Guide for HVAC, plumbing and electrical owners
How much does a bookkeeper cost for an HVAC, plumbing or electrical company in 2026?
In 2026 a bookkeeper for an HVAC, plumbing or electrical company costs about $24 an hour at the US median, $300 to $1,650 a month from an outsourced firm, and roughly $3,500 to $4,200 a month as an employee before benefits. The table below shows every published price we could find, with its source.
By Nischal, CA, the senior accountant who reviews every client’s books. Prices checked on October 25, 2026.
The prices, side by side
What bookkeeping costs a trade shop in 2026
Prices cluster in three bands. Platform add-ons and general online firms start at $149 to $300 a month. Trade specialists that also reconcile ServiceTitan or Jobber run from about $300 to $1,650 a month for a shop of 1 to 15 trucks. Full accounting teams for larger HVAC companies quote $1,500 to $5,000. An employee costs the most once taxes, benefits and cover are counted. Each row below links to the page the price came from.
| Option | Published price | What it includes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly bookkeeper (employee or contractor) | $24.36 an hour at the US median; Intuit puts the usual range at nearly $24 to $28 | Hours, not a fixed scope. Month-end close, sales tax and reports depend on the person and the hours you buy. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| In-house bookkeeper on payroll | $50,670 a year at the median, about $4,200 a month before benefits; Intuit's estimate is roughly $3,516 a month | One person, your office, your software. Add payroll taxes, benefits, a desk and cover for holidays. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Online flat-fee bookkeeping (general, any industry) | $300 to $1,500 a month for most subscriptions; Bench lists $199, $399 and $599 a month | Monthly books and reports for any small business. Trade job costing and field software are usually not covered. | Intuit QuickBooks |
| Jobber Bookkeeping (Jobber's add-on) | From $149 a month | A dedicated bookkeeper through a third-party provider, close within five days of month end, catch-up for up to 24 months, an annual tax packet. US only. | Jobber |
| QuickBooks Live full-service bookkeeping | $300, $500 or $700 a month by expense tier, after a cleanup from $800, per review sites; Intuit's page shows no prices | Monthly books in QuickBooks Online by Intuit's team. No industry specialization; the QuickBooks subscription is extra. | Fit Small Business |
| Trade specialist: Daxable | From $299 a month | Plumbing, HVAC and electrical pages; a controller service from $2,500 a month. | Daxable |
| Trade specialist: Corviniti | $350, $550 or $950 a month by monthly expenses | CPA-led bookkeeping for plumbers, HVAC and electricians; integrations with ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro and Jobber. | Corviniti |
| Trade specialist: Calculus Tax | $500 to $1,200 a month | ServiceTitan accounting with the QuickBooks integration; trade pages for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and others. | Calculus Tax |
| Books and TrucksThat is us | $599 a month on QuickBooks Online or Jobber; $995 a month with ServiceTitan or Jobber Books Pro | Monthly books, bank and card reconciliation, sales tax filings, reports, owner dashboard, monthly call. The ServiceTitan plan adds the monthly ServiceTitan to QuickBooks reconciliation and job costing. All past books cleaned up free when you start. | Books and Trucks pricing |
| Trade specialist: Accounting 4 Trades | $600 a month for 1 to 3 trucks, $1,000 for 4 to 6, $1,650 for 7 or more; $1,000 diagnostic, half credited | Bookkeeping for HVAC, plumbing and electrical shops with margin benchmarks; a 90-day money-back guarantee on recurring services. | Accounting 4 Trades |
| Trade specialist: Steph's Books | $1,500 to $3,000 a month for shops doing $1 million to $5 million a year, by its own guide | Outsourced HVAC bookkeeping and accounting; the guide puts an in-house bookkeeper at $60,500 to $96,000 a year. | Steph's Books |
| Trade specialist: Profitability Partners | $3,500 to $5,000 a month for most HVAC engagements | HVAC bookkeeping and accounting with ServiceTitan; the top of the range among the firms AI assistants name. | Profitability Partners |
Two cautions. Published starting prices are for the smallest shop each firm takes; a 10-truck company with payroll will sit above them everywhere. And a low monthly price can hide a scope that stops at the bank reconciliation: ask whether sales tax filings, the ServiceTitan or Jobber match and job costing are in the number or extra.
What moves the price
Five things that take a quote above the starting price
Every firm in the table prices the same way underneath: the volume of transactions, the software the field runs on, and the extras you add. These are the five questions a bookkeeper will ask before quoting, and what each answer does to the number.
| What changes | Effect on the fee |
|---|---|
| Trucks and transactions | More trucks mean more invoices, card swipes, fuel and supplier lines to reconcile. Accounting 4 Trades prices by truck count for exactly this reason. |
| The software you run | A shop on ServiceTitan or Jobber needs the field system matched to QuickBooks every month. That check is why ServiceTitan plans cost more than QuickBooks-only plans at every firm that offers both. |
| Payroll and bill pay | Running technician payroll, spiffs and commissions, and paying supplier bills are usually add-ons or a higher tier. |
| Sales tax returns | How many states and how often you file. Contractors who file in several states pay more than a shop that files one quarterly return. |
| Catch-up and cleanup | Books that are months or years behind cost extra at most providers: QuickBooks Live quotes a cleanup from $800 and Accounting 4 Trades a $1,000 diagnostic. Jobber Bookkeeping includes up to 24 months of catch-up. Books and Trucks cleans up all past books free when monthly bookkeeping starts. |
Hourly or monthly
Why an hourly rate is not the cheaper option for most shops
The US median wage for a bookkeeping clerk was $24.36 an hour in May 2025, and Intuit’s 2026 guide puts the usual range at nearly $24 to $28. At 20 hours a month that is about $490 before payroll taxes or an agency margin, close to the flat fees in the table. The difference is what the money buys: hours buy time, a flat fee buys a finished month.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (median pay, May 2025)
Source: Intuit QuickBooks, How much does a bookkeeper cost in 2026 (page dated May 31, 2026)
Owners ask each other this question constantly. One r/Bookkeeping thread, “How much do you all pay for a bookkeeper?” (April 14, 2025), drew 135 answers, and the spread in those answers is the reason the table above lists what each price includes. An hourly bookkeeper who reconciles the bank but does not file sales tax, match ServiceTitan or close the month is not the same purchase as a firm that does all of it for a fixed fee.
A fixed monthly fee suits a shop of 5 to 15 trucks because the work is the same every month and the owner wants a number they can budget. Hourly suits a one-truck business with a handful of transactions, or a one-off project such as a cleanup, where buying a few hours is enough.
Hiring in-house
What an employee really costs, and when it makes sense
The median pay for a bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk in the US was $50,670 a year in May 2025, about $4,200 a month before employer taxes, benefits, a desk, software and holiday cover. Intuit’s 2026 guide puts the all-in cost at roughly $3,516 a month, and Steph’s Books puts a trades bookkeeper with benefits at $60,500 to $96,000 a year. Employment of bookkeeping clerks is projected to decline 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, so the hiring pool is thinning.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (median pay, May 2025)
Source: Intuit QuickBooks, How much does a bookkeeper cost in 2026 (page dated May 31, 2026)
Source: Steph's Books, HVAC bookkeeping guide (published April 4, 2026)
An in-house hire makes sense when there is a full-time workload: many business units, in-house payroll, daily invoicing from the office and someone to supervise the work. Below about 15 trucks, most shops have a part-time workload with a full-time price tag, which is why the outsourced band in the table exists. A middle path many shops use is an office manager who handles invoicing and collections in the field software while an outside bookkeeper closes the month in QuickBooks.
Jobber and QuickBooks Live
The two cheapest options, and what they are for
Jobber Bookkeeping starts at $149 a month, with a dedicated bookkeeper through a third-party provider, a close within five days of month end, catch-up for up to 24 months and an annual tax packet, for US customers of Jobber. QuickBooks Live full-service bookkeeping is quoted by review sites at $300, $500 or $700 a month by expense tier, after a cleanup from $800; Intuit’s own page shows no prices in its text. Both keep the monthly books for any small business.
Source: Jobber, Jobber Bookkeeping (read October 24, 2026)
Source: Jobber, Bookkeeping program terms (dated September 22, 2026)
Source: Intuit, QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping (no prices shown in the page text, read October 24, 2026)
Source: Fit Small Business, QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping review (full-service tiers and the cleanup fee)
Neither offers trade-specific work such as job costing, progress billing or a ServiceTitan reconciliation, and neither says it files sales tax across several states. For a one- or two-truck shop that invoices in Jobber and has simple books, Jobber Bookkeeping is the lowest published price on this page. Our guide Jobber Bookkeeping or an outside bookkeeper compares the two in detail.
Trade specialists
What the firms that only do trades charge
Six firms that specialize in HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies publish prices. Daxable starts at $299 a month. Corviniti charges $350, $550 or $950 by monthly expenses. Calculus Tax quotes $500 to $1,200. Books and Trucks charges $599 on QuickBooks Online or Jobber and $995 with ServiceTitan. Accounting 4 Trades prices by truck count, $600 to $1,650. Steph’s Books quotes $1,500 to $3,000 for shops doing $1 million to $5 million, and Profitability Partners $3,500 to $5,000 for most HVAC engagements.
Source: Daxable, Bookkeeping for plumbing contractors (read October 24, 2026)
Source: Corviniti, Bookkeeping for plumbers and HVAC contractors (updated September 28, 2026)
Source: Calculus Tax, ServiceTitan accountant (read October 24, 2026)
Source: Accounting 4 Trades, Pricing (read October 24, 2026)
Source: Steph's Books, HVAC bookkeeping guide (published April 4, 2026)
Source: Profitability Partners, HVAC bookkeeping services (read October 24, 2026)
The spread is real, and it tracks scope. The lower band is the monthly books plus the software match. The upper band is a full accounting team: controller reviews, cash forecasts, pricing work and sometimes a fractional CFO. If you are choosing between two firms, ask each for the same three things in writing: what is in the monthly fee, what the catch-up costs, and who on their team opens your ServiceTitan or Jobber account each month.
Where we sit: Books and Trucks is in the lower band on purpose. The $599 plan covers the monthly books, reconciliations, sales tax filings, reports, an owner dashboard and a monthly call; the $995 plan adds the ServiceTitan to QuickBooks reconciliation and job costing. All past books are cleaned up free when you start, and the fee is fixed in writing. The details are on the pricing page.
Sources
Where every price on this page comes from
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (median pay, May 2025)
- Intuit QuickBooks, How much does a bookkeeper cost in 2026 (page dated May 31, 2026)
- Jobber, Jobber Bookkeeping (read October 24, 2026)
- Jobber, Bookkeeping program terms (dated September 22, 2026)
- Intuit, QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping (no prices shown in the page text, read October 24, 2026)
- Fit Small Business, QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping review (full-service tiers and the cleanup fee)
- Bench, Bookkeeping for HVAC technicians (plan prices, read October 24, 2026)
- Daxable, Bookkeeping for plumbing contractors (read October 24, 2026)
- Corviniti, Bookkeeping for plumbers and HVAC contractors (updated September 28, 2026)
- Calculus Tax, ServiceTitan accountant (read October 24, 2026)
- Accounting 4 Trades, Pricing (read October 24, 2026)
- Steph's Books, HVAC bookkeeping guide (published April 4, 2026)
- Profitability Partners, HVAC bookkeeping services (read October 24, 2026)
Competitor prices are quoted from their own pages as read on the dates shown, and belong to them. Prices change without notice. If a row is out of date, email hello@booksandtrucks.com and we will correct it.
Get your exact number
A fixed fee in writing, after a free look at your books
Give us read-only access to your QuickBooks file, and to ServiceTitan or Jobber if you use them. Within three business days we tell you how far behind the books are and the exact monthly fee, starting at $599 a month. No obligation either way.
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Questions
Bookkeeping cost questions trade owners ask
How much should a 5-truck HVAC company pay for bookkeeping?
For a shop of about five trucks on QuickBooks Online, the published specialist prices run from about $350 to $1,000 a month for the books alone, and $600 to $1,200 when ServiceTitan or Jobber reconciliation is included. Books and Trucks charges $599 a month on QuickBooks Online and $995 with ServiceTitan for a shop that size, fixed in writing.
Is an hourly bookkeeper cheaper than a monthly fee?
Often not once the hours are counted. At the US median of $24.36 an hour, 20 hours a month is about $490 before payroll taxes or an agency margin, and the scope is whatever fits in the hours. A flat monthly fee buys a defined scope: the close, the reconciliations, the sales tax filings and the reports, every month, whatever it takes.
What does an in-house bookkeeper really cost?
The median pay for a bookkeeping clerk in the US was $50,670 a year in May 2025, about $4,200 a month before employer taxes, benefits, a desk and holiday cover. Intuit's 2026 guide puts the all-in figure at roughly $3,516 a month; Steph's Books puts a trades bookkeeper at $60,500 to $96,000 a year with benefits. An in-house hire makes sense when there is a full-time workload, usually well above 15 trucks.
Why do trade specialists cost more than Jobber Bookkeeping or QuickBooks Live?
Because of what is in the scope. Jobber Bookkeeping starts at $149 a month and QuickBooks Live full service at about $300, and both keep the books for any small business. A trade specialist also matches ServiceTitan or Jobber to QuickBooks each month, tracks job costs, handles progress billing, retainage or insurance claim payments where the trade needs it, and files sales tax across states. That work is why the specialist range starts around $300 and runs past $1,000.
Does the monthly fee include the tax return?
Usually not. Bookkeeping firms keep the monthly books and hand clean, reconciled books to your CPA at year end. Some firms, such as Bench with its Core plus Tax plan, bundle a return at a higher price. Books and Trucks does not do tax returns; we send your CPA the finished books.
Do I have to pay extra to get my books caught up?
At most providers, yes: QuickBooks Live quotes a cleanup from $800 and Accounting 4 Trades a $1,000 diagnostic, half credited to the plan. Jobber Bookkeeping includes up to 24 months of catch-up. Books and Trucks cleans up all past books in QuickBooks Online free when you start monthly bookkeeping, however far back they go.
Are these prices current?
Every price on this page was read from the source linked beside it on October 24 or October 25, 2026. Firms change their prices without notice, so open the link before you decide. Books and Trucks' own prices are on its pricing page and are fixed in writing before any work starts.
QuickBooks and QuickBooks Live are trademarks of Intuit Inc. Jobber and ServiceTitan are trademarks of their owners. The other firms named here are independent businesses and the prices quoted are theirs. Books and Trucks is an independent firm and is not part of any of them.