Bookkeeping Pricing
The prices are on this page because I would want to see them too. Most bookkeeping sites make you book a call to learn what anything costs. Here is exactly what I charge, what changes the number, and what is not included, so you can decide whether a call is worth your time before you book one.
Every price below is a starting point for a real business with real books. The final number is confirmed on the call after I have looked at your QuickBooks file, and it is agreed before any work starts. No hourly billing, no surprise invoices.
Start here if your books are behind: QuickBooks cleanup and catch-up
A lot of owners who land on this page are not shopping for a monthly bookkeeper. They are behind. The CPA is asking for numbers. The bank wants statements for a loan. A tax deadline is coming, or a letter showed up. If that is you, this is the place to start.
Cleanups start at $2,497 as one fixed project fee. I look at the file first, at no charge. Then I quote the whole job up front, and the fee does not change once we agree on it. Most cleanups finish inside 30 days.
- What you get: every account reconciled, every month caught up, and books your CPA or your bank can use the day I hand them over.
- What sets the price: how many months need work, how many accounts are involved, and how tangled the file is.
- What happens after: most owners move to monthly bookkeeping so the books stay clean. That is your call, not a condition.
Monthly bookkeeping: keeping the books clean
Once the books are right, this keeps them right: every transaction categorized, every bank and credit card account reconciled, and monthly financial statements delivered with a plain-English walkthrough of what moved and why. One predictable monthly price.
| Tier | Best for | Starting at |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | Simple service businesses with one or two bank accounts | $497 a month |
| Growth | Growing businesses with multiple accounts or revenue streams | $697 a month |
| Full Service | Complex businesses that want weekly reporting and advisory | $997 a month |
Included in every tier: transaction categorization, bank and credit card reconciliation, monthly profit and loss and balance sheet, a monthly written review in plain English, and tax-ready books for your CPA at year end.
What moves you between tiers: the number of accounts, how many transactions come through each month, whether you need job or class tracking, and how often you want to see the numbers. See what monthly bookkeeping includes.
QuickBooks Online setup and coaching
Want to keep your own books, done right from day one? Setup is a one-time project.
| Option | Best for | Starting at |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Essentials | Simple service businesses | $997 |
| Setup plus Coaching | Full setup, one-on-one training, and a dashboard built for your business | $1,497 |
| Advanced Setup | Inventory, classes, locations, or complex workflows | $2,497 |
How I set the fee
Before I quote anything I look at five things: how many bank and credit card accounts you have, roughly how many transactions come through in a month, how many months are behind, whether payroll runs through the books, and whether you track money owed to you and money you owe. Those five things decide the tier or the project price. Revenue on its own does not. A busy single-truck business with three accounts and a year of backlog is more work than a bigger business with clean books, and the price reflects the work.
What is not included
- Tax filing. I do not prepare or file tax returns. I hand your CPA clean, reconciled books so their job is smaller and their invoice is too.
- Payroll processing. Payroll setup and support are scoped separately from monthly bookkeeping so the monthly price stays predictable.
- Your QuickBooks Online subscription. That is billed by Intuit directly to you.
If you want the cheapest option
You can find it. Several national online bookkeeping services publish plans that start between $150 and $250 a month, and for a very simple business with a handful of transactions that can be a fair choice. What you are paying for here is a bookkeeper who knows your business, reconciles every account every month, and explains the numbers instead of emailing a PDF. If that is not what you need right now, no hard feelings.
Start with a free look
The first step is always the same and it costs nothing. Book a call, give me access to your QuickBooks file, and I will tell you what I see: what is clean, what is not, and what it would cost to fix and keep clean. You leave the call with a number, whether or not you hire me. Here is exactly what the free bookkeeping health check covers.
Based in New Jersey? Here is how I work with New Jersey small businesses.
What clients say
“Shawn has been instrumental to my company. Did an amazing job reorganizing my books and keeping them up to date. Additionally he has been a wonderful resource for business and accounting advice as well.”
Cara, Cara Casting, Google review, August 2026
“My books were an absolute mess and my business has very specific, non-traditional needs when it comes to bookkeeping. He cleaned them up and created a great system for ongoing ease of use. He also worked with me to create a budget.”
Cleanup and monthly bookkeeping client, QuickBooks ProAdvisor directory review, June 2023
Every review is public. Read them on Google and on the QuickBooks ProAdvisor directory.
Pricing questions
Do you bill hourly?
No. Monthly bookkeeping is a flat monthly fee and cleanups are a fixed project fee agreed before work starts. Hourly billing rewards slow work, and you cannot budget for it.
Will the price change after I sign up?
Only if the work changes. If you add accounts, add a second business, or your transaction volume doubles, we talk about it first. Nothing moves without a conversation.
Do I have to sign a long contract?
No. Monthly bookkeeping runs month to month. If it stops working for you, you keep your books and your QuickBooks file. They were always yours.
How long does a cleanup take?
Most cleanups finish inside 30 days. Files with several years of backlog or multiple businesses take longer, and I tell you that up front when I quote it.
Do you work with businesses outside New Jersey?
Yes. Everything runs virtually in QuickBooks Online, so the service is the same whether you are down the road or across the country.