How much does a bookkeeper cost?
A bookkeeper costs between €200 and €800 per month for a typical small business. In-house bookkeepers cost €2,500–4,000/month in salary plus taxes. Outsourced bookkeeping services charge €200–600/month. AI bookkeeping like Nika costs from $0.40 per processed invoice — no monthly minimum, no salary commitment.
The cost depends on three factors: transaction volume, complexity (multi-currency, payroll, inventory), and who does the work. A freelancer with 20 transactions a month needs far less bookkeeping than a restaurant processing 200 supplier invoices. The honest answer is that most small businesses overpay because they buy more bookkeeping capacity than they need.
There are three models. An in-house bookkeeper is a salaried employee — the most expensive option, justified only when transaction volume is high enough to fill their week. An outsourced bookkeeping firm charges a monthly retainer based on estimated volume — predictable but inflexible, and you pay even in slow months. AI bookkeeping like Nika charges per invoice — zero invoices means zero cost, and the per-invoice price is a fraction of human labour.
The hidden cost is not the bookkeeper fee — it is the time the owner spends chasing invoices, answering the bookkeeper's questions, and reconciling accounts. A good bookkeeper (human or AI) eliminates owner time spent on bookkeeping, which is typically worth more than the fee itself.
Related questions
Is a bookkeeper cheaper than an accountant?
Yes. A bookkeeper handles day-to-day transactions (€200–800/month). An accountant handles tax filing, financial statements, and advisory work (€1,000–5,000/year for a small business). They serve different roles — bookkeeping is recurring and transactional; accounting is periodic and analytical.
Can I save money by doing bookkeeping myself?
You can, but the opportunity cost is usually higher than the fee. Every hour you spend on bookkeeping is an hour not spent selling, serving customers, or growing the business. For most owners, the question is not "can I do it?" but "should I?" — and the answer depends on what your time is worth.