Bookkeeping Cost Calculator — NJ, NY & PA 2026
Estimate your monthly outsourced bookkeeping fee based on revenue, transaction volume, payroll, inventory, and entity structure. Anchored to ProAxis's published 2026 pricing tiers for the NJ/NY/PA tri-state market. Estimate updates instantly.
Planning estimate only — not an offer. Specific pricing scoped in engagement letter. See Disclaimer.
How Bookkeeping Cost Is Determined
Outsourced bookkeeping is priced on labor — the hours your bookkeeper spends on data entry, bank and credit card reconciliation, AR/AP management, payroll integration, financial-statement preparation, and the monthly review call. Five factors explain almost the entire price range.
The five drivers, in order of impact:
- Annual revenue. Sets the base tier. Higher revenue usually correlates with more transactions, more accounts, and more complex financials.
- Monthly transaction count. The most direct proxy for actual labor — 50 transactions a month is very different from 500.
- Number of bank and credit card accounts. Each account is a separate reconciliation each month.
- Payroll, inventory, and AR/AP complexity. Each adds review hours, software integration, and quarterly compliance work.
- Industry and entity structure. Real estate, e-commerce, contractors, and restaurants need industry-specific bookkeeping. Multi-entity ownership multiplies the work.
ProAxis publishes monthly bookkeeping pricing in five tiers covering the NJ/NY/PA tri-state market. The calculator below maps your inputs to one of those tiers and positions you within the tier based on complexity. The output is a range, not a fixed quote, because real engagements have variables the calculator cannot see — chart-of-accounts cleanliness, software currently in use, vendor and customer record volume, and industry compliance overhead. Specific pricing is confirmed during a free scoping call.
Your Numbers
Total annual revenue for the entity (or sum across entities if multi-entity). Sets the base tier.
Bank deposits + checks + credit card charges per month, all accounts combined. If unsure, count one bank statement and multiply.
Total accounts that need monthly reconciliation. Include business checking, savings, business credit cards, and any owner-paid cards used for business.
If you invoice customers and need ProAxis to track receivables, or pay vendor bills and need AP management, those add to the work.
Each LLC, S-Corp, or partnership = separate set of books.
Estimate only — not an offer.
The figure below is a planning estimate based on the values you entered, ProAxis's published bookkeeping pricing tiers for the NJ/NY/PA market, and typical engagement profiles as of 2026-05-07. It is not an offer, not a binding quote, and does not create a CPA-client relationship. Specific pricing depends on facts the calculator does not see — actual chart-of-accounts complexity, the cleanliness of your existing books, software currently in use, vendor and customer record volume, and industry compliance overhead unique to your business. Specific pricing is scoped during a free 30-minute call and documented in a signed engagement letter before any work begins. Results vary by client. ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services accepts no liability for reliance on this output. See full Disclaimer and the canonical pricing pillar at Outsourced Bookkeeping Cost 2026 — NJ, NY & PA.
Estimated 2026 Monthly Bookkeeping Fee
Tier
—
Based on revenue and complexity
Complexity Score
0 / 12
Position within tier
Estimated Monthly Fee Range
$0 – $0/mo
Estimate as of 2026-05-07
Annual: —
Why this range
- Enter values to see contributing factors.
Important: This Is a Planning Estimate, Not a Binding Quote
- The calculator uses ProAxis's published 2026 NJ/NY/PA bookkeeping pricing tiers as the anchor: solo or freelancer with simple operations $300-$500/mo; small business under $500K revenue $400-$700/mo; small-to-mid business $500K-$2M revenue $700-$1,400/mo; mid-market $2M-$5M revenue $1,200-$2,500/mo; multi-entity or otherwise complex operations $1,800-$4,000+/mo. The full pricing pillar is at Outsourced Bookkeeping Cost 2026 — NJ, NY & PA.
- The output is a range, not a fixed quote. Specific pricing depends on the cleanliness of existing books, the chart of accounts, software currently in use, customer and vendor record volume, and industry-specific compliance overhead — none of which the calculator can see.
- The calculator output covers labor only. Add roughly $50-$200/month for software (QuickBooks Online subscription, Bill.com, Gusto, Hubdoc, etc.). The exact software stack and who pays for what is documented in the engagement letter.
- This estimate is for ongoing monthly bookkeeping on clean, current books. If your books are months behind, run the Catch-Up Bookkeeping Calculator separately to estimate the one-time project cost to get current.
- Multi-entity ownership escalates pricing into the complex tier ($1,800+/mo) and adds typically $400-$600 per additional entity. Holding-company structures should plan for the bookkeeping cost as part of the structure decision.
- Industry-specific bookkeeping (real estate, e-commerce, contractors, restaurants, medical/dental) is priced at the upper end of the revenue tier the calculator selects, because each requires industry-specific chart of accounts, software integrations, and a bookkeeper with industry experience.
- For a precise quote tailored to your specific situation, schedule a free 30-minute scoping call with ProAxis. The engagement letter signed after that call documents the agreed monthly fee and scope of work in writing.
- Pricing ranges reflect typical engagements but are not an offer. No CPA-client relationship is created by using this calculator. ProAxis is engaged only after a written engagement letter is signed by both sides.
Worked Example 1 — Solo Freelancer, Clean Operations
A NJ freelance graphic designer operating as a single-member LLC. Annual revenue $80,000. About 30 transactions per month (mostly client invoices and software/hosting expenses). One business checking account and one business credit card. No payroll. No inventory. No AR follow-up needed (clients pay on receipt). Single entity. Professional services industry.
Tier: Solo / freelancer. Revenue under $150K with all simple-operations qualifiers met.
Complexity score: 0/12. No upticks from any complexity factor.
Estimated fee: $300-$350/mo. Bottom of the published $300-$500 solo range, reflecting low transaction volume, single-account simplicity, and the absence of payroll or inventory. Add ~$50/mo for a QuickBooks Online Simple Start subscription. Annual all-in: roughly $4,200-$4,800.
Worked Example 2 — Bergen County Restaurant
A Bergen County restaurant operating as an S-Corp. Annual revenue $1,400,000. About 600 transactions per month (daily POS settlements, vendor invoices, payroll-related entries). Five accounts (operating, savings, payroll funding, two business credit cards). Payroll for 12 employees through Gusto. Inventory tracking (food cost reconciliation). AR is minimal but AP is heavy (food and beverage vendors paid weekly). Single entity. Restaurant industry.
Tier: Small-to-mid ($500K-$2M revenue). Base range $700-$1,400/mo.
Complexity score: approximately 8/12. High transaction count (+2), 5 accounts (+1), payroll 6-20 employees (+2), simple inventory (+1), AP-heavy (+1), restaurant industry uplift (+1).
Estimated fee: $1,050-$1,400/mo. Upper portion of the published $700-$1,400 mid-tier range, reflecting the daily-settlement labor, payroll integration, simple inventory tracking, AP-heavy vendor management, and restaurant-specific industry uplift. Add ~$100-$150/mo for QuickBooks Online Plus, Gusto payroll, and a vendor-bill management tool. Annual all-in: roughly $13,800-$18,600. Restaurants often qualify for the FICA Tip Credit; ProAxis runs that analysis as part of the engagement.
Worked Example 3 — Multi-Property Real Estate Investor
A NJ real estate investor with 4 LLCs each owning a separate residential rental property in Hudson County. Combined annual revenue $480,000 across the 4 entities. About 80 transactions per month combined (rent receipts, maintenance, mortgage, utilities). 5 accounts total (one per property plus an owner-funded operating account). No payroll. No inventory. AP for property expenses. Multi-entity (4 LLCs). Real estate industry.
Tier: Forced into Multi-entity / Complex tier because of the 4 LLCs. Base range $1,800-$4,000+/mo.
Complexity score: approximately 6/12. Moderate transaction count (+1), 5 accounts (+1), no payroll, AP only (+1), 4 entities (+2), real estate industry uplift (+1).
Estimated fee: $2,000-$2,600+/mo. Mid-portion of the complex tier — base $1,800 plus ~$400 per additional entity beyond the first ($1,200 for the 3 extra LLCs takes the ceiling to roughly $3,000) sized to the moderate complexity profile. Add per-property P&L reporting and depreciation tracking. Annual all-in: roughly $24,000-$31,200. Owners structuring a holding-company arrangement often consolidate into fewer LLCs purely to reduce bookkeeping cost. ProAxis advises on the structure tradeoff.
After You Run the Calculator
The estimate is the starting point. Here is how to use the result:
- If your estimate matches your current bookkeeper's invoice within 20% — that is normal market pricing. Switching to ProAxis would not save money on the line item alone; the case for switching is service quality, response time, integrated tax planning, and whether your current bookkeeper actually understands your industry.
- If your estimate is meaningfully below your current invoice — there are three usual explanations. (1) Your current bookkeeper is overpriced for the work delivered. (2) Your bookkeeper is doing more than you realize and the calculator under-models your complexity. (3) Your current engagement bundles services beyond bookkeeping (controller-level reviews, ad-hoc CFO work, tax filings). Run the comparison with detail in hand before assuming the calculator caught everything.
- If your books are months behind — run the Catch-Up Bookkeeping Calculator for the one-time project cost to get current. This calculator covers ongoing monthly only.
- If you are deciding between in-house and outsourced — a part-time in-house bookkeeper at $25-$35/hour for 10-20 hours/week is roughly $1,000-$3,000/month plus payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, software, and oversight time. Outsourced is usually cheaper for businesses under ~$2M revenue. ProAxis runs the in-house-vs-outsourced comparison as part of every fractional CFO engagement.
- If multi-entity is pushing you into the complex tier — it is worth asking whether all the entities are necessary for liability or tax reasons. Some owners over-structure into 3-4 LLCs when a single LLC with separate doing-business-as names would meet the legal need. ProAxis advises on entity structure as part of every multi-entity onboarding.
Whatever the result, the next step is a free 30-minute scoping call. ProAxis confirms the specific monthly fee in writing, signs the engagement letter, and starts the onboarding within a week.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your annual revenue. Total across all entities if multi-entity. Sets the base tier.
- Enter average monthly transactions. Bank deposits, checks, and credit card charges across all accounts. If unsure, count one bank statement and round.
- Enter your bank and credit card account count. Each one needs monthly reconciliation.
- Select payroll size. No payroll, 1-5, 6-20, or 21+ employees.
- Select inventory complexity. None, simple (single product line), or complex (multi-SKU, multi-location).
- Select AR/AP scope. None (just bank rec), AR-only, AP-only, or both.
- Enter entity count. Each LLC, S-Corp, or partnership = separate set of books.
- Select industry. Real estate, e-commerce, contractors, restaurants, medical/dental, and legal each have industry uplift.
- Read the result. The calculator shows your tier, complexity score, monthly fee range, annual range, and the contributing factors that drove the estimate.
Related ProAxis Resources
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping Calculator — one-time project cost to get books current before ongoing monthly bookkeeping starts
- Outsourced Bookkeeping Cost 2026 — NJ, NY & PA — the canonical pricing pillar with full tier breakdown and rationale
- ProAxis Bookkeeping Services — service hub with niche pages for contractors, real estate investors, medical/dental, and e-commerce
- Bookkeeping for Contractors — niche page with job-cost accounting and percentage-of-completion specifics
- Bookkeeping for Real Estate Investors — per-property P&L, depreciation tracking, multi-entity
- Bookkeeping for Medical & Dental Practices — niche page with insurance reimbursement reconciliation specifics
- Bookkeeping for E-Commerce — sales-tax nexus, marketplace facilitator income, inventory landed cost
- Fractional CFO Services — in-house vs outsourced cost comparison and controller-level financial review
Want a Specific Bookkeeping Quote for Your Business?
Schedule a free 30-minute scoping call with ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services. We confirm the specific monthly fee in writing, sign the engagement letter, and start onboarding within a week. The calculator estimate is the starting point; your actual quote depends on facts we'll review together.