Quick answer: Bookkeeping is priced on volume and complexity: how many transactions a month, how many bank and card accounts, whether there is payroll, how often GST/HST or PST is filed, and whether the books are current or need catching up. EverStone’s own published fee is from $325 a month for monthly bookkeeping, with sales tax returns and payroll priced in where they apply, and catch-up work from $2,200 for each year of records brought current. Both are fixed in writing before any work starts.
Key takeaways
- Five things set the fee: transaction volume, number of accounts, payroll, sales tax filings and the state of the books.
- EverStone’s published fee is from $325 a month; catch-up is from $2,200 per year of records.
- A fixed monthly fee should include reconciled books, a monthly report and the sales tax returns, not just data entry.
- Hourly billing suits a one-off clean-up with an unknown scope; a fixed fee suits ongoing work where the scope is known.
- The cheapest bookkeeping is the kind that does not have to be redone at year-end.
On this page
What drives the cost of bookkeeping
Every bookkeeping quote, hourly or fixed, is an estimate of the same five things. Knowing them lets you compare quotes on substance rather than on the headline figure.
Transaction volume. The number of bank, card and cash entries a month is the main driver, because each one has to be categorised, matched to a receipt and reconciled. A consultant with forty entries a month and a retailer with four hundred are different jobs.
Number of accounts. Each bank account, credit card, loan and payment processor is a separate reconciliation. Two accounts are half the work of four, whatever the transaction count.
Payroll. Running pay, calculating source deductions, remitting them on the right schedule and filing the T4s at year-end is a distinct recurring task with its own deadlines and penalties. It is priced as its own line.
Sales tax filings. A GST/HST return monthly, quarterly or annually, and a PST return in BC or Manitoba where registered, each add a filing with a deadline. Frequency sets the work.
The state of the books. Current books cost a monthly fee. Books that are months or years behind need a catch-up first, which is a separate, larger, one-time job. Our guide for owners who are behind on the books explains how that is sequenced.
EverStone’s published fees
Rather than quote a survey, here is our own ladder, as published on the pricing page. It is the same in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba.
| Service | Fee | What sets the final figure |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly bookkeeping | From $325 a month | Transaction volume, number of bank and card accounts, GST/HST and PST registrations, employees and pay frequency |
| GST/HST and PST returns | Priced into the monthly fee where you are registered | Filing frequency |
| Payroll and source deductions | Priced into the monthly fee where you have staff | Number of employees and pay frequency |
| Year-end statements and T2 | Can be included in the monthly fee | Whether you want one firm for the books and the return |
| Catch-up bookkeeping | From $2,200 for each year of records brought current | Years behind, volume, and the condition of the records |
| Controller support | From $1,650 a month | Monthly close, reporting and cash management on top of the books |
The “from” is the floor for a business with one or two accounts, a modest transaction count and no payroll. The quote moves up with the five drivers above and is fixed once agreed, so a busy month does not change the invoice.
Hourly or fixed: which to ask for
Hourly billing charges for time spent; fixed billing charges for a defined scope. Each is the right model for a different job.
| Situation | Better model | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing monthly books, stable volume | Fixed | The scope is known; a fixed fee removes the meter and makes questions free |
| A one-off clean-up of unknown depth | Hourly, or fixed after a review | Nobody can price what they have not seen; a short paid review first lets the rest be fixed |
| Seasonal business with a quiet half | Fixed, set on the annual average | A level fee across the year beats a bill that doubles in the busy months |
| A single question or a short project | Hourly or a flat project fee | Too small to fit a monthly plan |
| Growing fast, volume changing quarterly | Fixed, reviewed every six months | A fixed fee that is never revisited will be wrong in one direction or the other |
EverStone quotes fixed fees for ongoing work and for catch-up after seeing the records. What we do not do is hourly bookkeeping on an open meter, because it rewards slow work and discourages the client from asking questions.
What a monthly fee should include
Compare quotes on what is inside the fee, not on the number alone. A fee for monthly bookkeeping should cover:
- Reconciled accounts: every bank, card and loan account agreed to its statement each month, with the differences found. A bank reconciliation is the test of whether the books are right; this guide explains why.
- Categorised transactions coded to the right expense line, with the 50% meals limit, the business-use splits and the capital items handled as they arrive rather than at year-end.
- Receipts matched to transactions, stored where a CRA review can be answered from.
- Sales tax returns prepared and filed on the registered frequency, with the input tax credits claimed.
- A short monthly report: profit and loss, balance sheet, who owes you and what you owe, in a form you will read.
- Questions answered without a separate invoice.
What a monthly fee usually does not include, and is quoted separately: payroll where you have staff, the year-end financial statements and T2 unless bundled, prior-year catch-up, and CRA review support. A quote that is silent on these is a quote that will grow.
In-house, software alone, or outsourced
The alternatives to an outsourced bookkeeper are doing it yourself in accounting software or hiring someone. Software is inexpensive and handles the mechanics, but it does not know that a meal is limited to 50% or that a truck belongs in a CCA class; the judgement is still yours, and the year-end accountant corrects what the software recorded. An in-house bookkeeper carries a salary, the employer payroll costs on it, and cover when they are away, which only makes sense above a volume most owner-managed businesses do not reach. Our comparison of in-house and outsourced bookkeeping sets out the crossover, and bookkeeper, accountant or CPA explains which one does what.
Monthly or once a year
Some owners hand a year of statements to an accountant each spring and have the books built then. It costs less per month and more per year, because a year of entries is reconstructed without the memory of what each one was, and the GST/HST returns were filed through the year on figures nobody checked. It also means no numbers to run the business on until the year is over. The trade-off is set out in monthly versus annual bookkeeping.
A decision table
| Your situation | Usually the right fit | Where EverStone fits |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor, a few dozen transactions a month, no payroll, no sales tax registration | Software, with an accountant at year-end | Self-employed T1 with the schedules, quoted up front |
| Incorporated, one or two accounts, GST/HST registered, no staff | Outsourced monthly bookkeeping | From $325 a month, sales tax returns priced in |
| Incorporated with staff and quarterly or monthly filings | Outsourced bookkeeping with payroll | Monthly fee with payroll and filings priced in; year-end can be bundled |
| Books one or more years behind | Catch-up first, then monthly | From $2,200 per year of records, then the monthly fee |
| Several entities, a monthly close the bank or a board reads | Controller-level support | From $1,650 a month |
The bottom line
Bookkeeping cost is a function of volume, accounts, payroll, filings and the state of the records. Ask for a fixed fee on a defined scope, check what is inside it, and treat the year-end as part of the same system rather than a separate purchase. EverStone’s published floor is $325 a month, and the fee for your business is set in writing after one email.
The fee for your business depends on the five drivers above; the fee estimate tool gives a first figure, and an enquiry gets a fixed quote in writing within one business day.
General information for Canadian business owners, current as of November 2026; not tax, legal or accounting advice, and no client relationship. Rules change, so speak with a CPA before acting.
Prepared and reviewed by a CPA at EverStone CPA, serving businesses in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba. About the firm → · Send an enquiry →
The scope described on this page is what monthly bookkeeping at EverStone includes, from $325 a month.
Frequently asked questions
How much does bookkeeping cost per month for a small business?+
Is bookkeeping charged hourly or as a flat fee?+
What does catch-up bookkeeping cost?+
Does the monthly fee include GST/HST returns and payroll?+
Is it cheaper to do my own bookkeeping?+
Do bookkeeping fees differ by province?+
Want a fixed monthly fee for your books?
Tell us the rough transaction count, the number of accounts and whether you run payroll. A CPA replies by email within one business day with a fixed fee in writing, from $325 a month.
Have a question about this?
Ask free through the quick-question form; a CPA replies by email within one business day. For a proper look, a 45-minute Advice Call with a CPA is $225 plus applicable tax, booked by email, credited against your first invoice if you become a client within 60 days. Want an accountant to take it on? Send an enquiry.
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