Bookkeepers in the UK

Finding a good bookkeeper in the UK

A bookkeeper keeps the day-to-day records straight — sales and purchases entered, bank reconciled, invoices chased, expenses logged, VAT returns filed — so the accountant at year end has clean books to work from and you know, any week, what the business made and who owes you. For most sole traders and small companies a bookkeeper working a few hours a month costs far less than an accountant doing the same work, and far less than the penalties and the stress of falling behind. Many also run payroll, CIS returns for contractors, and credit control.

Making Tax Digital has made bookkeeping software compulsory for VAT-registered businesses and, from 2026, for sole traders and landlords with income over £50,000 filing quarterly; a good bookkeeper sets you up on Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent, connects the bank feed, and keeps it current so the quarterly submissions are a button, not a panic. Look for a bookkeeper who is a member of the ICB, the AAT or the IAB, registered for anti-money-laundering supervision, and insured; a practice licence from one of those bodies is the sign of a professional.

Bookkeepers work from their own offices, from home, remotely with cloud software, or on site for a morning a week. The listings here show each bookkeeper's reviews, services, the software they use and contact details, so you can see who is nearby, who handles your kind of business, and whose clients say the books are always up to date.

What bookkeepers do

The books: sales and purchase invoices, bank and card reconciliation, expenses and receipts captured by app, and a monthly or quarterly picture of profit, cash and debtors.

VAT and Making Tax Digital: VAT returns prepared and filed through compliant software, scheme advice, and the quarterly income tax submissions MTD requires from 2026.

Payroll: monthly or weekly payroll, payslips, RTI submissions to HMRC, pensions auto-enrolment, P60s and P11Ds, and CIS returns for construction.

Credit control and cash: invoicing, chasing late payers, supplier payment runs, and cash-flow forecasts.

Software and setup: moving you onto Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent, bank feeds, receipt-capture apps, and training you to do the simple bits yourself.

Before you hire a bookkeeper

• Ask about qualifications and a practice licence — ICB, AAT or IAB — and anti-money-laundering registration, which is a legal requirement.
• Say how many transactions a month, whether you are VAT registered, how many staff for payroll, and what software you use or would like.
• Ask for a fixed monthly fee with what is included, rather than an open hourly rate.
• Ask how they work with your accountant, and whether they can recommend one if you have none.
• Ask how quickly the books are kept up to date and how you will see the numbers.
• Check professional indemnity insurance and read reviews from businesses like yours.

What a bookkeeper costs in the UK

As a rough guide, bookkeepers charge £25 to £45 an hour, or fixed monthly fees of £80 to £150 for a sole trader with a modest number of transactions, £150 to £400 for a small VAT-registered company, and £400 to £900 for a busier business with payroll and credit control. Payroll is often priced separately at £5 to £12 per employee per month with a minimum of £25 to £40; a VAT return alone £60 to £150 a quarter; software subscriptions £15 to £40 a month on top. Setup and catch-up work on a backlog is charged by the hour.

A bookkeeper's fee usually reduces the accountant's year-end bill by more than it costs, because the accountant is no longer sorting the shoebox. Ask both what the combined cost will be.