Guide · What It Costs
What online bookkeeping actually costs in 2026
Pilot, Bookkeeper360 and 1-800Accountant compared on published prices, with the three questions that matter more than the monthly number: who signs, where your books live, and what happens at tax time.
- Prices published
- A named CPA signs every close
- Books stay in your QuickBooks
- Month to month
- Remote, nationwide
The short answer
Full-service online bookkeeping for a small business runs roughly $200 to $600 a month, and the number on the website is rarely the number you pay. Two things move it: whether a tax return is included, and whether there is an onboarding fee.
The monthly price also hides the three questions that decide whether you are happy a year from now.
- Who signs? Many services give you a bookkeeper, not a CPA. When something needs judgment, or the IRS writes, that difference matters.
- Where do your books live? If they sit on the provider’s own platform, you are renting access to your own financial records.
- What happens in April? Bookkeeping without a return means hiring a second firm, and the handoff is where things go wrong.
Bench Accounting shut down on December 27, 2024 with almost no notice. The reason it was so painful was not the closure itself, it was that customers’ books lived on Bench’s proprietary platform. That is the single best argument for keeping your accounting in software you own.
Side by side
Published prices, October 2026
| Service | Monthly | Onboarding | Business return | Who reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Essentials | $199 | None published | Not included | Bookkeeping team |
| Pilot Core | $599 | None published | Not included | Bookkeeping team |
| Bookkeeper360 (monthly) | $399 | $1,000+ | Not included | Bookkeeping team |
| Bookkeeper360 Growth | $1,149 | $1,000+ | Included | Bookkeeping team |
| 1-800Accountant Complete | $469 (billed annually) | None published | Included | Dedicated bookkeeper |
| M2 CPA Solo | $159 + QuickBooks | $199 once | 1040 with Schedule C | A named CPA |
| M2 CPA Company | $299 + QuickBooks | $199 once | 1120-S or 1065, plus an owner’s 1040 | A named CPA |
| M2 CPA Company Plus | $599 + QuickBooks | $199 once | Same, plus bills and invoicing | A named CPA |
Competitor figures are published list prices as of October 2, 2026, taken from each provider’s own pricing page and public reviews, for their entry full-service bookkeeping tiers. All of them, including ours, are starting points that move with transaction volume and complexity. Verify current pricing directly before deciding. We are one of the options listed, so read this as informed rather than neutral.
Read the footnotes
What the monthly price leaves out
Onboarding and setup
A $1,000 onboarding fee changes a $399 service into roughly $482 a month in year one. Ours is $199 once. Always ask what the first year costs, not what the monthly costs.
The tax return
Bookkeeping-only services leave you to buy a return separately, typically $800 to $1,500 for an S corporation. A plan that includes it is not comparable to one that does not, and this is where most price comparisons quietly mislead.
Software
Some providers bundle their own platform, which sounds like a saving and is how you end up locked in. We bill QuickBooks at Intuit’s price on its own line, typically $38 to $140 a month, so you can see it and so the subscription is yours.
Transaction limits
Every provider caps volume at each tier. Going over moves you up a plan. Ask what the cap is and where you are against it today.
Payroll
Almost never included anywhere. Budget for it separately.
What actually matters
The three questions
Who signs your return? A bookkeeping team can categorise transactions. Deciding whether an expense is deductible, whether your salary is reasonable, or how to answer an IRS notice is CPA work. Ask for the name of the person who signs, and whether you can talk to them.
Where do your books live? In your own QuickBooks or Xero subscription, your data is portable and any accountant can pick it up tomorrow. On a provider’s proprietary platform, leaving means reconstructing. Bench’s customers learned this the hard way.
What is the actual all-in cost for year one? Monthly fee times twelve, plus onboarding, plus the tax return if it is not included, plus software. That number is usually very different from the one on the homepage.
Fit
Which one fits which business
A larger service makes sense when
- You are venture-backed and need investor-grade reporting fast
- You want a bigger bench and do not mind not knowing who does the work
- You have complex multi-entity consolidation
- You prefer a brand name over a named person
A small CPA firm makes sense when
- You want the same person every month, and want them to be a CPA
- You want the tax return and the bookkeeping to be one conversation
- You want your books in software you own
- You would rather see the price than book a sales call
We are the second kind. Three plans, published prices, a named CPA reviewing and signing every close and every return, and your books kept in your own QuickBooks. The full list, including add-ons and Intuit’s software prices, is on the pricing page.
Worked example
Year one, an S corporation with two owners
Same business, priced three ways. Bookkeeping, one 1120-S, and one owner’s personal return.
| Bookkeeping-only service | M2 CPA Company | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee, 12 months | $399 × 12 = $4,788 | $299 × 12 = $3,588 |
| Onboarding | $1,000 | $199 |
| 1120-S return | $1,400 elsewhere | Included |
| Owner’s 1040 | $350 elsewhere | Included |
| QuickBooks | Often bundled, not portable | $38 at Intuit’s price × 12 = $456 |
| Year one | $7,538 | $4,243 |
Illustrative, using published list prices and typical market rates for an 1120-S and a 1040. Your own numbers depend on transaction volume, payroll and state count. The point is the structure of the comparison, not the exact total.
Questions
Frequently asked
How much does online bookkeeping cost for a small business?
Full-service online bookkeeping generally runs $200 to $600 a month in 2026. Pilot’s entry tier is $199, Bookkeeper360 starts at $399 plus a $1,000 onboarding fee, and 1-800Accountant’s Business Complete is $469 billed annually. M2 CPA’s plans are $159, $299 and $599 plus QuickBooks at Intuit’s price, with a $199 one-time setup.
Is the tax return included in online bookkeeping?
Usually not. Pilot and Bookkeeper360’s entry tiers are bookkeeping only, so a business return costs extra elsewhere, typically $800 to $1,500 for an S corporation. 1-800Accountant’s Complete plan includes it. M2 CPA includes the business return and one owner’s 1040 in the Company plan.
What happened to Bench Accounting?
Bench shut down on December 27, 2024 with very little notice, and was acquired days later by employer.com. The disruption was severe because customer books lived on Bench’s proprietary platform rather than in portable software, which is the main lesson from it: keep your accounting in software you own.
Do I get an actual CPA?
At most online bookkeeping services, no. You get a bookkeeper or a team, with CPA involvement only on the tax return if the plan includes one. Ask who signs and whether you can speak to them. At M2 CPA a named CPA reviews and signs every close and every return.
Can I keep my own QuickBooks?
With us, yes, and we would prefer it. Your subscription stays in your name and your data is portable, so if you ever leave, any accountant can pick it up. Services that run on their own platform make leaving expensive by design.
Is a cheaper service worse?
Not automatically. Price mostly reflects how much human time a provider needs per client. Automation reduces that time, which is how published prices can be lower without the work being thinner. What to check is who reviews the output, because automation without review is the actual risk.
How do I compare quotes fairly?
Build the year-one total: monthly fee times twelve, plus onboarding, plus the tax return if it is not included, plus software. Then ask who signs and where the books live. Those four numbers and two questions make most of these services easy to tell apart.
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Small business pricing
Solo, Company and Company Plus, with add-ons and Intuit’s software prices listed separately.
Tax return pricing
Fixed prices if you keep your own books and only need the return filed.
Guide: is an S corp worth it?
The break-even math on reasonable compensation and payroll cost, with real numbers.
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Self-employment tax, quarterly estimates, and the state registration trap.
Alexander Mungov, CPA
Founder and principal, M2 CPA
Alexander Mungov is a Certified Public Accountant and the founder of M2 CPA. He spent twelve years at the Defense Contract Audit Agency, finishing as a Supervisory Auditor, then built the compliance program inside a defense technology company before starting the firm.
M2 CPA serves small businesses and federal contractors remotely, nationwide, with published prices and a named CPA on every engagement. More about Alex.
Competitor prices are published list prices as of October 2, 2026 for entry full-service bookkeeping tiers, gathered from each provider’s pricing page and public reviews, and are subject to change. This page compares services including our own, so it is informed rather than independent. Verify current pricing with each provider before deciding. The worked example uses typical market rates for tax preparation and does not reflect a quote.
Who does the work, and who signs it
Every close and every return is reviewed and signed by a licensed US CPA. Not a bookkeeper, not an account manager, not a rotating team. One licensed person is accountable for the result and you can look the license up yourself.
A named CPA signs
Alexander Mungov, CPA, Colorado license CPA.0030131. Verify it any time through the Colorado DORA license lookup.
A fixed fee, in writing
You get the number before any work starts. It does not change unless the scope does. No hourly surprise at the end.
Your books stay yours
Everything is kept in your own QuickBooks, under your login. If you leave, you take all of it, because it was always yours.
Want a number for your business?
Tell us your entity type, roughly how many transactions a month, and whether you run payroll. We will tell you which plan fits and what year one costs, before any call.