How much does a bookkeeper cost in the UK?

How do bookkeepers charge?

In one of four ways, and some firms mix them:

• A fixed monthly fee. Agreed before they start, for a set list of jobs. It only changes when the work changes, so you know the cost every month.
• An hourly rate. You pay for the time spent. It suits a few hours of help, but the bill goes up when the paperwork is messy.
• By the number of transactions. The price is set by how many bank payments, sales and bills go through each month.
• A one-off fee to catch up. Bringing old records up to date is usually priced as a separate job, once the bookkeeper has seen them.

There is no official figure for what bookkeeping firms or freelancers charge, so we do not quote a market rate. The useful number is a written price for your own business.

What changes the price of a bookkeeper?

How much work your business makes each month. These are the things that add to it:

• Transactions: every sale, bill and receipt has to be recorded and matched to your bank.
• Subcontractors: under CIS, every payment needs its deduction worked out, every subcontractor needs a statement, and the return is due by the 19th of every month.
• VAT: being registered adds VAT returns, and the construction reverse charge if your work falls under it.
• Payroll: how many people you pay, and how often. Paying weekly means more pay runs than paying monthly.
• Making Tax Digital: sole traders and landlords in it have extra reports to send during the year.
• How far behind you are: months of missing records take longer to sort than a tidy month.
• How you keep your paperwork: receipts photographed or emailed take less time than a bag of paper at the end of the year.

GOV.UK, for CIS contractors: Send your monthly returns to HMRC by the 19th of every month following the last tax month. And for Making Tax Digital: you need to send your quarterly updates to HMRC every 3 months for each self-employment and property business you have.

How much does it cost to employ a bookkeeper?

More than the salary. The National Careers Service gives an average salary of £24,000 a year for a starter and £35,000 for someone experienced, for 37 to 40 hours a week.

On top of the salary, for the 2026 to 2027 tax year, you pay:

• Employer National Insurance: 15% of their pay above £5,000 a year. That is the rate for category letter A, and GOV.UK says Most employees have category letter A.
• A workplace pension: at least 3% of their earnings between £6,240 and £50,270, once they earn £10,000 a year or more.
• Paid holiday: Almost all people classed as workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year. The books still need doing while they are away.

Sources: National Careers Service, bookkeeper job profile, GOV.UK, rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 and GOV.UK, workplace pensions: what you, your employer and the government pay.

Worked through for both salaries, at the legal minimums and with no other staff, a year costs:

Employment Allowance can bring the National Insurance down if your business qualifies. GOV.UK: Employment Allowance allows eligible employers to reduce their annual National Insurance liability by up to £10,500. Then add the things no official figure covers: recruiting, a computer, software and a desk.

Is it cheaper to employ a bookkeeper or use a bookkeeping firm?

For most small businesses, a firm, because you pay for the work there is rather than for a full working week. An employee is paid for 37 to 40 hours a week whether there is that much bookkeeping or not.

A firm also covers its own holidays and sickness, so your CIS return still goes in by the 19th. Employing your own starts to make sense when there is a full time job’s worth of work, or you want someone in the office for other jobs too.

What does Quids Bookkeeping charge?

We charge one fixed monthly fee, agreed before we start. Our pricing page sets out the bookkeeping fee and each extra job.

In the examples there, a contractor paying subcontractors comes to between £385 and £890 a month. That is £4,620 to £10,680 a year, against £27,382.80 to employ a starter bookkeeper. Get your own price

What is usually included in a bookkeeping fee?

The monthly bookkeeping, plus whichever other jobs you agree. Before you accept a price, check it says which of these are in:

• Recording sales, bills and receipts, and matching them to your bank.
• Keeping track of who owes you money and what you owe.
• CIS deductions, subcontractor statements and the monthly CIS return.
• VAT returns, including the reverse charge.
• Payroll, if you have staff.
• Regular management reports showing how the business is doing.

Year end accounts and your tax return are usually not included, and most people give them to an accountant. Catching up old records is usually extra too. Bookkeeper or accountant?

What should I ask a bookkeeper before hiring them?

These questions tell you what the price really covers:

1. Is the price fixed? Ask what would make it change, and whether you are told the new price before it changes.
2. What exactly is included? Get the list in writing, with CIS, VAT and payroll named if you need them.
3. Is catching up extra? If your books are behind, ask for that as a separate written price, before any work starts.
4. Do they know construction? Ask how they handle CIS deductions, subcontractor statements and the VAT reverse charge.
5. Who sends what to HMRC? Ask who sends your CIS return, your VAT return and your payroll, and who does your year end.
6. Who pays if they get it wrong? Ask what happens if a mistake of theirs leads to an HMRC penalty.
7. Can you leave easily? Ask about the notice period, and whether your records stay in your name if you go.