Guide
Making Tax Digital: what UK businesses must do
Who is in scope, which software qualifies and the deadlines HMRC expects you to hit.
Read guideBusiness bookkeeping services
Outsource day-to-day bookkeeping to a UK provider and get accurate, reconciled records without hiring in-house.
Contact us about bookkeepingNeed help with bookkeeping services?
Tell us what you need. It takes about five minutes and there's no obligation.
How bookkeeping services work
Bookkeeping covers the routine work: recording sales and purchases, reconciling the bank, chasing receipts and keeping the ledger ready for VAT and year end.
Outsourced bookkeepers usually work inside your existing software, so you keep ownership of the data and can bring the work back in-house later.
Pricing is normally a fixed monthly fee based on transaction volume rather than an hourly rate, which makes budgeting predictable.
What affects the cost of bookkeeping services
- Monthly transaction and invoice volume
- Number of bank and card accounts to reconcile
- Whether VAT returns are included
- Payroll processing and pension submissions
- Turnaround time and reporting frequency
Why get in touch about bookkeeping services with us
Fixed monthly fee
Know your cost up front instead of being billed by the hour.
Cleaner year end
Reconciled books usually reduce your accountant's year-end charge.
No hiring cost
No salary, NI, pension or holiday cover to fund.
Bookkeeping options compared
Typical UK market pricing for outsourced bookkeeping.
| Option | Typical monthly cost | Includes VAT returns | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software-only | £15 - £35 | Self-filed | Sole traders |
| Outsourced basic | £90 - £200 | Sometimes | Micro businesses |
| Outsourced full service | £250 - £600 | Yes | VAT-registered SMEs |
| Part-time bookkeeper | £350 - £800 | Yes | Businesses wanting on-site help |
| In-house hire | £1,900+ | Yes | 50+ staff or high volume |
Cost by transaction volume
Most providers price in bands based on how many transactions they process each month.
| Transactions / month | Typical fee | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 50 | £90 - £150 | Monthly |
| 50 - 150 | £150 - £300 | Monthly |
| 150 - 400 | £300 - £550 | Fortnightly |
| 400+ | £550+ | Weekly |
Expert advice
Our finance team reviews UK providers, pricing tiers and service levels every quarter.
“Judge a bookkeeper on the management report they produce, not the price. Reconciled books that tell you nothing are a wasted spend.”
bookkeeping services: pros and cons
Pros
- Predictable fixed monthly cost
- Books stay current instead of piling up
- Reduces year-end accountancy fees
- Cover during holidays and sickness is the provider's problem
Cons
- Less immediate than someone sitting in the office
- Quality varies between practices
- You still need to supply paperwork on time
How to choose bookkeeping services
The cheapest headline price is rarely the cheapest total cost. Work through these points before you commit.
- 1
Match the volume band
Ask which band you fall into and what happens if you exceed it — overage charges vary a lot.
- 2
Confirm who files VAT
Some fees exclude VAT returns entirely, which changes the comparison.
- 3
Check the software
A bookkeeper working in your existing package avoids a costly migration.
- 4
Agree the reporting
Monthly management accounts are worth far more than a reconciled ledger alone.
Get in touch about bookkeeping services
Tell us what your business needs today. It takes just minutes.
Getting help with bookkeeping services
It takes a few minutes to get in touch, and there is no obligation.
1. Tell us about your business
Turnover, structure, headcount and how many transactions you process each month.
2. Get matched with a specialist
We put you in touch with a provider that genuinely supports businesses of your size and sector.
3. Understand the real costs
Monthly fees, per-user charges, onboarding costs and what is bundled versus billed extra.
4. Get set up
Your chosen provider handles onboarding, data migration and HMRC registrations where needed.
Things to watch out for
Very low quotes often exclude VAT returns, payroll and any credit control.
Confirm your data stays in your own software licence, not the provider's account.
Check notice periods — some contracts run for 12 months.
Our bookkeeping services service
We put you in touch with established UK providers and independent practices for bookkeeping services, so you can weigh price against the level of support you actually get.
There is no fee to get in touch, and we will tell you plainly when your existing arrangement is already competitive.
Getting started
1
Gather your numbers
Latest accounts, current provider costs and your accounting year end.
2
Check the transfer
Confirm how records, payroll history and HMRC authorisations move across.
3
Set the go-live date
Most businesses switch at a quarter or year end to keep reporting clean.
Why choose Grow Your Business?
Specialists, not generalists
We put you in touch with UK specialists who actually fit how your business operates.
No cost to enquire
There's no fee to get in touch, and no obligation to go ahead once you hear back.
Simple and fast
It takes just a few minutes to send your enquiry, and a specialist will be in touch shortly after.
Types of bookkeeping services
Different setups suit different stages of growth.
Basic transaction bookkeeping
Bank reconciliation and categorisation only, with you raising invoices.
Full-service bookkeeping
Sales and purchase ledger, credit control, VAT and monthly management reports.
Software-led bookkeeping
Automated receipt capture with a human review each month.
Part-time in-house
A local bookkeeper on site for one or two days a month.
Who we work with
Logos are shown for identification. We are not affiliated with every provider listed and do not cover the whole market.
Crunch
Mazuma
TaxAssist
The Accountancy Partnership
1st Formations
Osome
Sage
XeroComparing with us is a no-brainer
“Our books are closed by the 10th every month now. That never happened when we did it ourselves.”
Daniel, builder, Leeds
bookkeeping services guides
Guide
Cutting the cost of your accounting stack
Where subscription tiers, per-user fees and add-on modules quietly inflate your bill.
Read guide
Guide
In-house vs outsourced finance
When a bookkeeper, an accountant or a fractional finance director makes more sense.
Read guidebookkeeping services FAQs
What's the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?
A bookkeeper maintains day-to-day records; an accountant prepares statutory accounts and tax returns from them. Many providers do both.
Do I still need an accountant?
Usually yes for year-end accounts and corporation tax, though clean books make that engagement cheaper.
How is bookkeeping priced?
Most UK providers charge a fixed monthly fee based on transaction volume rather than hourly.
Written by the Grow Your Business editorial team · Updated 26 July 2026