Worried about paying $9.99–$19.99/day for virtual bookkeeping? Learn the real value, ROI worksheet, and how GTB protects your time, taxes & growth.

Why $9.99–$19.99/day for Virtual Bookkeeping Is a Smart Investment — Not a Cost Cut

If You’re Hesitant About Spending $9.99–$19.99/Day for Virtual Bookkeeping, Here’s What You Should Really Be Worried About

Bookkeeping pricing can be confusing. On one side you see cut-rate DIY tools and bargain providers; on the other, experienced teams with flat-rate pricing. The right question isn’t “Is this cheap?” — it’s “Will this choice protect my time, taxes, and future growth?” Affordable, professional virtual bookkeeping at $9.99–$19.99/day can deliver enormous value when it’s done right.

🎧 Listen on the go: You can now listen from anywhere — The Deep Dive, where we dig deeper into this topic, ‘The Hidden Tax of Cheap Bookkeeping’. Listen or download here now.

 

Affordable vs. Cheap — What You Actually Get (and What You Risk Losing)

Affordable virtual bookkeeping (the GTB model at $9.99–$19.99/day) = flat, predictable cost + certified professionals + tax integration + audit-ready deliverables.

Cheap bookkeeping = low price, hidden costs: missing receipts, uncategorized transactions, late closes, missed deductions, and surprise CPA cleanup fees down the line.

Real risks of choosing price over quality:

• Missed deductions or mis-classified expenses (higher tax bills).
• No receipts attached → audit vulnerability.
• Reconciliations skipped or done poorly → wrong cash balance.
• Poor documentation → expensive CPA cleanup before loans, sales, or audits.
• Owner time lost — doing bookkeeping often costs FAR more than the “savings.”

Why $9.99–$19.99/day Is an Incredible Value (When Done Right)

• $9.99/day ≈ $300/month ≈ $3,600/year
• $19.99/day ≈ $600/month ≈ $7,200/year

Compare that to owner time, CPA cleanup, missed deductions, lost opportunities — the GTB flat-rate model is designed to pay for itself quickly.

Example ROI (realistic illustration):

Owner value: $75/hr × 5 hrs/week = $1,623/month in owner time. If GTB Virtual Bookkeeping = $400/month, you save ~ $1,200+/month in owner time alone — not counting avoided CPA cleanup or tax savings.

Quick ROI Worksheet — Copy/Paste & Fill In

1. Owner hourly rate = $________ /hr
2. Hours/week you spend on bookkeeping = _______ hrs
3. Monthly owner time cost = Owner hourly rate × Hours/week × 4.33 = $________
4. Monthly GTB cost (pick): low = $300 or high = $600 = $________
5. Typical annual CPA cleanup from messy books = $________ → monthly = E/12 = $________
6. Estimated monthly cost of missed deductions/penalties = $________

*E — your estimated annual cost for CPA cleanup / tax surprises (i.e., the extra money
you pay each year because your books weren’t clean: CPA cleanup fees, penalties, interest,
missed-deduction costs, amended returns, etc.).

So E / 12 converts that annual estimate into a monthly amount for the ROI comparison.
Evaluation
DIY Total Monthly Cost = C + (E/12) + D
GTB Virtual Bookkeeping Total Monthly Cost = F + (small CPA review if needed e.g., $50)
Result: DIY cost − GTB cost = $____ saving (positive = savings with GTB)

*C — Owner time monthly cost
Formula: C = (Owner hourly rate) × (Hours/week on bookkeeping) × 4.33 Why 4.33? It converts weekly hours to average monthly hours (52 weeks ÷ 12 months ≈
4.33).

*D = Your current monthly bookkeeping spend (if any).

Clearer: D is what you already pay each month for bookkeeping today — whether that’s a bookkeeper’s retainer, subscription to a bookkeeping service, or fees you pay a part-time employee or contractor. If you do all the work yourself and pay nothing, set D = $0.

How to estimate D

• If you pay a monthly service: use the invoice amount.

• If you pay hourly: estimate monthly hours × hourly rate.

• If you use “free” tools but pay intermittently for cleanup or CPA help, include an average monthly portion of those fees.

• Don’t forget recurring software fees (QuickBooks, Xero), bill-pay fees, receipt apps, or outsourced payroll charges if they’re part of bookkeeping.

*F — GTB Virtual Bookkeeping monthly cost
This is the monthly price you would pay GTB for virtual bookkeeping (pick the appropriate tier).
Example low/high examples used earlier: $300 (≈ $9.99/day) or $600 (≈ $19.99/day).

Worked example (digit-by-digit arithmetic) Assume:

• Owner hourly rate A = $100/hr
• Hours/week B = 6 hrs
• GTB Virtual Bookkeeping monthly cost F = $400
• Annual CPA cleanup E = $2,400

Step 1 — compute C:

1. Owner hourly rate × hours/week = 100 × 6 = 600 (dollars per week)
2. Convert to monthly: 600 × 4.33 = 2,598 → C = $2,598 / month
Step 2 — convert E to monthly:
• E / 12 = 2400 / 12 = 200 → $200 / month
Step 3 — DIY Total Monthly Cost:
• DIY = C + (E / 12) + current monthly bookkeeping spend (assume $0 here)
• DIY = 2,598 + 200 + 0 = $2,798 / month
Step 4 — GTB Virtual Bookkeeping Total Monthly Cost:
• GTB = F + (small CPA review if needed, e.g., $50)
• GTB = 400 + 50 = $450 / month
Step 5 — Net monthly savings:
• DIY − GTB = 2,798 − 450 = $2,348 / month

Conclusion: In this example, choosing GTB would save $2,348 per month (before other
intangible benefits like peace of mind).

Quick Scoring — Should You Hire GTB?

Assign points: 0 = no, 1 = sometimes, 2 = yes

I spend 5+ hrs/week on bookkeeping. ____ (0/1/2)

My books are not consistently closed by the 15th each month. ____

Receipts are scattered across email/phone/paper. ____

I’ve paid CPA cleanup fees or had tax surprises. ____

I have payroll, contractors, or sales tax obligations. ____

I want predictable monthly cost (no hourly surprises). ____

I want bookkeeping and tax prep under one roof. ____

Score guide:

0–4: DIY might be okay with strict discipline.

5–9: Hybrid (DIY + GTB monthly review) recommended.

10–14: Strong fit for GTB full-service — likely immediate ROI.

What GTB Includes (Why $9.99–$19.99/day Works)

Monthly maintenance (standard):

• Full bank & card reconciling (month-end close discipline)
• Categorization & rules for recurring vendors
• Receipt attachment & secure portal storage
• P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow + 1-page summary (what changed & next steps)
• AR & AP aging and follow-up recommendations
• Year-end tax-ready file prep and Senior Tax Accountant review

Optional add-ons: Payroll coordination, sales tax filings, industry-specific reports, cleanup work.

Why clients pick GTB: QuickBooks-certified team + Senior Tax Accountant on staff; Flat-rate, outcome-based pricing; Nationwide, secure remote support.

Comparison Grid — Cheap Provider vs GTB

Feature	Cheap provider / DIY	GTB Full Service
Flat-rate predictable fees	❌ Often no	✅ Yes
Month-end close by 10th–12th	❌ Rare	✅ Standard
Receipts attached	❌ Often missing	✅ Always
Audit-ready documentation	❌ Unlikely	✅ Standard
Senior tax review included	❌ No	✅ Yes
Security & MFA	❌ Weak	✅ Enforced
Industry specialization	❌ Generic	✅ Service-based, medical, non-profit
Nationwide remote coverage	❌ Limited	✅ All 50 states

Getting Your Questions Answered

“Your fees are nearly double my other quote.”

“We price on merit and outcomes. Predictable, flat pricing and clean books usually offset the fee many times over through time saved and tax optimizations.”

“What if my books are a mess?”

“We’ll scope a cleanup. After one cleanup, maintenance keeps things tidy and predictable.”

“How secure is remote virtual bookkeeping?”

“Read-only bank feeds, MFA, encrypted portals, least-privilege access — our controls are designed to be more secure than emailed spreadsheets.”

Case Snapshot

A new client tried a $350 one-time cheap cleanup via an AI tool before applying for property financing. When GTB reviewed the work, we found 4,000+ transactions with uncaptured revenue and misclassifications. It required 100+ hours over 3 weeks to correct — costing the client thousands in cleanup fees (and threatening their loan timeline). Investing in proper monthly bookkeeping upfront could have avoided the time, stress, and cost.

Final Checklist

• Monthly reconciliations and period-lock included
• Receipts attached to transactions and stored securely
• Senior tax review or access to a CPA on staff
• Flat-rate pricing with clear scope & response to Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
• Clear cleanup policy (one-time vs ongoing)
• Security controls: MFA, read-only bank feeds, encrypted portal

📅 Ready to see if GTB virtual pays for itself? Schedule a free consultation: Schedule Now

📞 Or call 971-200-5158 for immediate assistance.

 

Giesler-Tran Bookkeeping • gieslertranbookkeeping.com • 971-200-5158