping Costs
At Teal Business Solutions, monthly bookkeeping starts at $200 a month for businesses that are just getting started. That gets you professional, reconciled books without hiring someone in-house. A full-time hire comes with salary, payroll taxes, benefits, and training, and most small businesses don’t need that.
My base plan includes:
Every transaction categorized, every month
Every bank and credit card account reconciled, every month
Quarterly financial statements
What Affects the Price
Every business is different, so your price depends on how much work your books take each month. The biggest factors are:
How many accounts you have. Each bank account needs to be reconciled every month.
How many transactions you have. More activity means more to categorize and review.
How many loans and credit cards you have. Each one has to be tracked and reconciled.
How much invoicing and accounts receivable you run through QuickBooks Online. Keeping up with who owes you money takes ongoing attention.
What Catch-Up and Cleanup Bookkeeping Costs
Many people asking about cost are really behind, or their books are a mess. Cleanup is priced differently from monthly work.
Here’s how I price it. First I figure out what your monthly rate will be going forward. Then I multiply that rate by the number of months you’re behind and apply a discount. Right now, I’m offering 50% off a catch-up or cleanup when you sign up for monthly bookkeeping.
For example, I recently worked with an esthetician who owns a facial business. She needed all of 2025 caught up so her CPA could prepare her taxes. Once her books were current, she moved to monthly bookkeeping so she’d never fall that far behind again. I first determined what her monthly bookkeeping fee going forward would be. Then I multiplied that by 18 because she was a year and a half behind. Then I applied a discount since she agreed to move forward with ongoing monthly bookkeeping once the books were cleaned up. She was billed for the cleanup and her first month of bookkeeping.
Sometimes, if a client is really far behind and has complicated books that make the cleanup costly, we will offer payment plans.
How Long You’re Committed
Every service has a 3-month minimum. After that, you can cancel at any time, for any reason, with 30 days’ notice.
What the Cheap Way Can Cost You
A lot of my cleanup clients had their books done by the owner, a friend, or AI. Without an accounting background, it’s easy to miss how double-entry bookkeeping works, or to record the same expense or income twice. When that happens, your profit is off, your expenses may be incorrect, and your financials can’t be trusted. Having to pay someone to clean up your books could end up being more expensive (in time, money, and overpaid taxes) than outsourcing to a professional from the beginning.
Why AI Isn’t a Bookkeeper
AI tools are fast, but they make serious mistakes in bookkeeping. These are a few I’ve cleaned up for clients:
Loan proceeds recorded as income. A loan is money you have to pay back, not money you earned. Recording it as income makes your profit look higher than it is, and you could end up paying tax on money that isn’t income.
Debt payments recorded as expenses. Only the interest on a loan is an expense. The rest of each payment lowers what you owe. When the whole payment is booked as an expense, your profit and your loan balance are both wrong.
Lots of miscategorized transactions. AI guesses, and it often guesses wrong. That throws off your reports, your tax deductions, and any decision you make based on your numbers.
The books look finished, but the numbers underneath aren’t right. Lenders and CPAs will catch these mistakes, and fixing them costs time and money.
What to Look For in a Bookkeeper
Price matters, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you look at. A good bookkeeper should be:
Communicative. You should know what’s happening with your books without having to chase anyone down.
Responsive. When you have a question, you should get an answer quickly.
Knowledgeable. They should know QuickBooks Online well and understand what your numbers mean for your business.
Why Business Owners Choose Teal Business Solutions
I’m a certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor, and before starting Teal Business Solutions I spent more than 20 years as a lender working with businesses. I’ve sat on the other side of the desk, reviewing financials and deciding whether a business qualified for a loan. I keep your books the way a banker wants to see them, so they’re ready when you apply for financing, meet with your CPA, or make a big decision.
You Won’t Outgrow Me
As your business grows, your needs will change. Beyond bookkeeping, I offer monthly financial statements, KPI reports, advisory reviews that explain what your numbers mean, and fractional CFO support. I don’t do payroll or tax preparation, but I have trusted partners I can refer you to.
Start With a Free Bookkeeping Review
Not sure where your books stand? I offer a free review of your bookkeeping. I’ll look at where you are, tell you what needs to be fixed, and recommend what you need going forward, whether you work with me or not.
Contact Teal Business Solutions in Conroe, TX, to schedule your free review and get a custom quote based on your accounts, your transactions, and your goals.
