Choosing a Fractional Bookkeeping Package: $450 vs. $850 vs. $1,400

Not every business needs a full-time bookkeeper. Many small businesses need a few hours of reliable, skilled work each week — categorization, reconciliations, a month-end close and someone to answer questions. That's what fractional bookkeeping is for.

ExecWing offers three fractional packages — $450, $850 and $1,400 per month — and two dedicated options — $2,100 per month for a full-time bookkeeper and $2,600 for a senior bookkeeper. This guide explains how to choose, with illustrative profiles. The profiles are hypothetical examples of typical patterns, not client accounts.

ExecWing provides bookkeeping only. We don't provide tax preparation, tax advice or CPA services; your bookkeeper prepares clean books for your CPA.

What drives the right package

Four factors matter most:

1. Transaction volume. How many bank and card transactions each month?
2. Number of accounts. Bank accounts, cards, payment processors, loans.
3. Complexity. Inventory, multiple entities, multiple locations or classes, payroll complexity, accrual basis.
4. Scope. Just categorization and reconciliation, or also AP, AR, payroll support and reporting?

The packages at a glance

We confirm the right package on a call after looking at your volume and scope.

Illustrative profile: $450/month

Hypothetical: A solo consultant with one business checking account and one credit card. Clients pay by bank transfer; expenses are mostly software, travel and meals. Books on cash basis.

Needs:

• Monthly categorization and reconciliation of two accounts.
• A monthly P&L and balance sheet.
• Year-end package for the CPA.

Illustrative profile: $850/month

Hypothetical: A 10-person agency with two bank accounts, three cards and Stripe. Invoices clients monthly; pays contractors and software vendors. Owner wants accrual reporting and help chasing invoices.

Needs:

• Weekly categorization.
• Reconciliation of six accounts including Stripe.
• AR: invoice tracking and reminders.
• AP: bill entry and payment-run preparation.
• Monthly close with accrual adjustments as directed by the CPA.

Illustrative profile: $1,400/month

Hypothetical: A growing e-commerce brand selling on Shopify and Amazon, with inventory, several payment processors and payroll for eight employees.

Needs:

• Payout reconciliation across Shopify, Amazon and processors.
• Inventory and cost of goods sold records per CPA guidance.
• AP for suppliers and freight.
• Payroll journal checks.
• Monthly close and margin reporting.

When to move to dedicated

Consider a dedicated bookkeeper ($2,100/month) when:

• There's finance work every day: daily AP, frequent invoicing, constant receipts.
• You want same-day responsiveness during US business hours.
• Fractional scope keeps expanding.
• You want your bookkeeper to also handle related admin — vendor setup, collections calls, finance inbox.

Consider senior dedicated ($2,600/month) when:

• You have multiple entities or locations with intercompany transactions.
• You need more sophisticated reporting or close management.
• Your books need significant ongoing cleanup and judgment.

See fractional vs. full-time bookkeeper.

Questions to ask yourself

1. How many transactions hit my accounts each month? (Your bank and card statements will tell you.)
2. How many accounts need reconciling?
3. Do I invoice customers and need AR support?
4. Do I pay many bills and need AP support?
5. Do I have inventory, multiple entities or payroll?
6. How fast do I need answers to finance questions?
7. Is my CPA asking for accrual-basis books?

Catch-up first?

If your books are behind, catch-up work comes first. It's usually scoped separately based on how many months need work. See catch-up bookkeeping cost.

What's included in every package

• Work in your QuickBooks Online or Xero file.
• Reconciliations and categorization to your chart of accounts.
• Monthly reports.
• Coordination with your CPA.
• Month-to-month terms.

What's never included

• Tax preparation or filing.
• Tax advice.
• Audit, attest or other CPA services.
• Payment release — you approve all payments.

Comparing the cost

To compare fractional bookkeeping with alternatives, build a simple comparison using your own figures: the hourly rate and hours of a local freelance bookkeeper, the monthly fee of a local firm, or the fully loaded cost of an in-house hire. Use the method in our fully loaded cost worksheet, and compare against our published prices. See also bookkeeping cost: offshore vs. US.

Counting your transactions

To estimate volume, download the last three months of statements for every bank account, credit card and payment processor, count the transactions and take the monthly average. Include payouts and fees from processors such as Stripe, Shopify Payments and PayPal, since each payout typically needs reconciling. Note any seasonality: retailers and e-commerce brands often see much higher volume in the fourth quarter.

Signs you've outgrown your package

• Questions take longer to answer because the bookkeeper's time is fully committed.
• Month-end close is slipping later each month.
• You're asking for AP, AR or reporting that isn't in your current scope.
• You've added a new entity, location or sales channel.

When you see these, talk to us about moving up a package or to a dedicated bookkeeper. Because terms are month-to-month, changing scope is straightforward.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start fractional and move to dedicated later? Yes. Many businesses do as they grow.

Do fractional bookkeepers work US hours? Fractional work is scheduled within US business hours as agreed; dedicated bookkeepers work a full US schedule.

Quick answers

Is fractional bookkeeping done by the same person each month? We aim for continuity with a consistent bookkeeper on your account.

Key takeaways

• Transaction volume, number of accounts, complexity and scope decide the package.
• Count transactions from real statements, including processor payouts.
• Move to a dedicated bookkeeper when finance work happens every day.
• No package includes tax preparation, tax advice or CPA services.

The bottom line

Choose a package based on transaction volume, number of accounts, complexity and scope. Start at $450 for simple books, $850 for moderate volume with AR/AP, $1,400 for higher volume or complexity, and move to a dedicated bookkeeper at $2,100 or $2,600 when there's daily finance work. See bookkeeping and pricing.

If you're between two packages, start with the one that covers your current scope and review after two closes. With month-to-month terms, moving up or down is a simple conversation, not a contract renegotiation.