How Much Does a Bookkeeper Cost in Canada? What You're Really Paying For
What sets the price of monthly bookkeeping in Canada (volume, accounts, payroll, sales tax, software) and how hourly, monthly and flat-rate pricing compare.
What a bookkeeper costs in Canada depends on your transaction volume, the number of accounts and payment platforms, whether payroll and GST/HST/PST are included, and how pricing is structured: hourly, a monthly package, or one flat rate. For a growing business with six or seven figures in revenue, the biggest cost is usually not the monthly fee. It's the missed filings and catch-up work that follow when bookkeeping is too cheap to keep up.
Two quotes that look far apart are often quoting different jobs. One firm may be pricing "enter the transactions." Another may be pricing "reconcile every account, file your sales tax, run payroll, close the year and deal with the CRA." This guide breaks down what you're actually paying for, so you can compare quotes on the same terms.
Monthly bookkeeping vs catch-up: two different jobs
Monthly bookkeeping keeps the current year up to date: transactions categorized, every account reconciled to its statement, sales tax returns filed on time, and reports you can actually use. It's recurring, predictable work.
Catch-up bookkeeping rebuilds months or years that were never done (or done badly). It's a one-time project, priced on how far behind you are and how messy the records are. Many owners pay for "monthly bookkeeping" that never actually got reconciled, which is how they end up needing catch-up bookkeeping on top.
If you're behind today, price the catch-up first, then the ongoing service. A bookkeeper can't keep current months clean on top of an opening balance that's wrong.
What moves the price of a bookkeeper
| Cost driver | Why it changes the workload |
|---|---|
| Transactions per month | The single biggest factor. 60 transactions a month and 1,200 a month are completely different jobs. |
| Accounts and platforms | Every bank account, credit card, line of credit, Stripe, PayPal, Square, Shopify or Amazon payout has to be reconciled separately. |
| Payroll | Pay runs, source deduction remittances, T4s, ROEs, and Ontario EHT or BC EHT where they apply. |
| Sales tax | HST in Ontario, GST in Alberta, GST plus PST in BC, and out-of-province registrations if you sell online. |
| Year-end and tax returns | Some packages stop at the books and leave the T2 or T1 to someone else. |
| Software and receipts | Clean QuickBooks Online or Xero with bank feeds and receipt capture is cheaper to maintain than spreadsheets and shoeboxes. |
| Inventory, projects or multiple entities | Inventory counts, job costing, holding companies and intercompany loans all add reconciliation work. |
| How fast you need reports | Books closed by the 15th of next month take more coordination than books closed quarterly. |
Transactions per month deserve a closer look because they set most of the price. A consultant with one bank account and a credit card might have 40–80 transactions a month. A restaurant, e-commerce store or agency with staff and contractors can easily pass 1,000. More volume means more categorizing, more matching, more receipts to chase and more chances for something to go wrong.
Accounts and platforms are the hidden multiplier. Payment processors pay out net of fees and refunds, so a single Stripe deposit can represent dozens of sales. A good bookkeeper records the gross sales, the fees and the refunds separately so your revenue and your GST/HST are right. A cheap one just records the deposit, and your sales tax returns end up wrong.
Payroll and sales tax: where cheap bookkeeping costs the most
Payroll and sales tax are where errors turn into CRA penalties, so they're worth paying for properly.
- Payroll means calculating CPP, EI and income tax on every pay, remitting it to the CRA on your remitter schedule, and filing T4 slips and the summary by the end of February (canada.ca, payroll). Late remittances carry penalties, and directors can be held personally liable for unremitted source deductions.
- GST/HST registration is required once your taxable sales pass the small supplier threshold over four consecutive calendar quarters, or in a single quarter (canada.ca, when to register). After that, every return has to tie back to the books, including the input tax credits you claim.
- BC PST is a separate provincial registration with its own returns and rules (gov.bc.ca, PST).
If a quote doesn't clearly include payroll remittances and sales tax filings, ask. Those are the pieces most likely to be missing from a low monthly fee.
Hourly, monthly package or flat rate?
| Pricing model | How it works | Who carries the risk |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | You pay for time spent, billed after the fact. | You. Messy months, CRA letters and questions all add to the bill. |
| Monthly package | A set fee for a defined scope, often with limits on transactions or accounts. | Shared. Go over the limits and you move up a tier or pay extra. |
| All-inclusive flat rate | One rate covering bookkeeping, sales tax, year-end, tax returns and CRA correspondence. | The firm. If a month takes longer, that's its problem, not yours. |
Hourly pricing can look cheap for very small, simple businesses. It gets expensive fast once there's payroll, several platforms or a CRA letter, because every email and phone call is billable. That also makes owners hesitate to ask questions, which is the opposite of what you want. Our flat fee vs hourly comparison goes into more detail.
Bookkeeper, accountant, or both?
A bookkeeper records and reconciles. An accountant prepares year-end adjustments, financial statements and tax returns. Many small businesses hire them separately and end up paying for the gaps between them: the accountant spends year-end fixing the bookkeeper's work, and the bill reflects it.
If you're comparing a bookkeeper-only quote with a firm that covers bookkeeping and tax under one rate, add the cost of the year-end and the T2 or T1 to the bookkeeper-only number before you compare.
Example (hypothetical): the cheap option that wasn't
A BC marketing agency at about seven figures revenue paid a low monthly fee to a freelancer who categorized transactions but never reconciled the accounts or filed PST. Two years later:
- the Stripe payouts had been booked net, so revenue and GST were understated;
- PST had never been registered for, so past BC sales had to be worked out and reported;
- contractor payments had no T4A review; and
- the year-end accountant couldn't start until the books were rebuilt.
The cleanup, the late PST and the extra year-end work cost far more than a full-service arrangement would have from the start. The cheapest bookkeeping is the kind you never have to redo.
Example (hypothetical): two businesses, same revenue, different bills
- Business A: an Alberta engineering consultant, about six figures revenue, one bank account, one credit card, invoices paid by e-transfer, no staff. Around 70 transactions a month and GST quarterly.
- Business B: an Ontario Shopify brand, also about six figures revenue, with two bank accounts, Shopify Payments, PayPal, Amazon, inventory and three part-time staff. Over 900 transactions a month, HST, payroll and EHT tracking.
Same revenue, but B is several times the work. That's why revenue alone is a poor way to price bookkeeping.
How to compare bookkeeping quotes
- List what's included. Reconciliation of every account, sales tax returns, payroll and remittances, year-end, the T2 or T1, and handling CRA letters.
- Ask what happens when volume goes up. Does the price change in a busy month or after you add a payment processor?
- Ask who files. Preparing a return and filing it on time are not the same thing.
- Ask about turnaround. When will the books be closed each month, and how fast are questions answered?
- Ask about records. The CRA expects you to keep records for six years (canada.ca, keeping records). Make sure you own the file and can take it with you.
How Sansar prices
No price list, by design. You get one all-inclusive flat rate after a short call, covering bookkeeping, sales tax, payroll where you need it, year-end, tax returns and CRA correspondence. It's backed by our 100% Happiness Guarantee: if you're not happy, we keep working with you on the engagement until you're satisfied with the work. If you're behind, the catch-up is quoted the same way. See our main-site virtual bookkeeping services and catch-up bookkeeping service.
Book a call with a rep for a custom quote → · How onboarding works and what documents we need →
FAQ
Is a bookkeeper cheaper than an accountant? Bookkeeping alone usually costs less than accounting and tax work. Firms that do both under one rate avoid paying twice for the gaps between them at year-end.
Does monthly bookkeeping include my corporate tax return? It depends on the firm. Many bookkeeping packages stop at the books. At Sansar, year-end and the T2 are part of the flat-rate arrangement.
What's a fair way to compare bookkeeping quotes? Compare what's included: reconciliation of every account, sales tax filings, payroll, year-end, tax returns and CRA letters, not just the monthly fee.
Why do some bookkeepers charge by transaction count? Volume is the best measure of workload. A flat rate still uses volume to set the quote, but it doesn't change month to month.
Do I need a bookkeeper if I use QuickBooks or Xero? Software automates bank feeds, but someone still has to categorize correctly, reconcile, split processor payouts into sales and fees, and file sales tax. Software lowers the cost of good bookkeeping; it doesn't replace it.
Can I switch bookkeepers mid-year? Yes. Your new bookkeeper needs access to the accounting file, bank statements and CRA authorization. See our guide to switching accountants mid-year.
Written by Gurdeep Sangha, founder of Sansar Solutions, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping and tax firm serving small businesses across Canada (mainly Ontario, Alberta and BC). Bookkeeping and tax filing for business owners, without CPA-firm pricing. When you need a Notice to Reader or review engagement, we bring in our partner CPAs. This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice for your situation. Last reviewed: October 2026.
