In 2026, the average annual salary for a full-charge bookkeeper in the United States generally ranges between $50,000 and $82,500 ($24–$40+ per hour), depending on experience, location, and certification. Experienced professionals in high-cost areas can command over $80,000 annually, while monthly rates often span from $500 to over $3,500, depending on the complexity of services.
Hourly rates are commonly quoted across the industry, ranging from $25 to $100 per hour. Entry-level bookkeepers can charge $25--$40/hour for basic tasks like data entry, while experienced people handling more complex tasks like payroll or tax compliance may charge $50--$100/hour.
The term "full charge" means that these bookkeepers manage all of the business's accounting needs. Besides the typical task of maintaining the business ledger, these bookkeepers prepare financial statements and tax returns, record complex transactions and process timesheets and payroll.
That's why your firm needs to know exactly what you are going to record and track. To do that, ask your clients questions like how many accounts they have and how many deposits they make per month. With this approach, you should ideally charge anywhere between $0.50 to $1.25 for each transaction.
Many bookkeepers charge an hourly rate. This averages around $25 to $100 per hour. This all depends on things like their education, work experience, and the tasks they are expected to perform on the job, in addition to standard accounting functions.
The average salary for a bookkeeper is $23.36 per hour in the United States. 14.2k salaries taken from job postings on Indeed in the past 36 months (updated December 29, 2025).
The key difference is that full-charge bookkeepers will also take on duties typically seen in controller roles. These can include making records of complex transactions, coordinating with CPAs or other outside experts, and reporting results to high-level management: Issue statements/reports as needed.
"A bookkeeper records the financial transactions of an organization and takes care of day-to-day functions such as recording sales and invoices, paying bills and processing payroll," Stephens said.
Hourly billing is the traditional and most straightforward way bookkeepers charge: you set your rate per hour based on your fixed costs and desired profit margin, then, however many hours it takes you to complete the work, that's the fee.
The Base Salary. The National Minimum Wage for those aged 21+ in 2025/26 is £12.21 per hour. A freelance bookkeeper typically charges between £20-£40 per hour (Bark.com).
One-time Setup Fees
Hiring a professional for a one-time setup typically involves an upfront cost. The fee can depend on various factors, such as the complexity of your business's financial structure and the experience level of the bookkeeper. On average, these setup fees can range from $200 to $400.
A good hourly wage varies greatly by location, industry, and lifestyle, but generally, $25-$30+ per hour is considered decent for comfortable living in many areas, while the U.S. median hovers around $27-$30/hour, with higher averages in professional fields and states like California ($42/hour) and lower in lower-cost areas. What's "good" depends on your cost of living (e.g., $25/hour is great in Missouri, but low in San Francisco) and your personal needs, with $40/hour+ often cited as excellent without a degree.
The three golden rules of accounting are to (1) debit the receiver and credit the giver, (2) debit what comes in and credit what goes out, and (3) debit expenses and losses, credit income and gains. What are the three types of accounts? The three golden rules of accounting apply to real, personal, and nominal accounts.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $92,665 and as low as $35,558, the majority of Quickbooks Bookkeeper salaries currently range between $47,400 (25th percentile) to $64,100 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $88,894 annually in Los Angeles.
How much can freelance bookkeepers earn? All freelancing incomes will vary across individual businesses, and down to each client agreement or contract. So, it's hard to say exactly what you can earn as a freelance bookkeeper in the UK. But a typical hourly rate would be between £10-£25 depending on experience.
Full Charge Bookkeepers compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete. Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records.
Not Chasing Late Payments. Failing to Keep Relevant Receipts. Carelessness When Bookkeeping. Combining Business And Personal Expenses. Using Manual Accounting Systems.