QBSpecialist

What we charge

QuickBooks help pricing: fixed scope, fixed fee.

This is QBSpecialist's QuickBooks help pricing — what we charge for the work. Every engagement — cleanup, catch-up, migration, setup, or monthly bookkeeping — is a fixed scope with a fixed fee: project work from $1,500, monthly bookkeeping from $400/mo, quoted after a free view-only review of your file. No hourly meter — you approve the number before anything begins.

Looking for Intuit's own subscription prices? QuickBooks plan prices, dated.

Last reviewed October 2026 by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor

What this page is based on: our published floors, with Intuit’s own plan prices and Expert bookkeeping prices quoted as listed (checked October 2026)

  • Fixed fee, not hourly
  • Quoted after a free review
  • No surprise on the invoice

What QuickBooks help costs here

QuickBooks help here costs a fixed fee for a fixed scope — project work from $1,500, monthly bookkeeping from $400/mo — quoted after a free view-only review. That is the whole model: we look at your file first, define exactly what the job is, and put one number on it that does not move unless you ask it to.

We don't lead with a single sticker price because "QuickBooks help" isn't one job. A light chart tidy-up, a two-year catch-up, and a Desktop-to-Online migration are three different amounts of work, and pretending otherwise would mean either padding every quote to cover the worst case or lowballing and clawing it back later. Neither is honest. Instead, the cost of the work is set to the work — measured, not guessed. If you want the mechanics of a specific job, a QuickBooks cleanup and monthly bookkeeping each have their own page; this one is about how the price is set, whatever the job.

The software is a separate bill

If you searched "QuickBooks pricing" for the software itself, that bill goes to Intuit, not to us. On Intuit's US pricing page (checked October 2026), QuickBooks Online ran from a $0 Free tier and Simple Start at $38 a month up to Advanced at $340, with payroll sold as an add-on; the plan-by-plan table, a year of each plan and the add-ons are on our QuickBooks cost page. Intuit also sells bookkeeping of its own: Expert Full Service Bookkeeping starts at $300/mo after an initial cleanup fee, and Expert Cleanup is as low as $600, priced by the number of months — both for QuickBooks Online. How that service and an independent specialist split the work is in is QuickBooks Live worth it. Everything else on this page is the other bill: what independent help from us costs, with you keeping your own Intuit account.

Why we quote after a free review, not before

From file to number

How a fixed quote is made — and held Free review VIEW-ONLY, FREE Fixed quote FROM $1,500 · FROM $400/MO You approve BEFORE WORK STARTS Same number NO SURPRISE INVOICE
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Four stages: a free view-only review of the file, a fixed quote against the published floors of from $1,500 for projects and from $400 per month for monthly bookkeeping, your approval before any work starts, and an invoice that matches the number you approved.

Every quote follows the same path — a free view-only review, one fixed number against the published floors (from $1,500 for projects; from $400/mo for monthly bookkeeping), your approval before work starts, and an invoice that matches it. Illustrative of the process; your review sets the real number.

We quote after the review because an honest number needs your file, not a phone description. Until we can see how far behind the books are and how tangled they got, any figure we said would be a guess dressed up as a quote.

Two owners can use the same words — "my books are a mess" — and be a week of work apart. One is three months behind on a single checking account; the other is two years behind across three accounts, a credit card, and a payroll feed that never tied. A view-only look tells the two apart in minutes. That is why the free QuickBooks review is the front door to every quote: the same specialist opens your file, sees the real condition, and scopes the fee to it — one specialist, never a rotating pool. You get a number built on evidence, and we get a scope we can commit to. Nobody is protecting themselves with a padded range.

What moves the price up or down

Three measurable things move a quote more than anything else: how many months or years are behind, how many accounts and connected feeds we have to reconcile, and how many transactions run through the file. The review reads all three, and together they decide whether a job is small, standard, or large.

How many months (or years) are behind

Time is the biggest lever. Catching up three months is a short job; catching up two years means reconciling far more periods, chasing far more missing documentation, and untangling changes that compounded while nobody was watching. The further back the gap runs, the more the fee reflects it — which is also why closing the gap sooner usually costs less than letting it grow.

How many accounts and feeds

Each bank account, credit card, loan, and connected bank feed is another ledger to reconcile and another place errors hide. A single-account file is quick to bring to a tie; a file with several accounts, a card, and a payroll integration is proportionally more work, because every one of them has to reconcile independently before the whole file can.

Transaction volume

A file with a few dozen transactions a month behaves nothing like one with thousands. Higher volume means more to categorize, more duplicates to find, and more to check — so a high-throughput file at the same age and account count as a quiet one scopes higher. Volume is the multiplier on the other two.

A messy chart of accounts, undeposited-funds pileups, or a broken opening balance can add scope on top, but they tend to ride along with the three above rather than drive the number on their own.

What it costs

Fixed-scope pricing by engagement

Here is how the common engagements are priced. Each floor is the published starting point for that engagement — your free review turns it into one exact number for your file; we never bake a made-up number into this table.

Fixed-scope engagement pricing
EngagementStarting pricePlanned timelineWhat's included
QuickBooks cleanupFrom $1,5002–4 weeks, plannedReconcile accounts, correct mis-categorized entries, and fix the chart so your reports tie.
Catch-up bookkeepingFrom $1,500Scoped by months behindBring a file that is months or years behind current, period by period, to a clean tie. Larger or multi-year files are custom quoted.
Migration or setupCustom fixed quote1–3 weeks (setup 1–2 weeks), plannedMove to QuickBooks Online or Desktop, or set up a new file, with balances carried correctly.
Monthly bookkeepingFrom $400/moMonth to monthOngoing categorization, reconciliation, and reports once the file is clean — no lock-in.
Size your cleanup with the calculator

Scope and acceptance

What each fee covers, and what "done" means

Next to each floor: what is in, what is not, what moves the quote, your part, and the test the work has to pass before it counts as done.

Scope and acceptance by engagement
QuickBooks cleanupCatch-up bookkeepingMigration or setupMonthly bookkeeping
StartsFrom $1,500From $1,500Custom fixed quoteFrom $400/mo
IncludedEvery account in scope reconciled to its statement; miscategorized and duplicate transactions corrected; Opening Balance Equity investigated and corrected with supporting evidence; Undeposited Funds reconciled to actual deposits and valid receipts still awaiting deposit; a written change log.Every missing month entered from bank and card activity, categorized, and reconciled to its statement; a month-by-month reconciliation package; a written summary of every month closed.Mapping, conversion and validation: the converted file's trial balance, balance sheet, open A/R and A/P and bank balances checked against the old file, and a written record of every mapping decision.Each month: every bank, card and loan account reconciled, every transaction categorized, receivables and payables reviewed, the profit and loss and balance sheet checked against last month, and a short written note.
Not includedPreparing or filing tax returns, tax advice, running payroll, filing sales-tax returns, and the QuickBooks subscription. Months never entered are a catch-up; a damaged file is a rescue.Preparing or filing tax returns (your preparer works from the numbers), running payroll, and correcting months already in the file, which is a cleanup.Preparing or filing tax returns, running payroll, and the QuickBooks subscription; items Intuit's conversion does not move are rebuilt only where the written scope lists them.Preparing or filing tax returns and tax advice, running payroll, and any one-time cleanup or catch-up a file needs before the monthly cycle starts.
What changes the quoteMonths in scope, number of accounts, transaction volume, payroll or inventory in the books, and corrections that touch a return already filed.Missing months, transaction volume, the number of accounts, and how quickly statements arrive; 12–24 months, multi-entity or high volume is custom quoted.Data volume, the file's age and health, the version (Enterprise adds work), inventory and payroll, each integration, and whether the file needs cleanup before it moves.Monthly transaction volume, the number of bank and card accounts, and how often you need reports.
Your partStatements for every account and month in scope, answers to the questions the review lists, and the access agreed for the work.Bank and card statements for every missing month, receipts above your own threshold, and answers on anything the statements can't explain.Admin access on both files, a cut-off you agree to, and a check of the converted file against your own records before go-live.Statements and receipts each month, and answers to the questions in the month's note.
Done meansEach bank, card and loan account in the agreed scope is reconciled for each agreed period, with zero unexplained reconciliation difference. Opening Balance Equity, Undeposited Funds and Uncategorized are corrected or each remaining amount is explained in writing. Remaining timing items and unresolved exceptions are documented, and the change log is delivered.Every missing month in the agreed scope entered and reconciled through the last statement in scope, with zero unexplained reconciliation difference; remaining timing items and unresolved exceptions documented, and the summary delivered.The converted file reconciles to the old one as of the conversion date — trial balance, balance sheet and open items — before you go live.Each month: every bank, card and loan account in the agreed scope reconciled with zero unexplained reconciliation difference, remaining timing items and unresolved exceptions documented, the month closed, and the package delivered.

What "fixed fee" actually means for you

Two ways to pay

Hourly meter vs fixed fee, quoted first TOTAL REVEALED ONLY AT THE END Hourly ? METER RUNS From $1,500 Fixed scope APPROVED BEFORE WORK STARTS — THE NUMBER HOLDS WORK STARTS WORK ENDS
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An hourly engagement's total climbs with time and is revealed only when the work ends; a fixed-scope fee is one level number approved before work starts — published floors from $1,500 for projects and from $400 per month for monthly bookkeeping — and holds to the end.

An hourly meter climbs until the work ends and only then reveals the total; a fixed scope is one number, approved before work starts, that holds — our published floors are from $1,500 for projects and from $400/mo for monthly bookkeeping. Qualitative comparison; no competitor prices depicted.

A fixed fee means the number you approve is the number you pay for the scope you approved — the risk of a slow week sits with us, not you. There is no hourly meter running while you wait, and no incentive for us to take longer.

Hourly billing quietly rewards slowness and hands you the uncertainty: you find out the total only when the work is done. A fixed scope flips that. We commit to a defined job and a defined price, so our only incentive is to finish it correctly. If, once we're in the file, we find something the view-only review genuinely couldn't see — a hidden second entity, a year of history nobody mentioned — we don't absorb it silently or spring it on the invoice. We stop, show you precisely what changed, and re-quote that added scope for your approval before we do it. The original fee never quietly grows.

Which model fits?

Fixed scope vs. hourly vs. subscription

Our fixed-scope model isn't the only honest way to buy bookkeeping help — it just fits different needs than hourly or subscription pricing. Rather than invent competitor prices, here is how the three models actually differ so you can pick the right one, even if it isn't us.

How the three pricing models compare
Fixed scope (us)Hourly bookkeeperSubscription service
Total price known before work startsFlat recurring
Scope fixed in writingOngoing, not scoped
Billed for time spent
Requires an ongoing commitment
Best forA defined project — cleanup, catch-up, migrationSmall, ad-hoc tasksSteady monthly upkeep
VerdictKnow the total, then decideFine for small tasksFine for steady upkeep

Need ongoing upkeep instead of a one-time project? Monthly bookkeeping is our month-to-month arrangement — and it, too, is quoted after the free review.

What every fixed fee includes

Every fixed fee includes the work, the proof, and the handoff: the defined job done, a written change log of what we touched, before-and-after reports that tie. Nothing is a line item you discover later.

The engagement is done remotely, over QuickBooks' accountant access or a screen-share you control — never your bank logins. When it closes, you get a documented record of every material change, not a black box, so you or your CPA can audit exactly what happened. That verification-first approach is the whole point of our methodology: we save your key reports before we start and re-run them after, so we can show that historical totals still tie rather than just assert it. The fee covers all of that — the work is not finished until the proof exists.

When our pricing is wrong for you

Our pricing is the wrong fit when the job is too small to be worth a paid engagement, or when what you actually need is a service we don't sell. We would rather say so at the review than take a fee that doesn't serve you.

If your file needs an afternoon of obvious fixes you're comfortable doing yourself, a fixed-fee engagement is more than the problem warrants — a free cleanup cost calculator can help you sanity-check the size before you ever talk to us. If you need tax preparation, an audit representative, or a CPA's sign-off, that's not us: we're a QuickBooks and bookkeeping practice, and we'll point you to the right kind of firm rather than pretend otherwise. And if the free review shows your books already read cleanly and tie, the honest answer is that you don't need to spend anything at all — which is exactly what we'll tell you.

How to trust the number

A quote is only as good as what stands behind it. Here is what you can check before you commit — the deliverable the fee buys, the method that proves the work, and our response commitment.

  • Who’s responsible for your file

    A Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor handles your file from the review through the corrections to the hand-back — the same person throughout, never a rotating pool.

    About QBSpecialist
  • Sample scope and quote — an illustrative fixed-scope plan for Sample Company LLC listing the work in scope, what is out of scope, and a fixed fee agreed before work starts. Marked SPECIMEN, not a real client document. Columns: Work, Period, In scope. Rows: Reconcile checking, savings and card, Sample year, ticked; Clear undeposited funds, Sample year, ticked; Merge duplicate vendors, All, ticked; Amend filed payroll returns, —, out of scope. Fixed fee (sample): $2,400.00. Result: Fixed scope, fixed fee, in writing.Illustrative example — not a client file.

    A written scope and change log

    The fixed scope you approve up front, and the documented record of every change when the work closes.

  • Our methodology

    How we prove reports still tie, so a quote is backed by verifiable work.

    Read the full method
  • Response commitment

    A written reply within one business day.

Remote-first, nationwide

Mon–Sat · 8am–6pm CT

We work entirely remote — a fixed fee agreed in writing, view-only access for the free review, QuickBooks' accountant access for the work itself, every change visible to you in the audit log and documented.

Questions about QuickBooks pricing

How much does QuickBooks help cost?

Every engagement is a fixed scope with a fixed fee — project work from $1,500, monthly bookkeeping from $400/mo — quoted after a free view-only review of your file. We don't publish a single sticker price because the work isn't one thing — a light cleanup and a two-year catch-up are different jobs. The review is how we turn your actual file into one number you approve before anything starts.

Why won't you quote a price over the phone?

Because a phone call can't size the work. "My books are a mess" covers everything from three un-reconciled months on one account to two years across three accounts — jobs a week of work apart. The free view-only review shows us which one yours is, so the quote comes from your file instead of a padded range that protects us.

Do you charge by the hour?

No. You approve one fixed fee for a defined scope, and that is what you pay. Hourly billing hands you the risk of a slow week and rewards taking longer; a fixed scope puts that risk on us, so our only incentive is to finish the job correctly.

What affects the cost of an engagement?

Age, accounts, and volume. Every month behind is another period to reconcile, every bank account, card, and connected feed is another ledger that has to tie on its own, and higher transaction volume multiplies both. A single-account file three months behind is a small job; the same file two years behind across several accounts and a card is a large one. The review measures all three, and the fee comes from that measurement.

How long does the work take?

A cleanup is usually planned at two to four weeks; your written scope sets the finish date. A migration is usually planned at one to three weeks; your written scope sets the finish date. A setup is usually planned at about one to two weeks; your written scope sets the finish date. Catch-up work is scoped by how many months are behind. The same three things that move the price move the timeline — how far behind the file is, how many accounts and feeds it has, and how much runs through it.

Is the free review really free?

Yes, and it comes with no obligation. The same specialist who would do the work looks at your file, view-only, and tells you what it needs and what a fixed fee would be — one specialist, never a rotating pool. If the answer is that you don't need us, we say so. You leave the review knowing your file's condition whether or not you hire us.

Are there any hidden fees, or can the price change once we start?

No — and the fee can't change without your say-so. The fixed fee holds for the scope you approved. If we open the file and find something the review couldn't see — a hidden second entity, a year we didn't know was there — we stop, show you exactly what changed, and re-quote that added scope before touching it. You never get a surprise on the invoice.

What does the fixed fee include?

The defined job, the proof, and the handoff. Every engagement closes with a written change log of what we touched, and before-and-after reports that tie — all done remotely over QuickBooks' accountant access or a screen-share you control, never your bank logins. Nothing in that list is a line item you discover later.

Do I have to sign a monthly contract?

No. A project — cleanup, catch-up, migration, or setup — is a one-time fixed fee with no ongoing commitment. Monthly bookkeeping is a separate month-to-month arrangement: start it after a project or on its own, stop it any month. We don't lock projects into subscriptions.

How does your price compare to QuickBooks Live or an hourly bookkeeper?

They price on different models, so compare structure as well as the number. Intuit publishes its own: Expert Full Service Bookkeeping starts at $300/mo after an initial cleanup fee, and Expert Cleanup is as low as $600, priced by the number of months (Intuit, checked October 2026) — for QuickBooks Online files only. A subscription service charges a flat recurring fee for ongoing upkeep; an hourly bookkeeper bills for time spent; we quote a fixed fee for a defined project. For a bounded job like a cleanup or migration, a fixed scope means you know the total before you commit. For steady monthly upkeep, a subscription or our monthly bookkeeping may fit better.

What do I need before the review to get an accurate quote?

Almost nothing — view-only access to your QuickBooks file, or a screen-share you control, is enough. You don't need to tidy anything first; seeing the file as it really is makes the quote more accurate, not less. We never ask for your bank logins, and we scope from what's in QuickBooks, not from a questionnaire.

Ready for your number? A free QuickBooks review turns your file into a fixed quote. Or read what drives the cost of QuickBooks help before you start.

  • Cleanup cost— the cleanup fee taken apart: months, accounts, volume and payroll
  • Bookkeeping cost— the monthly fee beside Intuit's service and an in-house hire
  • Consultant cost— why consultants quote hourly, and how a fixed fee compares

Not sure how bad it is?

Talk to a QuickBooks specialist.

Describe the file and a specialist will tell you what it needs — including when the answer is that you don't need us.

Or start with a free, view-only review