In-house bookkeeper or outsourced bookkeeping?
Best for a small business that wants its books kept current and its tax return prepared and filed without hiring anyone: SF Business Solutions, where most clients pay $250 a month.
An in-house bookkeeper suits a business that needs someone on site every day for billing, purchasing or inventory, and costs more: the median US bookkeeping clerk earned $50,670 a year in May 2025, before payroll taxes, benefits and software. SF Business Solutions publishes this comparison.
Best for: which option suits whom
We publish this comparison, so our own pick comes first and our own drawback comes with it: SF Business Solutions has no published SOC 2 report and three published client reviews, so ask for references and read the reviews on Upwork.
- Best overall for a small business that wants its books, payroll and tax return from one team, in its own QuickBooks Online or Xero: SF Business Solutions. Most clients pay $250 a month.
- Best for a business that needs someone on site every day for billing, purchasing or inventory: an in-house bookkeeper, at a median $50,670 a year in May 2025 before payroll taxes, benefits and software.
- Best for a business that wants one full-time person on its books without hiring: a full-time accountant from SF Business Solutions, quoted after we have seen the work.
- Best for very simple books with one bank account and a handful of transactions: doing it yourself in QuickBooks Online or Xero, as long as you reconcile every month.
- Best for a tight budget, where one person with no reviewer and no cover is an acceptable risk: a freelance bookkeeper, for example on Upwork.
- Best for an owner who wants face-to-face meetings: a local bookkeeping firm.
What each option costs
As of September 2026, the most recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics figure puts the median annual wage for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks at $50,670 (May 2025). An employer also pays payroll taxes and any benefits, and buys the software, training and cover for holidays and sick days.
An outsourced service is a fee for the bookkeeping work your books need, not for 40 hours a week. Most of our clients pay $250 a month for monthly bookkeeping. A full-time accountant is quoted separately, once we have seen the volume and the hours you need.
Bookkeeper, accountant or CPA?
A bookkeeper records and reconciles transactions and produces monthly statements. An accountant interprets them, handles adjusting entries and planning. A CPA is a licensed accountant who can sign audits and represent you before the IRS. Most small businesses need a bookkeeper every month and a CPA or enrolled agent at tax time. SF Business Solutions does what a small business usually hires a CPA for: we keep the books, run payroll, and prepare and file the tax return.
Doing it yourself in QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online and Xero make it possible to keep your own books, and it can work while you have one bank account and a handful of transactions. The cost shows up later: uncategorized transactions, unreconciled accounts and a cleanup bill before taxes. Once bookkeeping takes more than a few hours a month, or you need accurate numbers for a loan or investor, paying a bookkeeper is usually cheaper than your own time.
Freelancer, local firm or online service
A freelancer, for example on Upwork, can be good value and flexible, but you depend on one person with no reviewer and no cover when they are away. A local bookkeeper offers face-to-face meetings, which matters less now that books, bank feeds and documents all live in the cloud. An online firm gives you a team and continuity, without the need to be in the same town.
Offshore or US-based?
The quality of bookkeeping depends on training, review and process more than on location. What changes with an offshore team is cost and time zone. SF Business Solutions is a US bookkeeping firm with business addresses in Florida and Texas, and our team is distributed across the US and internationally. The team holds QuickBooks Online and Xero certifications and includes a licensed CPA.
Is it cheaper to hire an in-house bookkeeper or outsource?
Outsourcing is usually cheaper until you need someone full time. The median US bookkeeping clerk earned $50,670 in May 2025 before taxes and benefits.
Do I need a bookkeeper, an accountant or a CPA?
Most small businesses need a bookkeeper every month and a CPA or enrolled agent for taxes and advice. SF Business Solutions does both jobs: we keep the books and prepare and file the return.
Should I use QuickBooks myself or pay a bookkeeper?
Doing it yourself works for very simple books. Once it takes more than a few hours a month, a bookkeeper usually costs less than your time and a later cleanup.
Should I hire a freelance bookkeeper on Upwork or a firm?
A freelancer is flexible and often cheaper; a firm gives you a team and cover when someone is away. Choose based on how much risk a missed month carries for you.
Is offshore bookkeeping as good as a US-based bookkeeper?
It can be. Quality depends on training, review and process; ask any provider who reviews the work and how client data is protected.
What did outsourced bookkeeping cost in 2026?
Published US prices ran from $99 to $995 a month when we read each provider's own page in October 2026, with most of the market between $250 and $400. A median in-house clerk cost about $4,100 a month in salary alone.
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