Accountancy fee calculator
Start with the profit you want to make. Enter the hours you work and the holiday you take, and see the hourly rate you need to charge and the price for every service, from the hours each job takes.
Free to use, no sign-up. Works from your own target.
£100,000 profit · 35 chargeable hours a week · 28 days off
How much should an accountant charge?
Work back from the profit you want to make. Divide your target profit before tax by the hours you'll actually work in a year, after holidays, to get the hourly rate you need. Then price each service by multiplying the hours it takes by that rate. To make £100,000 working 35 chargeable hours a week with 28 days' holiday, you'd need to charge about £61.58 an hour, so a set of accounts that takes 16 hours should cost around £985.
Work out what to charge
Start with your target, then enter how long each job takes. Prices update as you type.
Your hourly rate
£0 (£0 ÷ 0 chargeable hours)
Ticked services for one client
Fees exclude VAT. Send them as a fully customisable web proposal in strively, with the monthly total built in.
See web proposals →Worked example
You want to make £100,000 profit before tax, working 35 chargeable hours a week and taking 28 days' holiday, including bank holidays.
| Chargeable hours: 35 hours × 52 weeks | 1,820 hours |
| Less holiday: 28 days × 7 hours | 196 hours |
| Chargeable hours a year | 1,624 hours |
| Hourly rate needed: £100,000 ÷ 1,624 | £61.58 |
| Annual accounts: 16 hours, once a year | £985 |
| Corporation tax return: 2 hours, once a year | £123 |
| VAT returns: 3 hours each, 4 a year | £739 |
| Payroll: 30 minutes a run, 12 a year | £369 |
| Total annual price for that client (36 hours) | £2,216.75 |
| Monthly fee for that client | £184.73 |
This assumes every working hour is billed. In practice some time goes on admin, so many practices aim for a higher rate, or add their non-billable time to the hours each job takes.
Turn the price into a proposal
In strively, your services and prices become a fully customisable web proposal the client can accept and sign online.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for accounts and bookkeeping?
Work back from the profit you want to make. Divide your target profit by the hours you'll work in a year after holidays to get your hourly rate, then multiply the hours each job takes by that rate.
How do I work out my hourly rate as an accountant?
Take the profit before tax you want and divide it by your working hours. For example, 35 chargeable hours a week for 52 weeks is 1,820 hours; take off 28 days' holiday at 7 hours a day and you have 1,624 hours. £100,000 divided by 1,624 is £61.58 an hour.
How many chargeable hours are there in a year?
At 35 chargeable hours a week, there are 1,820 hours in a year before holidays. With 28 days of holiday, including bank holidays, that falls to 1,624 hours.
Should I charge for every hour I work?
Not every hour is billable, because some time goes on admin, marketing and running the practice. Either aim for a higher hourly rate, or include that time in the hours each job takes, so your prices still hit your target.
Should accountants charge a monthly fee?
Most UK practices charge a fixed monthly fee. Add up the annual price of each job the client needs, divide by 12 and collect it by direct debit. Fees are usually quoted excluding VAT.
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