Pricing

Transparent, customized.

Most small businesses are stuck between software that leaves them on their own and firms that charge enterprise rates.

FRS is the middle path: a real partner who understands your business and uses modern solutions to keep you supported at a fraction of the cost.

§ 01
One-time engagements

Project pricing, in writing.

It starts with the free diagnostic. After signing an optional NDA, I go through your books and transactions to see the real condition of the file. Then I scope the work and fix the price in writing.

You approve the price and scope before work starts. And when the work is done you take the books back or move to monthly support.

§ 01.1

What sets your price

Fix the books

Cleanup & Migration

Ranges from$100–$900

Catch-up & Cleanup

A tidy, low-volume file with a few missing months stays near the bottom. The quote rises with more months to cover, more accounts to reconcile, and complex errors that need to be corrected before the books can be trusted.

  • Months missing and monthly transaction volume set the base workload.
  • Duplicates, gaps, uncategorized transactions, and complex fixes add repair time.
  • The goal is current and accurate books that show the real financial status.

Data Migration

Simple moves are mostly structure, opening balances, and handoffs. Heavier moves take more care because the old file may need chart clean-up, history decisions, payroll or merchant connections.

  • Clean QBO, Xero, or spreadsheet exports cost less than hard-to-export desktop files.
  • More history and more integrations mean more testing required.
  • Clean-up before the move can increase the price when relevant.
Keep it in-house

Coaching & Reviews

Ranges from$50–$400

Bookkeeping Coaching

Coaching teaches you how to keep the books for your own company and how to read them properly. The price rises with the complexity of your accounting, and again if you want a written bookkeeping guide tailored to your business.

  • You learn your own file and your own reports, not a generic course.
  • A written bookkeeping guide tailored to your business.
  • Follow-up coaching is available at lower fees for both refreshers and new scope.

Periodic Review

A light review checks reconciliations and flags obvious problems. A deeper review can include correction notes, report checks, and a walkthrough call, which is why larger files or less frequent review cycles cost more per visit.

  • Review depth, transaction volume, account count and check complexity shape the fee.
  • Quarterly reviews are cleaner; annual reviews carry more accumulated risk.
  • Good fit when you do the books but want a second set of eyes.
§ 02
Ongoing engagements

Ongoing support, priced to scope.

Bookkeeping & Reporting is the foundation. The others join the scope if you need them. Your quote reflects the services in scope, volume and complexity.

Just starting out? Founders First gives select solo founders free customized bookkeeping setup and coaching, so you start right and know how to keep track of your finances.

§ 02.1

What sets your price

Core monthly support

Bookkeeping & Reporting

Ranges from$100–$1,500

Realtime Bookkeeping

Reconciliations, clean categories, supporting records, and adjusting entries. A simple solo file prices very differently from a business with high transaction volume, several bank and credit cards, sales tax, and source documents that require time and effort to gather.

  • Transaction volume and accounts reconciled drive the core monthly effort.
  • Sales tax, payroll, and complexity of transactions change the review time.
  • Clean source documents keep the price from drifting upward.

Internal Reporting

Basic reporting is a clean monthly financial package. The higher end is for owners who want insights, not just statements: margin views, KPIs, dashboards, forecasting, and regular conversations about what the numbers are saying.

  • Standard statements cost less than dashboards and management notes.
  • Locations, service lines, projects, or channels add tracking work.
  • Review calls and forecast updates add recurring analysis time.
Full monthly support

Payments & Admin Support

Ranges from$350–$2,600

Payments & Payroll

This starts when FRS is helping manage timing and movement of money, not just recording it after the fact. Payroll runs, vendor payments, customer collections, remittances, and weekly cash views all require active, timely handling.

  • Payroll scope and complexity affect the range most significantly.
  • Bill pay, collections, and filings add due dates that need monitoring.
  • Hands-on working capital management carries a materially higher fee than a monthly cash snapshot.

Business Administration

Admin pricing depends on how many recurring back-office tasks are covered. Light support may be records, reminders, and tidy filing. Broader support can include licenses, subscriptions, compliance calendars, vendor workflows, and owner handoffs.

  • Expected monthly hours set the floor.
  • Messy records or a missing compliance calendar add setup and upkeep.
  • Can include HR-adjacent support: onboarding, exit checklists, and becoming the contact point for former employees.
See a few services that fit your needs? The diagnostic confirms it and gives you one fixed number. Answer the questions, show me your books, then a short call and a written report with a fixed quote.
§ 03
The range

Why a range, not one price.

Two businesses buying the same services can have very different workloads. The range reflects that. Here's what I go through in your books and reports during the diagnostic to set your number.

Once I have been through the file, we go over the findings together and settle your price. It is fixed from that point and does not move month to month until your scope changes.

  • Transaction volume. A business with 50 transactions is not the same as one with 5,000.
  • Number of bank, credit card, and merchant accounts. Each is another reconciliation.
  • Employees and contractor payments. Frequency, complexity, and benefit structures all matter.
  • Industry-specific complexity. Insurance billing, multi-currency revenue, project-based costing: each adds a different challenge.
Example 01

Solo RMT with a simple file

One bank account, one card, Jane App payouts, and GST watched. Realtime Bookkeeping only; reports arrive monthly and year-end goes to the CPA clean.

Around $200–$300/mo

Example 02

Full-time creator on five platforms

Multi-platform, multi-currency payouts reconciled to CAD, GST/HST tracked and filed, and a light monthly report showing what each stream really earns.

Around $550–$850/mo

Example 03

Six-person agency, full scope

Realtime Bookkeeping, management reporting, payroll and payment runs, filings, and the admin calendar carried end to end.

Around $1,800–$2,600/mo

These are ongoing monthly engagements. Your number is set after the free diagnostic and fixed in writing.

§ 04
Pricing FAQ

Questions about pricing.

What does the diagnostic cost?

Nothing. Slots are limited because I do every diagnostic myself, start to finish. Answer the 5 questions, which takes about a minute. Then send your transactions or give me read-only access. I go through the books and reports, walk you through what I found on a short call, and send a written report with a fixed quote. The findings are yours whether or not you go ahead with an engagement.

How do I know where I will land in the range?

The range reflects volume and complexity. During the diagnostic I go through your books and reports: transaction count, number of accounts, payroll setup, and a few industry-specific details. Once I have been through the file, your price is locked at one number: not a range.

Is there a setup or onboarding fee?

Initial bookkeeping system setup is included in your ongoing engagement. If the books need clean-up before I can start monthly work, that is scoped and quoted separately before any work begins.

Are software subscriptions included in the monthly fee?

Third-party software costs are separate from FRS service fees unless your written proposal says otherwise. I confirm any required software and subscription costs before your engagement starts.

Can I change tiers as my business changes?

Yes. Bookkeeping & Reporting is the core monthly tier. Payments & Admin Support includes everything in the core tier, plus payroll, payments and admin. You can move between tiers with a revised proposal as your needs change.

Are there minimum contracts or cancellation fees?

No minimum term and no cancellation fees. Month-to-month: cancel any month, with no notice period, and I wrap up with a clean handover. The formal wording is in the Terms.

Do one-time projects commit me to monthly service?

No. A catch-up, migration, or coaching project ends with a clean handoff, and that is the end of the commitment. Many clients choose monthly support afterwards, but that is a separate decision with its own written proposal. There is no subscription attached to a project.

What happens to my books if something happens to you?

You own the file. Your books live in your own accounts, not mine, and a documented handover is standard on every engagement. If I could not continue for any reason, your records would be current, reconciled, and readable by any bookkeeper or CPA you bring in.

How do I lock in this pricing?

Complete the diagnostic so I can confirm volume, complexity, and scope. Once I send a written proposal and you approve it, your monthly price is locked to that agreed scope.