Reconciliation · checked against the sources on
Catch-up bookkeeping price: what a month behind costs
Catch-up bookkeeping is usually priced per month behind. Published 2026 rates run about $150 to $500 per month of backlog, and more when records are missing or payroll is involved. SDO CPA charges $320 per month behind, or $299 when the records are organised. It puts low-complexity work at $150 to $300 a month, medium at $300 to $600, and high at $600 to $1,200 or more. Catalyst CPA quotes fixed fees from $2,000 for a year behind up to $18,000, and Bench includes catch-up with an annual plan from $1,910 a year.
Prepared for your review. Not tax or accounting advice.
Published prices, read 9 October 2026
| Who | Price |
|---|---|
| SDO CPA | $320 per month behind; $299 when records are organised |
| SDO CPA's industry ranges | low $150–300, medium $300–600, high $600–1,200+ per month behind |
| beancount.io guide | $150–500 per month of backlog; one year behind $1,500–6,000 |
| Catalyst CPA | fixed fee after a scope call, $2,000 (a year behind) to $18,000 |
| Bench | catch-up included with an annual plan, from $1,910 a year |
| Pilot | Essentials $99 a month going forward; catch-up by quote |
What the price should cover
- Every transaction in every month behind, categorized.
- Every account (each bank and card) reconciled to its statement, month by month, so each month-end balance in the books equals the statement's.
- Payment processors booked gross: Stripe's sales in, its fees, refunds and disputes out, each payout matched to its deposit.
- Files you can import into QuickBooks or Xero, and a list of what was changed and why.
Most quotes leave out amended returns, penalty relief, payroll corrections and sales tax filings. Ask before you sign.
How far behind are you?
Count the months whose ending balance in the books differs from the bank statement's. That count, not the calendar, is the backlog a bookkeeper prices. The steps below find it.
Check your own, on your machine
npx --allow-git=root github:agentwares/tieout statement.csv general-ledger.csv --account Checking- Take each month-end balance from the bank statement.
- Run the bank account's balance as of the same day in QuickBooks or Xero (the General Ledger or Account Transactions report).
- Where they differ, list the bank lines not in the books (bank fees, interest, unrecorded payouts) and the book lines not on the statement (duplicates, voids, checks not yet cashed).
- A difference that divides by 9 often means two digits were swapped when the amount was typed.
- The first month that does not tie is where the catch-up starts; every later month carries its difference.
It reads the CSV exports you name, makes no network request and calls no LLM, and writes a dated tie-out sheet: every payout and its deposit, every month of the books against the statement, and what does not tie with its likely reason. Source (MIT)
Catch-up bookkeeping by agent, priced per month behind, is not built. The months that do not tie, done for you: every transaction categorized, every Stripe payout booked gross with its fees, refunds and disputes, and every account-month tied to its statement, reviewed by a person before delivery.
Not built. It would be priced per month behind; no price is set. It gets built only if enough people ask.
Count me inSources
- SDO CPA: Catch-up bookkeeping cost guide (published 24 Sep 2026; read 9 Oct 2026)
- beancount.io: How much does a bookkeeper cost (2026) (published 5 Oct 2026; read 9 Oct 2026)
- Catalyst CPA: Catch-up bookkeeping, 6 months behind (published 22 May 2026; read 9 Oct 2026)
- Bench: Pricing (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Pilot: Pricing (read 9 Oct 2026)