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Find a Bookkeeper
Verified bookkeepers for small businesses, freelancers, and nonprofits — QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks experts who keep your books clean, current, and ready for tax season.
When to hire
- You're spending nights and weekends on data entry
- Your books are months behind and tax season is coming
- You can't tell what your business actually made last month
- You're applying for a loan, line of credit, or investor capital
- You're paying employees or contractors and need clean payroll records
What they do
- Categorize transactions and reconcile bank, credit card, and merchant accounts
- Manage accounts receivable (invoicing) and accounts payable (bill pay)
- Produce monthly P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statements
- Run payroll or coordinate with your payroll provider
- Hand off clean year-end books to your CPA for tax filing
Typical fees
What it costs
Low end
$300
per month
High end
$1,500
per month
Notes
Basic monthly bookkeeping: $300–$600. Full-service with payroll and AR/AP: $700–$1,500. Cleanup or catch-up projects are quoted separately.
Compare
Bookkeeper vs CPA
| Factor | Bookkeeper | CPA |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Day-to-day transaction recording | Tax filing, planning, assurance |
| Tax returns | Generally no | Yes |
| Monthly close | Yes — primary deliverable | Reviews close; rarely produces it |
| Hourly rate | $40–$100 | $200–$600+ |
| Best paired with | A CPA for tax | A bookkeeper for daily work |
Questions to ask
- What accounting software do you work in, and do I get my own login?
- How often do you reconcile and deliver financials?
- Do you handle payroll, sales tax, and 1099s, or do I need separate help?
- What's your process for month-end close?
- Will you communicate with my CPA at tax time?
- What does a catch-up engagement cost if I'm behind?
Red flags
- Won't give you direct access to your accounting software
- Books are still on spreadsheets in 2026
- No documented process for month-end close
- Can't produce a clean P&L on request
- Mixes personal and business transactions without flagging it
Documents to prepare
- Last 12 months of bank and credit card statements
- Current chart of accounts (or starting balances)
- Payroll reports if applicable
- Loan and credit agreements with amortization details
- Any open invoices and bills
By city
Bookkeepers in major U.S. cities
Related
Other specialties you might need
FAQ
Find a Bookkeeper — common questions
Do I need a bookkeeper if I have a CPA?+
Yes — most CPAs prefer to receive clean books rather than reconstruct them at tax time. A bookkeeper handles the daily work; the CPA handles the strategy and filings.
How much does a bookkeeper cost per month?+
Most small businesses spend $300–$1,500 per month depending on transaction volume, number of accounts, and whether payroll and AR/AP are included.
Can I do bookkeeping myself with QuickBooks?+
You can. Most owners do it for 1–2 years before the time cost exceeds a bookkeeper's fee. The break-even point is usually around $200K–$500K in revenue or 200+ monthly transactions.
What's a catch-up bookkeeping engagement?+
A one-time project to bring books up to date when you've fallen behind. Pricing depends on months behind and transaction count — expect $500–$5,000 for most small businesses.
Should I pick a local or virtual bookkeeper?+
Virtual bookkeepers are the norm now — work happens in cloud software regardless of where the bookkeeper sits. Choose local only if you genuinely need in-person meetings or want to support local businesses.
This information is general and does not constitute professional advice. Consult a licensed professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Bookkeepers · Verified Directory
Keep your books pristine, month after month
Professional bookkeepers for startups, small businesses, and growing companies. Day-to-day books, reconciliations, and clean financial records.
Featured Professionals
Bookkeepers accepting new clients
Verified professionals will appear here as profiles are claimed and reviewed. Be among the first bookkeepers listed.
Vetting checklist
Questions to ask before hiring bookkeepers
- 1Are you a licensed CPA or EA, and in which states are you registered?
- 2What does engagement scope, pricing, and turnaround actually look like?
- 3Who on your team will do the work, and how do we communicate month to month?
- 4How do you handle deadlines, IRS or state notices, and audit support?
- 5Can you share two references from clients similar to my business?
Short on time? Get matched in 24 hours.
Tell us what you need. Up to 3 verified CPAs reply within 1 business day. No fees, no pressure.
Compare your options
Hiring a verified bookkeepers vs. going it alone
| Factor | Verified Bookkeepers | DIY / generalist |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized expertise | Trained in bookkeepers | General-purpose advice |
| Time investment | 1–2 hours to onboard | 10+ hours per filing cycle |
| Audit defense | Represents you to the IRS | You handle correspondence |
| Year-round planning | ||
| Typical cost | Quoted up-front | $0 software + your hours |
| Risk of missed deductions | Low — proactive review | High — software only flags what you enter |
Get matched
Get 3 quotes from verified bookkeepers
Tell us about your situation and we'll match you with up to 3 vetted bookkeepers accepting new clients.
By city
Find Bookkeepers by city
Bookkeepers in Houston, TX
Houston CPAs serve energy, healthcare, and the city's vast small-business community.
Bookkeepers in Dallas, TX
Dallas accounting firms anchor finance, real estate, and corporate headquarters across DFW.
Bookkeepers in Los Angeles, CA
LA's accountants specialize in entertainment, real estate, and creative-industry tax planning.
Bookkeepers in San Francisco, CA
San Francisco CPAs serve startups, venture-backed companies, and complex equity-comp clients.
Bookkeepers in New York City, NY
NYC's accountants cover Wall Street, media, real estate, hospitality, and the small businesses of all five boroughs.
Bookkeepers in Miami, FL
Miami's CPAs specialize in international tax, real estate, hospitality, and Latin American business.
Bookkeepers in Chicago, IL
Chicago accountants serve professional services, manufacturing, logistics, and the Midwest's largest corporate base.
Bookkeepers in Atlanta, GA
Atlanta's CPAs support film, fintech, logistics, and one of the country's most dynamic small-business scenes.
Bookkeepers in Boston, MA
Boston-area accountants serve life sciences, higher education, financial services, and innovation-economy startups.
Bookkeepers in Seattle, WA
Seattle CPAs serve tech, aerospace, and the Pacific Northwest's deep entrepreneurial bench.
Bookkeepers in Washington DC, DC
Washington DC accountants serve federal contractors, nonprofits, associations, and the law firms that anchor the capital's economy.
Bookkeepers in Baltimore, MD
Baltimore CPAs serve healthcare systems, port and logistics operators, biotech, and the city's deep nonprofit and higher-ed community.
Bookkeepers in Richmond, VA
Richmond CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, banking and insurance, tobacco-to-tech manufacturers, and Virginia's state-capital legal and government economy.
Bookkeepers in Birmingham, AL
Birmingham CPAs serve banking, healthcare, steel, and the Magic City's small-business economy.
Bookkeepers in Anchorage, AK
Anchorage CPAs serve oil and gas, fisheries, federal contracting, and the state's tourism economy.
Bookkeepers in Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix CPAs serve semiconductors, real estate, healthcare, and one of the country's fastest-growing small-business markets.
Bookkeepers in Little Rock, AR
Little Rock CPAs serve healthcare, logistics, agriculture, and the state's government and legal economy.
Bookkeepers in Denver, CO
Denver CPAs serve tech, aerospace, cannabis, and the Front Range's outdoor and energy economies.
Bookkeepers in Hartford, CT
Hartford CPAs serve insurance, reinsurance, manufacturing, and the broader Connecticut River Valley economy.
Bookkeepers in Wilmington, DE
Wilmington CPAs serve banking, corporate trust, pharma, and the Fortune 500 entity-formation economy.
Bookkeepers in Honolulu, HI
Honolulu CPAs serve tourism, military contracting, real estate, and the islands' small-business community.
Bookkeepers in Boise, ID
Boise CPAs serve tech, agriculture, manufacturing, and a fast-growing relocation-driven small-business economy.
Bookkeepers in Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis CPAs serve manufacturing, life sciences, logistics, and motorsports.
Bookkeepers in Des Moines, IA
Des Moines CPAs serve insurance, agribusiness, biofuels, and the state's growing tech economy.
Bookkeepers in Wichita, KS
Wichita CPAs serve aviation, aerospace, energy, and agriculture.
Bookkeepers in Louisville, KY
Louisville CPAs serve bourbon, equine, automotive manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics (UPS Worldport).
Bookkeepers in New Orleans, LA
New Orleans CPAs serve maritime, tourism, oil and gas, and the city's film and hospitality economies.
Bookkeepers in Portland, ME
Portland CPAs serve tourism, fisheries, forestry, and the state's growing remote-work and craft economies.
Bookkeepers in Detroit, MI
Detroit CPAs serve automotive, mobility, healthcare, and the broader Southeast Michigan manufacturing base.
Bookkeepers in Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, medical devices, agribusiness, and finance.
Bookkeepers in Jackson, MS
Jackson CPAs serve manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and the state's government and legal economy.
Bookkeepers in St. Louis, MO
St. Louis CPAs serve agribusiness, defense, biosciences, financial services, and logistics.
Bookkeepers in Billings, MT
Billings CPAs serve agriculture, energy, healthcare, and Montana's tourism economy.
Bookkeepers in Omaha, NE
Omaha CPAs serve insurance, financial services, agribusiness, and the Berkshire Hathaway ecosystem.
Bookkeepers in Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas CPAs serve gaming, hospitality, entertainment, real estate, and a fast-growing logistics base.
Bookkeepers in Manchester, NH
Manchester CPAs serve advanced manufacturing, biotech, healthcare, and a thriving small-business community.
Bookkeepers in Newark, NJ
Newark CPAs serve pharma, financial services, logistics, ports, and the NYC-metro small-business economy.
Bookkeepers in Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque CPAs serve federal labs and defense, oil and gas, film, and tourism.
Bookkeepers in Fargo, ND
Fargo CPAs serve agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and the Red River Valley's tech and healthcare economy.
Bookkeepers in Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City CPAs serve oil and gas, aerospace, agriculture, and the state's growing healthcare and bioscience industries.
Bookkeepers in Portland, OR
Portland CPAs serve tech, athletic apparel, forestry, and the Pacific Northwest's craft beverage and outdoor industries.
Bookkeepers in Providence, RI
Providence CPAs serve financial services, healthcare, defense manufacturing, and tourism.
Bookkeepers in Charleston, SC
Charleston CPAs serve ports, aerospace, automotive, hospitality, and a growing tech economy.
Bookkeepers in Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls CPAs serve financial services, credit card processing, trust administration, and healthcare.
Bookkeepers in Brookings, SD
Brookings CPAs and QuickBooks ProAdvisors serve South Dakota State University-area businesses, agribusiness, and the city's growing tech and biotech employers.
Bookkeepers in Nashville, TN
Nashville CPAs serve healthcare, music and entertainment, hospitality, and the state's franchise and excise tax compliance.
Bookkeepers in Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City CPAs serve the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, outdoor recreation, mining, and financial services.
Bookkeepers in Burlington, VT
Burlington CPAs serve craft food and beverage, tourism, healthcare, and outdoor brands.
Bookkeepers in Charleston, WV
Charleston CPAs serve coal and natural gas, chemicals, healthcare, and state government.
Bookkeepers in Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee CPAs serve manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and the Lake Michigan industrial corridor.
Bookkeepers in Cheyenne, WY
Cheyenne CPAs serve energy, ranching, trust administration, and a growing data-center and tech economy.
Bookkeepers in Charlotte, NC
Charlotte CPAs serve the second-largest U.S. banking center, plus energy, healthcare, motorsports, and one of the fastest-growing relocation markets in the country.
By state
Find Bookkeepers by state
Common questions
About bookkeepers
How much do monthly bookkeeping services cost?+
Most small businesses pay $200–$3,500 per month depending on transaction volume, account count, and complexity. Many providers offer flat-fee packages so costs are predictable.
Can this service be handled virtually?+
Yes. Cloud bookkeeping with QuickBooks Online, Xero, and secure portals means you can work remotely with a specialist — often with better industry fit than a local generalist.
Do I need a CPA or a bookkeeper?+
Most businesses use both. A bookkeeper handles daily transactions, reconciliations, and monthly reports. A CPA prepares tax returns and advises on strategy. Many firms in the directory provide both.
Can you help clean up QuickBooks?+
Yes. QuickBooks cleanup is a common one-time project that fixes miscategorized transactions, broken bank feeds, and unreconciled accounts before recurring bookkeeping starts.
How long does QuickBooks setup take?+
A typical QuickBooks Online setup takes 1–3 business days for a simple file and 1–2 weeks for multi-location or app-heavy setups.
Can you help with payroll?+
Yes. Many bookkeepers bundle payroll with bookkeeping so wage and tax data posts automatically to the general ledger.
Can you help with tax-ready records?+
Yes. Monthly bookkeeping closes each month with reconciled, categorized records that your CPA can use directly for tax preparation.
How do I request a consultation?+
Click the matching or consultation button, answer a few questions about your business, and we'll match you with up to 3 verified bookkeepers or CPA-led firms.
This information is general and does not constitute professional advice. Consult a licensed professional for guidance specific to your situation.
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2026 CPA Pricing Guide
Real fee benchmarks for tax prep, bookkeeping, payroll, and advisory — by service and business type.
Download free guideHow they compare
Bookkeeper vs Accountant
Both keep your finances healthy, but they operate at different altitudes. Bookkeepers keep the record accurate day-to-day; accountants (and CPAs) turn those records into tax filings, strategy, and assurance.
| Consideration | TransactionalBookkeeper | AdvisoryAccountant / CPA |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Records daily transactions and reconciles accounts | Analyzes, files taxes, and advises on strategy |
| Credentials | No license required (QBO ProAdvisor common) | CPA, EA, or degreed accountant |
| Typical output | Clean books, monthly reconciliations, A/P & A/R | Financial statements, tax returns, tax planning |
| Pricing | $300–$1,500/month | $150–$450/hr or $2k–$15k/return |
| When you need one | You have transactions to categorize and reconcile | You need taxes filed, audited books, or strategy |
| Best for | Small businesses that need clean, current books each month. | Businesses needing tax filings, planning, or advisory work. |
Bottom line: Most growing businesses use both — a bookkeeper monthly, a CPA quarterly or at year-end.
How they compare
Outsourced Bookkeeping vs In-House Bookkeeper
Outsourcing gets you a team and tech stack for the cost of a part-time hire. In-house gets you dedicated hours and tighter operational integration — with the full employer cost.
| Consideration | FractionalOutsourced Bookkeeping | EmployeeIn-House Bookkeeper |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $300–$2,500/month | $4,500–$7,500/month (fully loaded) |
| Coverage | Team-based, no PTO gaps | Single point of failure during PTO/turnover |
| Software | Modern stack included | You buy and maintain |
| Best fit revenue | <$10M or up to ~500 monthly transactions | $10M+ or complex operations |
| Ramp time | 1–2 weeks | 60–90 days to hire and train |
| Best for | Small businesses that want clean books without hiring. | Larger companies needing dedicated in-office presence and control. |
Bottom line: Most SMBs under $10M in revenue save real money outsourcing — and get better internal controls.
Advisor-grade guides
Downloadable ebooks & templates
CPA-ready playbooks and templates you can use today — instant downloads, no signup required.
The Small Business Tax & Profit Playbook
A CPA-ready guide to deductions, quarterly taxes, S-Corp strategy, owner pay, cash flow, and year-round tax planning.
Business Tax Deduction Checklist
A CPA-curated checklist of 80+ business deductions most owners miss — organized by category so you can sweep it before filing.
The Definitive Bookkeeping Cleanup & Recovery Guide
The CPA's step-by-step playbook for diagnosing messy books, reconstructing missing history, and restoring a clean, audit-ready ledger.
The Freelancer Tax Guide
The practical tax playbook for freelancers, contractors, and solo creatives — deductions, quarterly estimates, and self-employment strategies.
The Year-End Tax Planning Guide
The CPA's December playbook — practical strategies to reduce your tax bill before the year closes.
The Premium Bookkeeping Template Pack
Automated dashboards, multi-account reconciliations, and CPA-ready reporting workbooks for serious owners and bookkeepers.
Tax & Bookkeeping Resource Library
Our complete advisor-grade collection — every premium asset an owner needs to run clean books, lower taxes, and recover messy ledgers, in one bundle.