How Much Does a Bookkeeper Charge for Payroll?

Payroll touches cash, taxes, benefits, and compliance-so it must be posted correctly. Bookkeeping fees for payroll typically cover posting payroll journal entries, reconciling payroll liabilities, and matching processor debits to your bank activity.

What payroll bookkeeping usually includes

  • Monthly posting of payroll and tax journal entries
  • Reconciliation of payroll liability accounts
  • Matching processor debits to bank transactions
  • Month-end financial statements reflecting payroll expense properly

What drives price up or down

  • Number of employees and pay frequency
  • Multi-state filing and benefits complexity
  • Off-cycle runs and manual adjustments
  • Data quality and timeliness from your payroll provider

How to control costs

  • Use a standardized chart of accounts and mapping from your processor
  • Keep a fixed payroll approval cadence
  • Integrate payroll with QuickBooks or Xero to reduce manual entry

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FAQs

What do typical monthly payroll bookkeeping fees cover?
Posting payroll journal entries, reconciling payroll liabilities, and matching processor debits to bank activity.

What drives the price up or down?
Number of employees, pay frequency, multiple states, benefits integrations, and off-cycle runs.

Are payroll tax filings usually included?
Filings are often handled by the payroll processor; bookkeeping covers posting and reconciliation.

Is per-employee pricing common?
Yes. Many plans combine a base fee plus a per-employee amount.

How do I cut payroll bookkeeping costs?
Use a standardized chart of accounts, integrate your payroll provider, and keep approvals on a set cadence.

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