Accounting: fixed monthly packages based on postings
Accounting can be standardised well – which is why this is the only one of our services for which we publish prices. Billing is based on the number of postings per month, in three packages. Anything beyond that is charged per additional posting. No setup fee, no minimum term beyond twelve months.
Three packages, one pricing principle
What counts is the number of postings per month – that is, the number of transactions actually booked, not the number of receipts. Together we determine which package fits, based on your last three months.
Package S
Founders, sole traders and small businesses with a manageable volume of receipts.
- Ongoing bookkeeping of all transactions
- Bank and cash postings including reconciliation
- Accounts receivable/payable management
- Preparation of the VAT return
- Monthly management report and trial balance
- Handover to your tax advisor in the required format
Package M
Established small and medium-sized businesses with regular invoicing and payment activity.
- Everything included in Package S
- Coding according to an individual chart of accounts
- Cost centres on request
- Monthly query and reconciliation call
- Analysis of outstanding items with recommended actions
- Priority processing ahead of filing deadlines
Package L
Companies with a high volume of receipts, several accounts or several entities.
- Everything included in Package M
- Several bank accounts and payment providers
- Reports by department or project
- Dedicated point of contact with a backup arrangement
- Reconciliation calls as needed, at least monthly
- Support with reports for banks and shareholders
Further terms
| Item | Basis | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Additional posting above the package scope | per posting | €1.20 |
| Clearing backlogs | by time spent, hourly rate | €65 |
| Sorting and preparing unstructured documents | by time spent, hourly rate | €55 |
| Digitising paper receipts | per 100 pages or part thereof | €19 |
| Quote and invoicing service | add-on, per document | from €1.90 |
| Dunning | add-on, monthly | from €49 |
| Payroll | add-on, per payslip | on request |
All prices are exclusive of statutory VAT. Billing is monthly. Above 300 postings per month, we put together an individual quote, which is usually more favourable than the tiered rate. We announce any additional effort in advance – there is no back-billing without prior agreement.
What counts as a posting – and what doesn't
A posting is a booked transaction, i.e. the link between a debit and a credit account. An incoming invoice typically results in one posting, the corresponding payment in another. A bank statement with twenty items accordingly generates around twenty postings.
The distinction from the number of receipts matters: a consolidated invoice with thirty line items is one receipt, but depending on the coding only one or a few postings. Conversely, a single cash report can generate many postings. That's why, before making an offer, we look at your actual figures for the last few months – a gut-feel estimate is almost always wrong.
If your volume stays consistently below or above the booked package, we switch it. Not retroactively, but simply from the following month.
Not included in the price
- Annual financial statements and tax returns. These services are provided by your tax advisor; we supply the underlying data.
- Tax advice. We are not permitted to provide it and do not want to.
- Software licences. If you use your own system, you continue to bear its costs as before.
- One-off clearing of backlogs. Billed by time spent and estimated in advance.
Switching usually takes three to four weeks
Switching accounting providers seems more involved than it actually is – provided someone manages it in a structured way. We take care of that entirely.
Stocktake
We review the last few months, clarify the chart of accounts, outstanding items and system access, and identify the right package type.
Takeover
Balances, master data and outstanding items are taken over. The cut-off date is set so that no gap arises.
Trial month
The first month runs with close coordination so that coding and workflow settle in.
Regular operation
Fixed appointments, a dedicated point of contact, monthly reports – and a process that runs without follow-up questions.
What does accounting cost – and how do you recognise a fair offer?
Prices for outsourced accounting vary considerably because the definitions of the service differ. An offer for €79 a month can be reasonable if it covers twenty postings and no reconciliation. But it can also mean that only preliminary recording is included and everything else is billed extra. Offers only become comparable once three points are clarified: What is the basis for measurement? What is included? And what does the case that comes up every month cost – queries, corrections, subsequent entries?
The three questions to ask before signing any contract
- Postings or receipts? Receipt-based prices look cheaper but can become expensive in industries with many consolidated invoices – and vice versa.
- Is reconciliation included? Bookkeeping without account reconciliation produces figures that have to be expensively reworked at year-end.
- How is extra effort handled? A reasonable approach is prior notice with sign-off, not silent back-billing on the monthly invoice.
Our position in the market
Our prices are deliberately at the lower end of the market-standard level for full ongoing bookkeeping – not because we deliver less, but because we work consistently digitally. Receipts are read out automatically, recurring processes are stored as rules, and queries are handled in batches rather than one by one. This efficiency gain is reflected in the price, not in our margin.
When outsourcing pays off
An in-house accounting employee, including overheads, software, holiday, sick leave and training, costs a multiple of a monthly package – and cannot be covered in case of absence. For companies with up to around three hundred postings a month, outsourcing is therefore generally more economical. Beyond that, it becomes a trade-off: a hybrid model, combining in-house preliminary recording with external bookkeeping, is often sensible. We can accommodate this variant too.
Further reading
What else is possible beyond pure bookkeeping – invoicing, dunning, office organisation and document management – can be found under Backoffice and accounting. If you also want to digitise the flow of receipts, the IT and digitalisation area can help.
Frequently asked questions about prices and packages
Is there a minimum term?
What happens if we have more postings in a given month?
Are the prices net or gross?
We have several entities. Can that be covered by one package?
What about the VAT return?
Can you take over our accounting mid-year?
Which package fits your volume of receipts?
Send us the last three months – we'll tell you conclusively which package fits, and what switching would mean.