What does a bookkeeper cost on average? Calculate it yourself

You can easily do your own math taking into account: 

• Bookkeeping costs per year;

• Turnover per year;

• Budget you have available;

• The savings (time and money) that your bookkeeper gives you;

• Maximizing the number of (tax) deductions;

• The number of hours you do not have to spend on your administration yourself, but can focus on your passion: entrepreneurship.

Bookkeeper prices by legal form

The bookkeeper prices below are an average estimate based on up to 100 invoices per month.

Cost work activities bookkeeper

The prices below per bookkeeper work are an average estimate. The exact price depends on your legal form, turnover, and the way you kept the accounts.

Rates bookkeeper based on annual turnover

The prices of bookkeepers based on annual turnover below are an average estimate. The exact price also depends on your legal form, number of employees and the way you keep the books/accounts. 

What does a bookkeeper cost per hour for self-employed entrepreneurs?

Indication of the average cost of a bookkeeper for self-employed when you purchase the services by the hour: 

• Bookkeeper with several years of experience: 65 Euros per hour

• Very experienced accountant: 100 Euros per hour

It can be assumed that a starting bookkeeper charges between 40 and 65 Euros per hour. An experienced bookkeeper with solid knowledge will soon cost between 70 and 100 Euros per hour. 

What does a bookkeeper cost per month?

Many entrepreneurs choose to hire a bookkeeper for a fixed amount per month. The rates are then between 70 euros and 250 euros per month. Of course, this depends on the work agreed upon and the size of your business. 

What does a bookkeeper cost per quarter?

Others choose to hire a bookkeeper per quarter. If we then make a calculation based on the cost of a bookkeeper per month, we end up with an amount between €225 and €420 per quarter. This amount usually differs for zzp'ers (self-employed) and BV's (private limited company). 

What does a bookkeeper cost per year?

As a self-employed entrepreneur or proprietorship you spend on average between 700 and 1500 euros per year on bookkeeping costs. Many bookkeepers charge an all-in rate if you outsource the entire bookkeeping process including VAT returns and annual accounts. The exact rate again depends on the number of years of experience of the bookkeeper, the way in which you provide the accounts and any additional advice. 

Work activities of a bookkeeper

These are the different work activities of a bookkeeper:

• Business administration: book and process incoming and outgoing invoices, process cash book and maintain bank, keep balance sheet current.

• Sales tax return: at the end of each quarter, the VAT must be settled with the tax authorities. Depending on the business activity, the VAT can be 0%, 9% or 21%. There are also companies that are exempt from VAT.

• Intra-Community Performance: this is related to the VAT declaration if a business operates internationally.

• Annual accounts: each year ends with the annual accounts, which contain an overview of the financial figures for the past year. The annual accounts show, for example, the profit and loss of the past year.

• Tax advice: what should you watch out for as an entrepreneur and where are your opportunities to increase profits?

• Payroll administration: when a company employs staff, certain rules and laws apply.

• Income tax return: also known as the IB-declaration. For entrepreneurs, the income tax return is always a combination of the private return and the return that directly relates to the business. The private declaration includes, for example, the distributed profit, the company car, mortgage interest and the details of any partner. 

What work can I outsource to a bookkeeper?

Is it mandatory to have a bookkeeper?

For entrepreneurs who are not legal persons (a legal person is, for example, a BV or foundation), it is not mandatory to have the bookkeeping done by a bookkeeper. To maximize profits and optimal insight into figures of an entrepreneur or company, hiring an accountant is actually a necessity, otherwise there will undoubtedly be 'money left behind'. 

Benefits outsourcing bookkeeping or accounting

A bookkeeper generally has good numerical insight. Because a good bookkeeper always has everything in order, he or she is often a sparring partner who can provide short-term insight into the financial ups and downs of an entrepreneur or company. A bookkeeper not only looks at the figures, but also at the person behind the entrepreneur. 

In addition, a good bookkeeper knows his way around taxation. For entrepreneurs and freelancers there are many schemes that apply to save tax. These schemes are for example: 

• Business expenses;

• Self-employed tax deduction;

• Starters Deduction;

• Small scale investment deduction (KIA);

• SME profit exemption;

• Old age reserve;

• Small Business Scheme.

Are you already familiar with the above schemes for entrepreneurs that are guaranteed to increase your profits? A bookkeeper certainly is, he knows all the ins and outs. Also, you will save time, time you can put into your business. Besides, you do not have to study dozens of pages of complex material yourself. 

Also interesting:

• Advantages of outsourcing bookkeeping or accounting services 

Disadvantages of outsourcing bookkeeping or accounting

If you put your receipts and invoices in a shoebox every day and hand them in to your bookkeeper every month/quarter or year, then there is a chance that you will lose the overview in the meantime. You may receive a neat overview every month, but in fact you will not have a day-to-day feel for the financial ups and downs of your company. So you develop less of your own knowledge and insights in the field of accounting. 

Is it easy to switch bookkeepers?

Do you already have a bookkeeper and want to switch to a new one? As a rule, switching bookkeepers can be done easily and hassle-free if you take the following into account: 

• The notice period of the current bookkeeper;

• How far along your current bookkeeper is with the work. It is a waste to have work done twice;

• Keep an eye on the deadlines for returns (such as the VAT return).