How Much Does Bookkeeping Cost in the UK?
UK bookkeeping prices checked September 2026: software from £18 a month, bookkeeping add-ons from £20, fixed-fee accountants, and managed services from £350.
Mathias Popp
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In short
Software you run yourself costs £18 to £70 a month for Xero, or nothing with FreeAgent if you bank with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle. Fixed-fee accountants start at £39.50 a month for a limited company, with bookkeeping as an add-on from £20.
The fee follows who does the work. The cheaper the headline price, the more of the bookkeeping is still yours.
VAT returns, payroll, management accounts and year-end accounts are usually priced on top. Compare the list of what is included before comparing the number.
Prices below are each provider's own published figures, checked in September 2026.
What bookkeeping costs in the UK
There is no single price for bookkeeping because there is no single service. Four things are sold under the same word, and each has a price.
Model | Typical UK price | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|
Accounting software only | £18 to £70 a month (Xero); free with some business bank accounts (FreeAgent) | You |
Freelance bookkeeper | Hourly or monthly, set by the bookkeeper | The bookkeeper, from your documents |
Fixed-fee online accountant | £39.50 to £229 a month for a limited company (published prices, September 2026) | Mostly you during the year; the accountant at year-end |
Managed bookkeeping service | From £350 a month (Balance) | The provider, continuously, with accountant sign-off |
Published prices move with transaction volume, the number of bank accounts and sales channels, the number of employees, and VAT registration.
What moves the price
Transaction volume. Most fixed-fee providers band their price: a company at 80 bank transactions a month pays less than one at 300. Ask where the bands sit and what happens when you cross one.
Sales channels and payment processors. Each Shopify store, Amazon marketplace or Stripe account is a separate reconciliation. E-commerce businesses pay more per transaction than consultancies for this reason.
VAT. A VAT-registered business needs a quarterly return prepared and filed under Making Tax Digital, which either sits inside the fee or is added from £35 a month at The Accountancy Partnership. Sole traders and landlords with more than £50,000 of qualifying income have also needed MTD-compatible software for Income Tax since 6 April 2026; see our Making Tax Digital for Income Tax guide.
Payroll. From £24 a month at The Accountancy Partnership; inniAccounts includes payroll submissions.
Year-end accounts and Corporation Tax. Some packages include them, including The Accountancy Partnership and inniAccounts; others quote them separately.
State of the books. A backlog is priced as a one-off catch-up before the monthly fee starts. Our catch-up bookkeeping guide explains how that is scoped.
Published prices from UK providers
Each figure below is the provider's own published price, checked in September 2026. Prices change; confirm before you sign.
Provider | Published price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
The Accountancy Partnership | From £24.50 a month (sole trader), £39.50 (limited company), excluding VAT | Accountant, annual accounts, tax return, Pandle software. Bookkeeping from £20, VAT from £35, payroll from £24 as add-ons |
Crunch | Crunch Plus software £10 plus VAT a month; accountancy packages by quote | Bookkeeping, one-off or monthly, as an add-on |
Gorilla Accounting | Fixed monthly fee by quote | FreeAgent included, unlimited accountant support |
inniAccounts | £129, £169 or £229 a month excluding VAT | Own app, annual accounts, Corporation Tax, VAT, payroll submissions, personal tax return |
Balance | From £350 a month per entity | Continuous bookkeeping, VAT preparation and filing, auditor liaison, Bea the AI finance assistant, ACA-qualified sign-off |
Every package from £39.50 to £229 covers the accountant and the year-end. The bookkeeping is either an add-on or done by you in the provider's software. Our guide to fixed-price bookkeeping services compares the packages in more detail.
Cost per month compared to the cost of your time
A founder who spends four hours a week on bookkeeping spends about 17 hours a month on it. A £39.50 package with the £20 bookkeeping add-on still leaves that work with the founder. A £350 service leaves about one hour of questions. The £290.50 difference pays for itself if the founder's 16 hours are worth more than about £18 an hour, before annual accounts, which Balance adds when needed. If someone in the business already keeps the books, software or a freelance bookkeeper is the cheaper answer.
Where Balance fits
Balance is an AI-powered accounting firm in London and Copenhagen. The fee is one agreed monthly price from £350 per entity, never hourly, and covers continuous bookkeeping with AI agents reconciling and chasing receipts through the month, VAT preparation and filing, auditor liaison, and Bea, an AI finance assistant that answers questions about your live ledger on Slack, WhatsApp or email. A named ACA-qualified accountant reviews and signs off the books. Payroll, management accounts and annual accounts are added when you need them. Terms are monthly with one month's notice. It works inside your existing Xero, e-conomic or Business Central.
If you would rather not do any of this yourself, see what Balance includes or book a call.
FAQ
How much does a bookkeeper cost per hour in the UK?
Freelance bookkeepers set their own hourly or monthly rates, and London and qualified bookkeepers sit at the top of the range. Ask for the rate, the expected hours a month, and what happens to the bill when volume rises.
How much does bookkeeping cost per month for a small limited company?
Published fixed-fee packages for a limited company run from £39.50 to £229 a month, with bookkeeping often an add-on from £20. Balance starts at £350 and does the bookkeeping continuously. Software alone is £18 to £70 a month plus your time.
Is bookkeeping cheaper than an accountant?
Bookkeeping and accountancy are different jobs. Bookkeeping records and reconciles the transactions; the accountant reviews, advises and files. Many fixed-fee packages price the accountant and leave the bookkeeping with you, which is why they look cheap.
Are VAT returns included in bookkeeping fees?
Not always. Many packages sell VAT returns as an add-on, from £35 a month at The Accountancy Partnership. A managed service usually includes preparing and filing them. Check the quote for a VAT line.
How much does Balance cost?
From £350 a month per entity, agreed before starting and never hourly. That covers bookkeeping, VAT preparation and filing, auditor liaison and Bea. Payroll, management accounts and annual accounts are priced when added.
Can I get bookkeeping for free?
Yes, for the software. FreeAgent is free with a NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle business account, including MTD VAT returns. The bookkeeping itself is still yours.
More answers are on our FAQ page.