What is white-label bookkeeping?
Sources checked 8 October 2026
Short answer
Bookkeeping done by an outside team and delivered under your firm's name. Your client deals only with you; the partner works in the client's ledger, closes the month and hands the work back for your review. You keep the relationship, the pricing to the client and the advice.
How it works
- Access. The partner works inside the client's own ledger, through access your firm grants and can revoke.
- Monthly close. Transactions coded, bank and card accounts reconciled, payables and receivables updated.
- Review. Month-end reports come back to your firm with open questions listed for your answer.
- Delivery. Your firm reviews and sends the results to the client under your own name.
What stays with your firm
- The client relationship and every client conversation
- The price you charge the client
- Review of the work and the advice built on it
- Your firm's security obligations — the partner becomes a service provider under your WISP
White-label, staff augmentation or per-client
| Model | You pay for | Published example |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated seat | A full-time person working only for your firm | Finsmart Bookkeeping Seat — US $2,400/month |
| Hourly seat | Hours used | Finsmart — US $20/hour |
| Per client, per month | Each client's books, priced by volume | Rarely published in this market |
What to check before choosing a partner
- A written non-solicitation clause covering your clients
- Its written information security plan, multi-factor sign-in and encryption
- Which ledgers it actually works in
- Who reviews the work before it reaches you
- A published price, or a written quote before work starts
- A paid trial on one real client file
Sources
- Finsmart — Pricing for CPA & Accounting Firms (fetched 8 Oct 2026) — Bookkeeping Seat
- 16 CFR 314.4(f) — oversight of service providers
This page explains published rules. For advice on your firm's own arrangement, ask your counsel.