Bookkeeping prices for construction and trades
For construction and trades firms that pay subcontractors, our example prices come to between £385 and £890 a month. Answer a few questions below to see your own price, broken down, with no email address needed.
Letting out property? See our prices for landlords.
1. Your turnover
A rough band is fine. Nobody knows it to the pound and we would rather you got a price now than went to find last year's accounts.
2. CIS
If you pay somebody else to do construction work, you are a contractor under CIS, even if you are a one man band and even if it is only now and then.
3. VAT
Registration is compulsory once your turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling twelve months. You can also register before that by choice.
4. Payroll
Employees on PAYE, including yourself if you take a salary. Subcontractors are not payroll, they go in the CIS answer above.
5. Where the books are now
Straight answers only help you here. Being behind is the normal reason people come to us and it does not change the monthly price.
Answer the questions and your price appears here.
No email address needed to see it. Nothing is sent anywhere until you decide to send it.
Nothing reaches HMRC without your yes
Nothing is sent to HMRC until you say yes. Payroll is filed once you have approved the pay run.
The books stay in your own Xero
Your subscription, in your name. If you leave, nothing has to be handed back because you already hold it.
Thirty days notice, no exit fee
No twelve month tie in and no charge to get your data out.
Things you can check for yourself
Here is what you can check without taking our word for it.
We are a registered company. Quids Bookkeeping Ltd, company number 17264350, which you can look up at Companies House.
Our calculator matches HMRC. The free CIS calculator gives the same answers as HMRC's own worked examples (in its CIS340 guide, Appendix D). Try their example and see.
Every date and rate has a source. Every guide lists the HMRC page it is based on. HMRC does not publish a CIS calendar, so we built one to 2028 from their rules. You can check any date in it.
You can read about us. Who we are and why we started, with our company details. And how we check our facts.
We are new, so we do not have any reviews yet.
Our full price list
Bookkeeping is priced by your turnover. Services you add are priced per subcontractor, per employee, or flat for VAT, so adding one more always costs the same, with no sudden jumps in your bill. To compare, our guide explains how much a bookkeeper costs and what changes the price.
Your Xero subscription is separate and in your name.
Bookkeeping, which everyone has
Your bank kept up to date, invoices collected from your email so you are not chasing paperwork, and your monthly management accounts.
The base price, by turnover. Every price on this page excludes VAT.
| Turnover | Per month |
|---|---|
| Under £100,000 | £195 a month |
| £100,000 to £250,000 | £260 a month |
| £250,000 to £500,000 | £330 a month |
| £500,000 to £1m | £450 a month |
| £1m to £2m | £595 a month |
| Over £2m | Price on request |
Then only what you need
Added to the base price. You only pay for the services you use.
| Service | What it costs | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| CIS | £25 a month, plus £10 per subcontractor | Checking subcontractors, working out deductions, statements, and your monthly return ready for you to send |
| VAT returns | £70 a month | One price, however many invoices. The construction reverse charge is included |
| Payroll, monthly | £45 a month, plus £18 per employee | Payslips, and your payroll filed with HMRC on or before each payday |
| Payroll, fortnightly | £45 a month, plus £26 per employee | Twenty six pay runs a year instead of twelve |
| Payroll, weekly | £45 a month, plus £36 per employee | Fifty two pay runs and payroll filings a year |
| Management accounts and cash forecast | Included | Included as standard. What you get |
| Mileage | Included | You record journeys on a mileage app on your phone, and we keep the log with your books. HMRC mileage rates and which journeys count |
If your books are behind, it does not change any of the above. Catching up is a separate one-off from £500, quoted once we have seen what is there. How catching up works
Prices for landlords
We keep your rent and costs up to date every month and send your Making Tax Digital quarterly updates once you approve them. The price is set by how many properties you let.
Landlord prices, per month. Every price on this page excludes VAT.
| Properties | Per month |
|---|---|
| 1 or 2 properties | £60 a month |
| 3 to 5 properties | £75 a month |
| 6 to 10 properties | £120 a month |
| More than 10 properties | Price on request |
- Your Making Tax Digital quarterly updates are included.
- There is no setup fee.
- If your books are behind, catching up is a separate one-off from £500.
- If you own property jointly, each owner sends their own updates, so each owner has their own price.
- If your properties are owned through a limited company, get in touch for a price.
Example prices
Example businesses priced from the list above, so you can find the one closest to yours.
Example prices, from the same price list. Excluding VAT.
| The business | What they take | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader on their own | Bookkeeping only, no subbies, not VAT registered | £195 a month |
| Small contractor, £180k | Bookkeeping, 3 subbies, VAT | £385 a month |
| £300k, 6 subbies, VAT | Bookkeeping, CIS, VAT | £485 a month |
| Growing firm, £400k | Bookkeeping, 12 subbies, VAT, 4 on monthly payroll | £662 a month |
| The lot, £600k | Bookkeeping, 15 subbies, VAT, 4 on monthly payroll | £812 a month |
| Groundworks, £1.5m | Bookkeeping, 20 subbies, VAT | £890 a month |
Businesses turning over £250,000 to £500,000 sit in the middle of this table, not the top. We are built for businesses that size, and the higher bands are there so you can keep us as you grow.
Pay for the year and get 2 months free
You pay for 10 months instead of 12. On the £385 a month example that is £3,850 for the year rather than £4,620. Monthly is paid by Direct Debit and annual is paid up front. Both get exactly the same service.
Paying for the year does not tie you in. It is still thirty days notice. If you leave part way through, we refund the months you have not had, worked out at the monthly rate.
What the price does not include
Not a starting point. It is the price. It stays fixed unless your answers change, and we tell you before it changes.
Not a tie-in. No minimum term, thirty days notice, no exit fee, and your books are in your own Xero the whole time.
Not your year end. Limited company accounts and corporation tax stay with your accountant. Your accountant gets clean, up to date books, so there is less for them to sort out.
Not an hourly rate. You are never charged for asking a question, so ask as often as you like.
Questions about the price
How much does a bookkeeper cost for a construction business?
It depends on what you need. Ours starts at £195 a month for bookkeeping on its own, and in our example prices, firms paying subcontractors come to between £385 and £890 a month once CIS, VAT and payroll are on. The questions on this page give you your own price rather than a range.
What does the monthly fee include?
Everyone gets the bookkeeping: your bank kept up to date, invoices collected from your email, your management accounts and cash forecast, and your mileage log. If you are a sole trader or landlord, your Making Tax Digital quarterly updates are included too. Then you add only what you need: CIS if you pay subcontractors, VAT returns if you are VAT registered, and payroll if you have staff.
Is a bookkeeper worth the money?
If you pay subcontractors, usually yes. There is a CIS return to get right every month, a statement for every subcontractor, and VAT returns if you are registered, and a missed or wrong one can mean a penalty. We do that work for you. We pay any HMRC penalty we cause, except on the CIS300, which you submit yourself.
Is it cheaper to pay for the year?
Yes, you pay for 10 months instead of 12, so 2 months are free. Monthly is by Direct Debit and annual is up front. Both buy exactly the same work, and neither ties you in.
Does weekly payroll cost more than monthly?
Yes. Weekly payroll means fifty two pay runs and filings a year instead of twelve, so it is £36 per employee a month, against £18 for monthly and £26 for fortnightly.
Is the price fixed, or does it change every month?
It is fixed. The price is based on how many subcontractors and employees you have, but it is not recalculated every month. If you pay six subcontractors, you pay for six. If that becomes ten, we tell you the new price before it changes, never after.
Why is there no cheap starter package?
Because every client gets the same full service, and we only take on a limited number of clients. Instead of a cut-down package, you pay a base fee and only add the services you need.
Do I pay extra for the management accounts?
No, it is included in the base fee.
What if my books are miles behind?
That is very common, and it does not change the monthly price. Catching up is a separate one-off job, from £500, and we price it once we have seen what needs doing, so the price you get is the price you pay.
Am I tied in?
No. There is no minimum term, just thirty days notice, no exit fee, and your books are in your own Xero the whole time. Paying for the year does not change that: if you leave part way through, we refund the months you have not had at the monthly rate.
Does this include my year end accounts and corporation tax?
No. Limited company accounts and corporation tax stay with your accountant. Your accountant gets clean, up to date books, so there is less for them to sort out.
Is VAT charged on top?
Every price on this page excludes VAT.
Want a price in writing?
Join the waitlist for 2027.
We pay any HMRC penalty we cause, except on the CIS300, which you submit yourself.