How Much Does a Philippine-Based Bookkeeper Cost for a US Business?
A useful bookkeeping quote starts with the work your business needs. Location alone doesn’t tell you what you’ll pay—or what will be included.
If you’re comparing Philippine-based bookkeepers for your US business, ask for a quote against the same accounts, periods and deliverables. An hourly rate, a monthly package and a cleanup project fee describe different arrangements. Comparing only the headline amount can leave important work out of the discussion.
BA quotes work after reviewing the scope. This guide explains how to compare proposals; it is not a market-rate survey or a published BA price list.
What changes the amount of work?
Transaction count is a starting point, but it is not the whole picture. A straightforward bank transfer and a payment-processor settlement containing fees, refunds and multiple sales may require different levels of review.
- Accounts and entities: bank accounts, cards, loans and separate businesses.
- Activity: invoices, bills, processors, payroll records and other systems.
- Condition: reliable current records versus missing or inconsistent historical entries.
- Reporting: basic financial reports versus additional property, location or other agreed reporting.
- Communication and review: question resolution, meetings and review responsibilities.
- Timing: the deadline and whether complete records are available.
Understand the pricing structure
| Arrangement | What to clarify |
|---|---|
| Hourly | Which activities are billable, expected hours, reporting and approval before exceeding a budget. |
| Monthly fee | Included accounts, activity assumptions, reports, deadlines and triggers for a scope change. |
| Fixed project | Covered periods, deliverables, missing-record assumptions and change-request process. |
No structure is automatically better. A fixed fee still needs a defined scope. An hourly arrangement can still be controlled through an agreed budget and written approval before additional work.
Separate the backlog from the ongoing fee
If six months of records need attention, ask whether that work is included in the proposal or quoted separately. Otherwise, you may compare one proposal covering historical corrections with another covering only next month’s transactions.
At BA, cleanup is a separate engagement, and monthly bookkeeping afterward is optional. The cleanup proposal sets out the relevant periods and accounts, expected deliverables and limitations. An ongoing arrangement has its own scope and fee.
Compare the total commitment
Before accepting a proposal, put these items side by side:
- Initial assessment, onboarding and historical cleanup charges.
- Recurring fee or hourly budget and how extra work is authorized.
- Software costs and which party pays them.
- Billing currency, payment fees and any applicable charges stated in the proposal.
- Reporting and review included in the fee.
- Notice requirements and the records you receive when the engagement ends.
Also consider the time you will spend supplying records and answering questions. The lowest quote may be suitable for a narrow, well-organized job. It may be less useful if you expect investigation, frequent support and a detailed month-end review that were never included.
Send the same brief to each provider
For example, a fictional service business might ask: “Please quote monthly bookkeeping for one company, two bank accounts and one credit card, with reconciliations and monthly financial reports. Separately identify the cost of reviewing a four-month backlog. Tell us what records you need and what is excluded.”
Add your approximate activity level, software, payroll arrangements and reporting needs. The point is not to prescribe the provider’s process. It is to make differences between proposals visible.
Questions about pricing
Can you give me a price before seeing the file?
An initial conversation can establish the likely scope. A dependable proposal may require reviewing the available records and the condition of the file. Ask what any preliminary estimate assumes.
Does a monthly fee include tax filing?
Do not assume so. Confirm bookkeeping, payroll, sales-tax work, tax preparation and filing separately. BA’s cleanup engagement covers bookkeeping records, not preparing or filing a US tax return.
Does hiring in the Philippines guarantee a lower total cost?
No. Compare the actual proposals and the responsibilities they cover. Location is not a substitute for evaluating scope, capability and communication.
Ask for a quote that matches your books
Tell BA about your business, software, accounts, backlog and deadline. We’ll discuss the work needed and the information required for a proposal, so you can decide on a defined engagement.
Explore our Cleanup & Catch-Up Services or Monthly Bookkeeping Services.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call with Ana Lee. Any bookkeeping work has a separately agreed scope and fee.
Book a discovery callGeneral bookkeeping information for US businesses. It does not replace advice from your US tax professional about your circumstances.
