Outsourced bookkeeping rates: what a CPA firm pays
Sources checked 8 October 2026
Short answer
Published seat prices in this market start around US $2,400–$2,500 a month for a full-time offshore bookkeeper, or about US $20 an hour. Few providers publish per-client prices. Compare on the unit you actually need: a seat if you have a steady full-time workload, per client if your volume is uneven.
What providers publish
| Provider | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Finsmart — Bookkeeping Seat | dedicated, per month | $2,400 |
| Finsmart — Bookkeeping Seat | hourly | $20/hr |
| Finsmart — Sr. Accounting Seat | dedicated, per month | $3,200 |
| QX — bookkeeper, in its cost comparison | outsourced, per month | $2,500 |
QX's pricing page sets that $2,500 a month against a US in-house bookkeeper it puts at $97,500 a year fully loaded, citing BLS 2024, Robert Half 2026 and Accounting Today 2025. That comparison is QX's own. US wage data for an in-house bookkeeper is in our bookkeeper hourly rate answer.
Seat or per client?
| If your firm has… | The cheaper unit is usually… |
|---|---|
| Enough recurring clients to keep one person busy all year | A dedicated seat |
| A handful of clients, or volume that swings with the season | Per client, per month |
| One-off backlogs | Hourly, or a fixed quote for the catch-up |
What the price should include
- Bank and card reconciliation as well as transaction coding
- A list of open questions each month
- Review before the work reaches you — and by whom
- The same price in January as in June
Our own per-client prices are on the pricing page.
Sources
- Finsmart — Pricing for CPA & Accounting Firms (fetched 8 Oct 2026)
- QX — How much does accounting outsourcing cost (fetched 8 Oct 2026) — cost comparison table
This page explains published rules. For advice on your firm's own arrangement, ask your counsel.