Offshore Accounting Pricing | Hourly, Monthly, Per-Return

The three pricing models

Which pricing model fits your situation.

Hourly

For project or catch-up work

$12–$45 / hour

Junior (1–3 yrs): $12–$18
Senior (4–7 yrs): $18–$28
Supervisor (8+ yrs): $28–$38
Controller / CFO: $35–$65

Best for: pilots, catch-up, one-off work, trial engagements

Dedicated seat (monthly)

Full-time named person

$1,800–$6,500 / month

Bookkeeper: $1,800–$2,400
Senior bookkeeper: $2,400–$3,000
Tax preparer: $2,400–$3,800
Controller: $4,500–$6,500

Best for: ongoing monthly work, predictable volume

Per-unit

Transactional billing

Varies by unit type

Tax return: $35–$250
AP invoice: $1.50–$3.50
AR invoice: $2–$4
Payroll cycle: $45–$85

Best for: variable volume, per-client CPA-firm billing

Honest answers

What actually drives the price

Three factors move offshore accounting pricing up or down from the starting rates. Understanding them upfront means no sticker shock at quote time.

1. Role seniority

This is the biggest lever. A junior offshore bookkeeper (1–3 years experience) lands at around $1,800/month. A senior bookkeeper (7+ years, trained on NetSuite or Sage Intacct, comfortable with multi-entity consolidations) is closer to $3,000. A CA-qualified controller with Big 4 background is $4,500–$6,500. Match the role to the work – not every task needs a senior.

2. Software complexity

QuickBooks Online and Xero are the cheapest to staff because the labor pool is huge. NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and enterprise ERPs (SAP, Oracle, Workday Financials) carry 15–25% premium because the specialist pool is smaller. Industry-specific platforms (Yardi, AppFolio, Sage 300 CRE) carry similar premiums.

3. Engagement size and commitment

Multi-seat engagements (3+ dedicated seats) and 12-month commitments unlock volume pricing typically 8–15% below the single-seat rate. Month-to-month engagements sit at the top of the range.

What's always included: US-based manager review weekly, backup coverage for sick/vacation days, all software training, process documentation, security infrastructure, individual NDAs, and monthly status reporting. No extra fees for any of these.

What's not included by default

A few items that come up in scoping:

Overtime and busy-season surge. Standard seat is 40 hours/week. Tax-season engagements running 50–55 hours/week cost 15–25% more for the busy-season months.
US holidays off but paid. For dedicated seats we observe US holidays (India/Philippines staff off when your office is off). If you need someone working US holidays, premium applies.
Software licenses. You provide logins to your accounting software. If a specialty tool license is required, that's your cost.
Premium security. For HIPAA, FedRAMP, or heavily regulated environments, enhanced controls add 10–20% to the base rate.

What a typical quote looks like

Most mid-market engagements land in one of three patterns:

Solo business / small CPA firm: 1 dedicated senior bookkeeper at $2,400/month. Total: $28,800/year.
Mid-size business / growing firm: 1 senior bookkeeper + 1 AP specialist + part-time controller. Total: $5,500–$7,500/month ($66k–$90k/year).
CPA firm adding tax season capacity: 2–3 tax preparers during busy season + 1 year-round bookkeeper. Total: $8,000–$15,000/month peak ($75k–$125k/year).

For context on how this compares to US hiring and other offshore accounting models, see our homepage. Or if you want a real quote against your specific situation, book a call.

Offshore accounting pricing without the guess-the-quote game.