Startup Bookkeeping Cost (2026): What Each Stage Pays, Pilot's New Plans and the Alternatives
A done-for-you bookkeeping service costs a venture-backed startup roughly $5,900 to $9,700 in its first year at pre-seed and $6,200 to $13,300 at seed, once you add onboarding and the corporate tax return (floor prices published by Bench, Burkland, Fondo, Zeni, Puzzle and Pilot, read October 12, 2026). Software you run yourself (Kick, Digits, Puzzle) costs $480 to $3,600 a year, but you or an outside accountant still close the books and file taxes. Pilot is the most searched name and the one every ranking page gets wrong: it renamed its plans in 2025, its $99 Essentials plan is cash-basis only, and a startup that needs accrual books pays Core, from $299 a month billed annually. By Series A, most services quote rather than publish.
Year-1 bookkeeping cost by stage
| Provider | Type | Pre-seed ($40K/mo expenses) | Seed ($150K/mo) | Series A ($600K/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Core (billed annually) | Service + tax | $9,717 | $13,337 | Quote |
| Puzzle Complete + Full Service | Service + tax | $8,678 | $12,528 | Quote |
| Zeni (billed annually) | Service + tax | $8,427 | $12,527 | Quote |
| Kruze (low end of band) | Service | $7,800 | $10,200 | Quote |
| Fondo monthly close (promo price) | Service + tax | $6,238 | $6,238 | Quote |
| Bench Bookkeeping + Tax (annual) | Service + tax | $6,230 | $6,230 | Quote |
| Burkland accounting (from) | Service | $5,940 | $7,980 | Quote |
| Kick (Basic, then Plus, then Advanced) | Software | $480 | $1,200 | $3,600 |
| Digits Core | Software | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Puzzle Complete (billed yearly) | Software | $1,152 | $1,152 | $1,152 |
Our cost model: 12 months of bookkeeping at each vendor's lowest published price for that expense level, plus onboarding (Pilot: one month) and the C-corp income tax return where the vendor sells it (0, 1 and 2 extra states); accrual books from seed; Series A at $600K a month is above every published expense band. Prices read October 12, 2026; real quotes can be higher.
Three things move the bill more than the vendor you pick. First, expense bands: Pilot and Puzzle price by monthly spend including payroll, so a hiring round raises your bookkeeping price. Second, the tax return: a C-corp must file Form 1120 "whether or not they have taxable income" (IRS instructions), so a pre-revenue startup still pays for it, and the Delaware franchise tax filing usually rides along (check what you owe with our Delaware franchise tax calculator; the default notice can be far higher than the $400 the assumed par value method gives). Third, Inkle advertises bookkeeping from $49 a month that "scales with your business"; we left it out of the table because a from-price that low says little about a startup with payroll.
Pilot pricing in 2026: what changed
Every third-party Pilot page we found quotes plan names or prices from 2021 to 2025. NerdWallet's page, still near the top for "pilot bookkeeping pricing", is dated August 2021 and lists Core and Select plans from $599. Here is what pilot.com/pricing shows today, and how it got there (from Wayback Machine captures):
- 2024: Starter, Core and Plus. Starter was from $499 a month billed annually in March 2024, cut to $349 by September.
- Between January 9 and February 14, 2025: renamed Essentials, Core and Custom. Essentials started at $169 a month billed annually.
- By January 3, 2026: Essentials became a flat $99 a month (AI bookkeeping, cash basis, up to $100,000 in monthly expenses), and Core gained a cheaper band for companies spending up to $15,000 a month.
Core is the plan with a US-based bookkeeper and the cheapest plan with accrual books. Its price follows your monthly expenses:
| Monthly expenses | Core, billed annually | Core, billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $15,000 | $299/mo | $399/mo |
| $15,000 to $30,000 | $499/mo | $599/mo |
| $30,000 to $60,000 | $559/mo | $669/mo |
| $60,000 to $100,000 | $679/mo | $815/mo |
| $100,000 to $150,000 | $799/mo | $959/mo |
| $150,000 to $200,000 | $999/mo | $1,199/mo |
| $200,000+ | Custom plan | |
Read from the slider on pilot.com/pricing, October 12, 2026. Exactly $150,000 falls into the $999 band.
| Plan | Price (monthly / billed yearly) | For / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping Essentials | $99/mo | Cash-basis books only, up to $100,000 in monthly expenses; AI bookkeeping, in-app support |
| Bookkeeping Core | from $399/mo ($299/mo billed yearly) | US-based bookkeeper, cash or accrual basis, up to 10 bills/mo, reports on 10th business day; Price set by monthly expenses (trailing 3-month average incl. payroll, COGS, distributions); $200,000+/mo = Custom |
| Bookkeeping Custom | Contact sales | Keep your own QuickBooks, full AR/AP, payroll admin, reports on 6th business day, CFO advisory |
| Tax: Single Member LLC | $1,000+/yr | |
| Tax: Partnerships and S-Corps | $2,000+/yr | |
| Tax: C-Corps | $2,450+/yr | Federal + state income tax, Delaware franchise tax filing, up to 10 1099-NEC |
| CFO Basic | from $1,750/mo billed yearly | Custom model, budget vs actuals, monthly CFO call |
| CFO Essentials | from $3,150/mo billed yearly | Adds runway optimisation, board reporting, bi-weekly call |
| CFO Custom | from $5,250/mo billed yearly | Weekly calls, fundraising support |
| Add-on: Onboarding | One month of bookkeeping | pilot.com/faq: 'an onboarding charge equal to one month of bookkeeping' |
| Add-on: Additional state income tax filing | $500/state (C-Corp, S-Corp/partnership); $250/state (SMLLC) | |
| Add-on: Foreign shareholder return 5472 | $500/shareholder (C-Corp) | |
| Add-on: Foreign subsidiary 5471 | $2,500/subsidiary | |
| Add-on: FBAR | $500/FBAR | |
| Add-on: Tax consulting | from $400/hour (C-Corp) | |
| Add-on: R&D tax credit | 20% of the credit received | |
| Add-on: Stock administration | $399/hr; free Founders Tier for pre-seed with up to five people on the cap table | |
| Add-on: COO Starter | $750 one-time | |
| Add-on: COO Essentials | from $850/month | |
| Add-on: Startup Booster (first year) | $750 for the first year | pilot.com/startup-booster: newly incorporated, pre-revenue tech startups under 1 year old with under $15,001/mo expenses; accrual books + federal/state filings; then Core from $399/mo + Tax Starter from $750/yr |
Prices verified on pilot.com/pricing on October 12, 2026.
What the plan table does not tell you, from Pilot's FAQ:
- Onboarding costs one month of bookkeeping ("an onboarding charge equal to one month of bookkeeping"): $559 at $40K a month of expenses, $799 at $150K.
- Prepaying does not lock the price. Pilot averages your prior three months of expenses; if you move up a band, "you'll get billed the difference that month". At seed, crossing $150,000 a month takes Core from $799 to $999, which is $2,400 more a year.
- Monthly billing costs more: $1,320 a year extra at $40K of expenses and $1,920 at $150K.
- Tax is separate. C-corp returns start at $2,450 a year (federal, one state, Delaware franchise tax filing, up to 10 1099-NECs) plus $500 per extra state, and must be bought with Pilot bookkeeping.
- First-year offer. The Startup Booster is $750 for the first year, for pre-revenue tech startups under a year old with less than $15,001 in monthly expenses; after that Core starts at $399 a month (the monthly-billed price). Our pre-seed profile spends more than that, so it is not in the table.
The cash-vs-accrual conflict on Pilot's own site
Pilot's FAQ says "Pilot does accrual from day one". Its pricing page sells Essentials as "cash-basis bookkeeping using data from your bank and credit cards". Both are live today; the FAQ appears to predate the $99 plan. Read it as: accrual is available on Core and above. That matters for a SaaS company because annual prepayments sit in deferred revenue and are recognised month by month (revenue recognition explained); cash books show the whole payment as revenue in the month it lands, which is not what an investor or a Series A auditor will accept. At pre-seed, Essentials plus the C-corp return comes to $3,638 for the year, $6,079 less than Core. It is a reasonable start for a company with no annual contracts yet, as long as you plan the switch.
Software or done-for-you?
The software tier costs a fraction of a service, and the gap is real work: someone has to categorize, reconcile, book accruals and hand a clean ledger to whoever files your return.
- Kick ($0 to $300 a month): accrual ledger, AR/AP and multi-entity start on Plus at $100 a month. Kick does not file taxes and recommends a local accountant. Its pricing page says Advanced covers unlimited entities; its docs say "up to five".
- Digits ($65 to $250 a month, 30-day trial): accrual schedules start on Core at $100; Pro is marked "Coming soon". US entities only, no tax filing.
- Puzzle ($30 to $360 a month, 20% off yearly): software for startup metrics, and a newer full-service tab (on its pricing page since our October 10 check) from $619 a month up to $50K of expenses. Details on our Puzzle pricing page.
Software makes sense while expenses are a few dozen transactions a month and one founder enjoys the close. Once you have payroll, annual contracts and a board asking for monthly numbers, the service tier pays for itself in founder hours.
The other services at a glance
- Zeni: $494 a month billed annually pre-revenue, $719 with revenue; tax $2,499 or $3,899 a year. See Zeni pricing.
- Fondo: monthly close "as low as $399" (struck through from $499, "limited time offer"), TaxPass "as low as $1,450" a year. Built for Delaware C-corps; the pricing page does not say cash or accrual.
- Kruze: $650 to $850 a month (Basic) or $850 to $1,500 (Founder Timesaver), accrual on all tiers, but only for companies that have raised at least $500K in venture capital.
- Burkland: accounting from $495, $665 and $1,025 a month; the starter tier is "cash or modified accrual".
- Bench: $199 to $649 a month after its 2024 bankruptcy and relaunch, with hourly overage fees in its 2026 terms. Read what happened to Bench first.
| Plan | Price (monthly / billed yearly) | For / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping (Starter) | $549/mo ($494/mo billed yearly) | Pre-revenue companies |
| Bookkeeping (Growth) | $799/mo ($719/mo billed yearly) | Revenue-generating companies |
| Bookkeeping (Enterprise) | Custom | Complex needs |
| CFO Lite | $1,599/mo + $2,000 setup | Light CFO support |
| CFO Premium | $2,990/mo + $6,000 setup | Revenue and COGS modeling, departmental budgets, bi-weekly call |
| CFO Enterprise | $4,990+/mo + $6,000 setup | Full CFO service |
Prices verified on zeni.ai/pricing on October 10, 2026.
| Plan | Price (monthly / billed yearly) | For / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping Monthly | as low as $399/mo (struck-through $499, 'Limited time offer') | Seed+ startups; books closed monthly, dedicated accountant, Slack |
| Bookkeeping Quarterly | as low as $1,198/quarter | Books closed once per quarter |
| Bookkeeping Annual | as low as $950/yr | Books closed once a year |
| TaxPass | as low as $1,450/yr (struck-through $1,950, 'Limited time offer') | Delaware C-Corps: federal 1120, 1 state, Delaware franchise tax, 1 foreign shareholder filing |
| Add-on: Tax add-ons | as low as $500/add-on | Extra state, 5472, 5471, FBAR, R&D credit study |
| Add-on: Catch-up bookkeeping | as low as $950 |
Prices verified on fondo.com/pricing on October 12, 2026.
Not hands-on tested yet: we have not run a live account on Pilot or the other services above. Prices and terms come from each vendor's published pricing page and help docs, read on October 12, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much does bookkeeping cost for a startup?
Software runs $480 to $1,200 a year at pre-seed. A done-for-you service plus the corporate tax return runs about $5,900 to $9,700 in year 1 at pre-seed and $6,200 to $13,300 at seed, on published floor prices.
Is Pilot's $99 plan enough for a startup?
Only if cash-basis books are acceptable. Essentials is cash-basis only and capped at $100,000 a month in expenses. Accrual books, which a SaaS company with annual contracts needs, start on Core at $299 a month billed annually.
Does Pilot lock in my price if I prepay annually?
No. Pilot's FAQ says the price follows your trailing three-month expenses, and you are billed the difference in the month you move into a higher band.
What is Pilot's onboarding fee?
One month of bookkeeping at your band, charged once.
When should a startup switch from software to a bookkeeping service?
Usually at the first priced round or the first annual contracts: that is when accrual books, monthly close and investor reporting stop being optional. A fractional CFO is a later step; see what a fractional CFO costs.
Related: Bench alternatives, cash runway and burn, the SaaS fundraising guide.