Current state of the books
How many months behind, which platform, how many bank and card accounts, and whether payroll or sales tax is involved. Be specific — this paragraph justifies the cleanup fee.
Bookkeeping · free template
Bookkeeping proposal template
Bookkeeping proposals go wrong when catch-up work and monthly work are quoted as one number. The client's books are six months behind, you quote a monthly fee, and the first month eats forty hours. This template splits the engagement into cleanup and ongoing, prices them separately, and names exactly which accounts and platforms you touch.
What the client is really deciding: "Will my books finally be current, and what does this cost me every month?"
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Section-by-section structure
Cleanup phase
A one-off scope: reconcile X months across Y accounts, categorise transactions, fix the chart of accounts, produce opening balances. Give it its own fee and its own completion date.
Monthly bookkeeping scope
List what happens every month: reconciliations, categorisation, accounts payable and receivable, payroll journals, monthly financial statements, and the date they land.
What is not included
Tax filing, CFO advisory, audit support, and inventory counts unless named. One short list here prevents the slow drift into unpaid work.
What the client provides
Read-only bank access, receipts by a set day each month, payroll reports, and one named contact for questions. Attach a deadline to each.
Investment
Cleanup fee, then a monthly retainer banded by transaction volume. State the volume band the price assumes and what happens when they outgrow it.
Next step
Accept, then a short onboarding call to collect access. Note the first month you will be responsible for so there is no gap.
How to price this work
| Pricing model | Best when | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer by transaction volume | Ongoing bookkeeping | $300 – $1,200/mo |
| One-off cleanup project | Books months behind | $500 – $5,000 |
| Hourly | Unpredictable or advisory work | $45 – $100/hr |
Ranges are general market guidance, not a quote — price against the outcome for your client.
Mistakes to avoid
- Quoting a monthly fee before seeing the actual transaction volume.
- Rolling cleanup into month one and absorbing the cost.
- No volume band, so a growing client pays the same as when they had 80 transactions.
- Leaving tax filing ambiguous, so the client assumes it is included.
- No receipt deadline, so you chase paperwork every month for free.
Frequently asked questions
Should I price bookkeeping hourly or monthly?
Monthly, banded by transaction volume. Hourly punishes you for getting faster and makes the client's cost unpredictable, which is the thing they most want to avoid.
How do I quote cleanup work I haven't seen yet?
Sell a paid diagnostic first — a few hours to review the file and produce a fixed cleanup quote. It protects you and reads as professional.
Do I need to mention software?
Yes. Name the platform and who pays for the subscription. It is one of the most common surprise costs in bookkeeping engagements.
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Answer a few questions about the client and the project. LogicVanta drafts every section above, then gives you a shareable link your client can accept in one click.
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