Current and straightforward
One supportable entity, no inventory or complex workflow, and no more than 350 monthly transactions can use the published calculator and plan path.
ClearClose Books comparison guide
Compare managed bookkeeping services before you subscribe.
A monthly price means little until you know the starting condition, accounts, close deliverables, retained tasks, software cost, and scope-change rules behind it. Use this responsibility map to compare real service quotes.
Normalize the quote
Start with file condition and responsibility, not the headline price.
Two bookkeeping quotes can use the same monthly label while covering different months, accounts, cleanup, reports, and owner tasks. A useful comparison names the starting condition and assigns every recurring responsibility before the price is judged.
Ask for the answer in writing. If a provider cannot say who reconciles each account, who resolves open questions, what closes the month, and what triggers a new price, the quote is not ready to compare.
Facts to collect first
- Books current, behind, or uncertain
- Entities, bank accounts, cards, loans, and processors
- Average monthly transaction volume
- Inventory, client money, foreign activity, or other complexity
- Required reports and close timing
- Payroll, billing, payables, tax, and filing responsibilities
Responsibility matrix
Compare the work behind each managed bookkeeping quote.
This matrix does not rate unnamed providers. It shows the questions needed to normalize a quote and the current published ClearClose path for a qualified file.
| Decision factor | Confirm in every quote | ClearClose published path |
|---|---|---|
| Starting condition | Which month is closed, which balances are supportable, and whether cleanup is included or separate. | Current, supportable files can use a published monthly plan. Behind or uncertain files start with diagnosis; cleanup is separate. |
| Monthly close | Accounts reconciled, transaction-review standard, open-question process, close date, and review owner. | Agreed transaction review, account reconciliations, owner questions, and reports within the accepted scope. |
| Pricing basis | Whether price follows transactions, expenses, hours, accounts, entities, complexity, or a fixed scope; when it can change. | Starter $125, Core $199, or Growth $349 per month for files meeting the published transaction and scope limits. |
| Software and access | Who owns subscriptions, integrations, migration, user access, and added software fees. | System ownership, setup, migration, and software cost are confirmed in the engagement; the service fee does not silently include third-party software. |
| Adjacent operations | Who sends invoices, pays bills, manages receivables, runs payroll, files sales tax, prepares 1099s, and handles tax returns. | Setup, catch-up, payroll administration, bill pay, invoicing, collections, tax work, sales-tax work, and unusual reporting are separate unless the signed scope includes them. |
| Complexity gates | Rules for multiple entities, inventory, client funds, foreign activity, full-accrual work, specialized reporting, and high volume. | Multiple entities, inventory, more than 350 monthly transactions, client money, specialized accounting, or another complex workflow require assessment. |
| Records and security | How credentials, statements, source records, questions, reports, and approvals move securely. | Sensitive records and access steps move through the secure client portal after engagement, not through the public form. |
Do not turn entry prices into a universal savings claim. Normalize file condition, software, cleanup, retained work, and complexity before comparing monthly numbers.
Three ClearClose paths
Route by starting condition before checkout.
Behind or uncertain
The $49 Books Health Check identifies the three biggest bookkeeping risks and written next steps before cleanup or monthly work is priced.
Complex or restricted
Multiple entities, inventory, client money, high volume, specialized accounting, or major operational work needs assessment before a monthly scope is accepted.
Buyer checklist
Put the final responsibility map beside the final price.
List every required task, owner, frequency, deliverable, dependency, exclusion, and added fee. Then compare what remains on your team after the provider finishes the month.
Checkout starts onboarding. ClearClose service begins only after scope acceptance, a signed engagement, active payment, portal setup, and required records access.
Before you subscribe
- Confirm included accounts, months, and transaction limit
- Name the report package and close timing
- Assign billing, payables, payroll, tax, and filing work
- Separate cleanup, setup, software, and add-ons
- Write the scope-change and cancellation rules
- Confirm the secure records and approval workflow
Method and boundary
A decision tool, not an unnamed-provider ranking.
ClearClose built this page from the responsibility questions needed to normalize bookkeeping quotes and its own published scope as reviewed July 14, 2026. It does not rate, review, or make claims about an unnamed competitor.
Use the monthly bookkeeping scope, published products and pricing, service terms, and fictional sample deliverables to verify the ClearClose column.
What this page cannot decide
- Whether unsupported starting balances are correct
- Whether cleanup or tax work is required
- Whether a complex file fits a published plan
- Whether another provider's proposal matches its actual engagement
- Whether a service guarantees a tax, audit, lending, or business outcome
Questions owners ask
Bookkeeping answers before you commit.
What should I compare between bookkeeping services?
Compare starting condition, included accounts and months, transaction review, reconciliations, reports, close timing, software cost, retained operational tasks, complexity gates, scope-change rules, and records security.
Why are two monthly bookkeeping prices not always comparable?
Providers may price by transactions, expenses, hours, accounts, entities, complexity, or fixed scope. Cleanup, software, reporting, and retained tasks can also differ.
What does a ClearClose published monthly plan assume?
It assumes a current and supportable one-entity file, no inventory or complex workflow, and no more than 350 monthly transactions. Scope acceptance and a signed engagement are still required.
Are payroll, bill pay, invoicing, and tax filing included?
Not automatically. ClearClose separates those responsibilities unless the signed scope expressly includes them. Ask every provider to assign each adjacent task in writing.
What if the books are behind?
Start with the $49 Books Health Check for a written diagnosis. Cleanup receives a separate scope and price after the starting condition is understood.
What if the file has multiple entities or complex accounting?
Request an assessment. Multiple entities, inventory, client money, specialized accounting, more than 350 monthly transactions, or other complexity does not automatically fit a published plan.
Next step
Compare the responsibility map, then choose the right starting path.
Use the calculator for a current, straightforward file. If the books are behind or uncertain, buy the written $49 Books Health Check. Complex work needs an assessment before any published monthly plan is treated as a fit.