What Is the Charge for Hiring a CPA?

Hiring a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) isn’t cheap-and for good reason. CPAs handle tax strategy, audits, and compliance. But if you’re hiring one to do basic bookkeeping, you may be overpaying.

Here’s what to know about CPA fees-and when a bookkeeper is the better option.

CPA vs. Bookkeeper: Who Does What?

• CPA: Handles tax filing, audits, complex financial strategy, and compliance.
• Bookkeeper: Handles day-to-day financial transactions, reconciliations, and monthly reports.

Most CPAs expect clean, reconciled books to work with. If they have to do your bookkeeping too, they’ll charge a premium.

CPA Pricing Breakdown

CPAs often charge:

• $175-$400 per hour
• $1,200-$3,000+ for tax prep (depending on business complexity)
• Additional fees for audit support, advisory, or backdated cleanups

Bookkeeping? That’s not their core strength-and it shows in the price.

A Better Model: Bookkeeper + CPA

Remote Books Online handles your books month-to-month, so your CPA can focus on taxes and strategy:

• Flat-rate plans start at $150/month
• CPA-ready reports
• No hourly billing
• No scrambling at tax time

Test Case

A fitness studio in Texas was paying their CPA $3,000/year-just for books. After switching to RBO, their CPA cut fees in half and focused on tax planning instead of data entry.

FAQs

Can my CPA also do my books?
Yes, but it’s not cost-effective. Most CPAs prefer to work from clean books-not create them.

What if I don’t have a CPA yet?
We can recommend one. Our reports are CPA-ready and compatible with any firm.

Do you talk to my CPA during tax time?
Yes. We work with your CPA to ensure smooth handoffs and accurate filings.

Stop paying premium rates for basic bookkeeping.

See how RBO helps thousands of businesses or start a free trial.