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8 Best Online Bookkeeping Services of April 2024

Are your business’s bookkeeping tasks becoming overwhelming? It might be time to hire an online service.
By Rosalie Murphy, Hillary Crawford
Last updated on January 2, 2024
Edited bySally Lauckner
Fact checked and reviewed

⏰ Estimated read time: 9 minutes

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Small-business bookkeeping is the process of accurately recording your business's financial activity. When bookkeeping tasks become too time-consuming to handle on your own, hiring an online bookkeeping service can be a worthwhile investment. These services are typically staffed by people who have access to your accounting software and help make sure none of your financial data slips through the cracks.
The best bookkeeping services handle your target tasks without breaking your business’s budget, integrate with your accounting software and offer a dedicated line of communication with a live bookkeeper. In addition, consider the availability of add-on services like tax planning, payroll and human resources support.
Here are NerdWallet’s picks for the top online bookkeeping services for small businesses.

Best Online Bookkeeping Services

Product
Promotion
Learn more

QuickBooks Live

Learn more

on QuickBooks Live's secure website

Best for QuickBooks users

$200/month

Plus first-month cleanup fee. Price increases as average monthly expenses increase.

N/A

Learn more

on QuickBooks Live's secure website

Bookkeeper360

Best for Overall bookkeeping service

$49/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month) starting at: $399, $549, $749.

N/A

Merritt Bookkeeping

Best for Businesses on a budget

$190/month

N/A

Pilot

Best for Fast-growing startups

$699/month (billed annually)

Plus onboarding fee equal to one month of bookkeeping.

First-year $200 monthly discount

for pre-revenue companies.

Bench

Best for New businesses

$299/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $499.

One free month of bookkeeping.

1-800Accountant

Best for Tax support

$399/month (billed annually)

N/A

Decimal

Best for Project-based businesses

$395/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $995, custom.

N/A

inDinero

Best for Midsize businesses

$750/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $1,250, custom.

N/A

Our pick for

QuickBooks users

If you already use or are planning to use QuickBooks Online for your business accounting, then it makes good sense to use QuickBooks Live for your bookkeeping needs.

QuickBooks Live

Learn more

on QuickBooks Live's secure website

Starting at
$200/month

Plus first-month cleanup fee. Price increases as average monthly expenses increase.

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Overall bookkeeping service

Bookkeeper360 stands out among some of its competitors by offering bookkeeping services for both cash basis and accrual basis accounting, plus it integrates with popular accounting software. The company offers a range of plans based on which accounting method you use and how often you wish to receive reports and updates.

Bookkeeper360

Starting at
$49/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month) starting at: $399, $549, $749.

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Businesses on a budget

Merritt is one of the lowest-priced bookkeeping options on our list. The team at Merritt works in QuickBooks, which is helpful for easy handoff to your accountant and in case you decide down the line to bring your bookkeeping in-house.

Merritt Bookkeeping

Starting at
$190/month
Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Fast-growing startups

With headquarters in San Francisco, CA, and backing from some major venture capital firms, it’s not surprising that Pilot caters its bookkeeping and additional financial support services to startups. If you’re just getting your business off the ground and project rapid growth, Pilot is worth exploring for your bookkeeping and business success needs.

Pilot

Starting at
$699/month (billed annually)

Plus onboarding fee equal to one month of bookkeeping.

Promotion
First-year $200 monthly discount

for pre-revenue companies.

Our pick for

New businesses

Bench offers some valuable premium services, such as income tax filing, and add-ons, and it falls on the lower end of the pricing spectrum for online bookkeeping services. Bench uses its own accounting product, however, and doesn’t integrate with popular accounting software, which could make for a trickier software transition down the line if you outgrow Bench.

Bench

Starting at
$299/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $499.

Promotion
One free month of bookkeeping.

Our pick for

Tax support

Not all bookkeepers offer tax preparation and/or filing services, so 1-800Accountant stands out with its additional tax services. The company not only helps you prepare for tax season but also offers ongoing tax advice throughout the year.

1-800Accountant

Starting at
$399/month (billed annually)
Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Project-based businesses

Decimal offers a number of add-on options to accompany its bookkeeping services. Several of those additional services — including job costing, project profitability tracking and inventory management — lend themselves well to businesses that work largely on a project basis.

Decimal

Starting at
$395/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $995, custom.

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Midsize businesses

Because inDinero integrates with accounting software that’s better suited to midsize and large businesse, like NetSuite, and with the many additional services it offers along with bookkeeping, it’s a good solution for midsize businesses.

inDinero

Starting at
$750/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $1,250, custom.

Promotion
N/A

NerdWallet’s picks for the best online bookkeeping services

Bookkeeper360: Best overall bookkeeping service

Price:
  • $49 per month plus hourly cost for support for Pay-As-You-Go plan.
  • $399 per month for monthly cash basis bookkeeping.
  • $549 per month for weekly cash basis bookkeeping.
  • $549 per month for monthly accrual basis bookkeeping.
  • $749 per month for weekly accrual basis bookkeeping.
Why we like it: Bookkeeper360 is our top selection for online bookkeeping service because of its scalability, wide range of add-on services and multiple accounting integrations. Some online bookkeeping services either only integrate with QuickBooks or use proprietary accounting software, which makes it difficult to switch accounting services down the road. But Bookkeeper 360 integrates with Xero and QuickBooks. If you’re looking to scale up as your business grows, you can upgrade to weekly (instead of monthly) financial reports and choose from a number of add-on services to receive support for payroll, human resources, invoicing and tax filing. This makes the product a good fit for small businesses of varying complexity. Read our Bookkeeper360 review.

Merritt Bookkeeping: Best for businesses on a budget

Price: $190 per month.
Why we like it: Merritt’s bookkeepers work in QuickBooks to categorize your bank transactions each month and produce simple financial reports for you to work from. During tax season, the team will be in touch with your CPA as needed and will also issue 1099s. As you might expect based on the lower price point, Merritt’s offerings are lighter than some of its competitors: It doesn’t offer payroll or HR support, financial forecasting, accrual basis accounting or tax planning.

Bench: Best for new businesses

Price:
  • $299 per month for the Essential plan.
  • $499 per month for the Premium plan.
Why we like it: Because Bench uses proprietary accounting software, it's best suited to businesses that are fairly new and haven't become too reliant on third-party accounting software yet. Although that lack of integration could make switching accounting software down the road a pain if you outgrow Bench, you can still access your financial data after canceling your subscription. It also offers a plan with unlimited income tax support and annual tax filing services. Read our complete Bench review.

Pilot: Best for fast-growing startups

Price:
  • $499 per month for the Starter plan (pre-revenue companies).
  • $699 per month for the Core plan.
  • Custom pricing for the Plus plan.
Why we like it: Pilot caters to startup businesses at all stages by offering a lower-cost Starter plan for pre-revenue companies as well as add-on support for R&D tax credit services, stock administration and strategic financial planning support for CFOs. The company also calculates burn rate, an important metric for venture capital-backed companies. And while other services primarily focus on cash basis bookkeeping, Pilot stands out for operating on an accrual basis only. Read our full Pilot review.

QuickBooks Live: Best for QuickBooks users

Price:
  • $200 per month if your average monthly expenses are $0 to $10,000.
  • $300 per month if your average monthly expenses are $10,001 to $50,000.
  • $400 per month if your average monthly expenses are $50,001 or more.
Why we like it: QuickBooks Live is a bookkeeping service available to QuickBooks Online users; you can subscribe to it through your account. When matching you with a bookkeeper, the company will try to select someone who has experience in your industry and has similar availability. Bookkeepers can provide monthly financial reports, but they can’t help with tax planning, sending invoices or managing payroll. Read our review of QuickBooks Live.

1-800Accountant: Best for tax support

Price:
  • $139 per month for the Business plan (accounting support but no bookkeeping).
  • $239 per month for the Corporation plan (accounting and tax support but no bookkeeping).
  • $399 per month for the Enterprise plan (includes accounting, tax and bookkeeping support).
Why we like it: Unlike some competitors that offer tax support only as an add-on, 1-800Accountant’s bookkeeping plan (Enterprise) includes it. On average, according to the company, this helps businesses save over $12,000 in taxes per year. The proprietary software also includes built-in accounting features like invoicing, bank connections, receipt storage and mileage tracking.
While 1-800Accountant offers less expensive plans that may be useful for businesses that need only tax advice and quarterly reviews, only its most expensive Enterprise plan comes with bookkeeping services.

Decimal: Best for project-based businesses

Price:
  • $395 per month for the Essentials plan.
  • $995 per month for the Plus plan.
  • Custom pricing for the Premium plan.
Why we like it: In addition to accounting and bookkeeping services, Decimal has add-ons for job costing and project-based accounting, which is a plus for businesses that need assistance gauging project profitability. Accounting software typically comes with project-tracking features, but analyzing the resulting figures can be time-consuming. Outsourcing the task can help you quickly parse out which types of projects are worth your business’s time and effort.

inDinero: Best for midsize businesses

Price:
  • Starting at $750 per month for the Essential plan.
  • Starting at $1,250 per month for the Growth plan.
  • Custom pricing for the Executive plan.
Why we like it: Whereas multiple bookkeeping services integrate with QuickBooks Online and Xero, inDinero’s Growth plan also accommodates clients that work with NetSuite, a popular enterprise resource system for more complex, growing businesses. Note, however, that the lowest-tier Essential plan uses proprietary software and lacks integrations with QuickBooks Online or NetSuite. Considering the price point and more advanced CFO-level features you can add to your plan, inDinero is best suited for medium-sized and quickly growing businesses.

How do online bookkeeping services work?

You might choose to outsource some bookkeeping basics and more complex tasks to online bookkeeping services, including:
  • Recording transactions.
  • Reconciling bank statements.
  • Handling accounts receivable.
  • Running financial reports.
  • Managing payroll.
  • Preparing tax forms.
At the very least, you can expect most bookkeeping services to input transactions, reconcile accounts and send you financial statements regularly. Most services touch base monthly, but in some cases, you can pay extra to receive weekly reports. Depending on the company, you can speak with your bookkeeper (or team of bookkeepers) as often as you'd like or at least a few times per month.

How to choose bookkeeping services

Ask yourself the following questions to find the right online bookkeeping service for your business:

Is the bookkeeping service compatible with your accounting method?

There are two accounting methods: cash basis and accrual basis. Cash basis accounting is much simpler, which is why many bookkeeping services offer it at a lower price. But accrual accounting can give you a better understanding of where your business stands. So, choose a service that does the right accounting for your business's size and complexity.

Does it integrate with your accounting software?

Lots of bookkeeping services are built to run on QuickBooks, an industry leader in accounting and bookkeeping software. Some services also support Xero, another popular cloud-based accounting software. If you're comfortable with your current software, ensure your bookkeeping service supports it.

Do you need add-on services outside of basic bookkeeping tasks?

Not all bookkeeping services offer the same add-on features. Some business owners, for example, might want their bookkeeper to handle payroll, HR or other back-office jobs like invoicing, bill pay and inventory management on top of fielding basic bookkeeping tasks. Or, if it isn’t already included, you may be looking for tax support to take some of the pressure off when it's time to file returns. These services can help you claim the correct small-business tax credits and deductions, prepare your returns and file them. Even if a bookkeeping service has all of these add-ons, they can be expensive, so be sure you understand the total cost before choosing a service.

Will you require catch-up bookkeeping services?

If you haven't always been diligent about your financial record-keeping, most bookkeeping services will go through your old receipts, invoices and bank statements to bring your books up to date. This service usually carries an additional fee, so it's important to price out your catch-up bookkeeping costs while searching for a bookkeeping service.

How often do you want to communicate with your bookkeeper?

Online bookkeeping services typically offer a dedicated contact or team — but these are still virtual bookkeepers, available by email or occasionally by phone. If you don't want to communicate virtually, these bookkeeper interview questions can help you find a resource near you.
Online services may offer one-on-one meetings, but you might have to pay more. If you want a higher level of support in the future, such as chief financial officer or CFO-style services, consider choosing a bookkeeping service that will allow you to upgrade later.

What’s your online bookkeeping services budget?

Online bookkeeping services typically range from around $200 per month to well over $500 per month if you opt for more frequent reports or back-office add-ons. Depending on the bookkeeping service, costs also rise when your business’s monthly expenses exceed a particular threshold. The decision comes down to whether the time saved is worth the expense.
When comparing services, ensure you're pricing out all the features you need, including add-on services like tax prep, payroll and HR. If you're considering a bookkeeping service that runs on QuickBooks or Xero, include the cost of that software, too. Take advantage of product demos and introductory calls to find the right service.

Methodology

To determine the best bookkeeping services, NerdWallet considered the following features:
  • Affordability. Most of the bookkeeping services included start below $500 per month. 
  • Accounting software integrations. Ideally, bookkeeping services integrate with popular accounting software, like QuickBooks Online and Xero. Some offer their own proprietary bookkeeping software instead. 
  • Supported accounting methods. More complex small businesses should select a bookkeeping service that supports accrual basis accounting instead of only cash basis accounting. 
  • Availability of add-on features. These include tax support, payroll, inventory tracking and catch-up bookkeeping services. 
  • Bookkeeper communication. Unlimited messaging or phone calls with your dedicated bookkeeper or team of bookkeepers is a plus.
Last updated on January 2, 2024

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