Compare
Outsourced Bookkeeping vs Hiring In House
A side by side look at cost, coverage and risk when you compare outsourced bookkeeping to an in house bookkeeper.
Once your books take more than a few hours a month, you have to choose: hire someone or outsource it. Here is the honest comparison on cost, coverage and risk.
Cost
A part time in house bookkeeper runs $25 to $40 an hour, plus payroll taxes, accounting software and your time managing them. Outsourced bookkeeping is a flat monthly fee, usually $200 to $800, with software and review included.
Coverage when someone is out
One in house person means one point of failure. When they take vacation or quit, your books stop. An outsourced team has backup built in and keeps a written process so nothing lives only in one person's head.
Skill level
For what a part time bookkeeper costs, you rarely get someone senior. An outsourced service spreads a senior reviewer across many clients, so your month gets a second set of eyes without a second salary.
Control and separation of duties
Having the same person record transactions and touch the money is the classic fraud setup. Keeping bookkeeping outside your walls creates a natural check, especially when every change is logged and approved.
When in house still wins
If you have high daily volume, complex inventory, or need someone physically handling paperwork every day, an in house bookkeeper with outside review may fit better. Most small businesses do not need that.
Questions people ask
Is outsourced bookkeeping worth it?
For most small businesses, yes. You get a flat monthly cost, senior review, and no hiring, training or coverage risk.
Is my financial data safe with an outsourced bookkeeper?
It should be. Look for read only access to your accounting file, encrypted document storage, and an audit trail showing who changed what and when.
Want your books handled for you?
LedgerDude is outsourced bookkeeping for small business owners. We read your receipts, match your bank transactions and send you one short list of questions each month.