Accounting fees depend on the work, complexity and level of support you need. At Around Finance, complete monthly packages start at €350 for Foundation, €750 for Control and €1,500 for Strategic, excluding VAT. These are our starting prices, not an Irish market average. Compare quotes by scope, reporting frequency and the work left with you, rather than judging the monthly fee on its own.
You pay your accountant every month. The returns get filed. But when you ask whether you can afford another employee, you still do not get a clear answer.
Before deciding the fee is too high, check what you bought. A year-end compliance service and an ongoing finance team do different jobs. If you need the second and are paying for the first, the gap will not close by itself.
The useful question is: what should this fee take off your desk, and what should it help you understand?
What Do Various Accounting Services Cost?
There is no single fee that covers every Irish small business. Even two businesses with the same turnover can need very different amounts of work.
These are Around Finance’s published starting prices, checked in October 2026. Your proposal confirms the actual scope and fee.
| Package | Starting monthly fee, excluding VAT | Main role |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | €350 | Monthly accounting, year-end accounts and corporation tax, with a quarterly check-in |
| Control | €750 | The accounting foundations, with management reporting, finance workflows and regular financial input |
| Strategic | €1,500 | The foundations, with financial leadership, forecasting and profitability modelling |
VAT and payroll services, reporting detail and meeting frequency are confirmed in your proposal. Software subscriptions and initial catch-up work are confirmed separately. Funding or board reporting support also needs an agreed scope. See our current packages and pricing for the full comparison.
A one-off tax return or annual accounts quote is a different purchase. Do not compare it with a monthly package until you know who will do the bookkeeping, reconciliations, VAT, payroll and reporting during the year.
What changes an accountant’s fee?
Transaction volume. Ten large invoices and thousands of small orders create different workloads, even when turnover is identical.
VAT and payroll. Staff numbers, pay frequency, VAT requirements and overseas transactions affect the work. A UK or EU warehouse can add complexity that a turnover figure does not reveal.
Systems and sales channels. Several stores, marketplaces, currencies and payment processors create more information to connect and reconcile.
Quality of the records. Missing invoices, unreconciled accounts or historic errors can require a separate clean-up project before dependable monthly reporting is possible.
The input you need. Filing accounts is one job. Explaining margin, updating a cash forecast and helping you assess a hire are additional work. Agree how often that input happens and what it covers.
Turnover is useful context. It is not a price list.
Compare the whole finance cost
The accountant’s invoice is only part of what you spend. Your internal team, software and the work you still do yourself also count.
You cannot judge the external fee properly without looking at the finance work around it.
List these separately:
- External accounting, tax, payroll and advisory fees.
- Software subscriptions and integration costs.
- Internal staff time spent on bookkeeping, payments and credit control.
- Your own time resolving finance issues.
- One-off catch-up or implementation work.
Be clear about which work disappears if you change provider. Your admin time is not automatically saved because a proposal says bookkeeping is included. Check who collects invoices, approves payments, chases customers and resolves exceptions.
Do not add the same task twice when comparing an outsourced package with an internal role.
How to compare two accounting quotes
Ask each provider to complete the same comparison. A short written scope is more useful than two different lists of reassuring service names.
| Check | Question to put in writing |
|---|---|
| Bookkeeping | Who does it, how often, and what transaction limits apply? |
| VAT, payroll and year-end | Which returns, entities, employees and filing responsibilities are included? |
| Management reports | What will I receive, when, and who explains it? |
| Meetings and advice | How often do we talk, and what sits outside the agreed scope? |
| Software and catch-up work | Which costs are separate, and is there an initial clean-up fee? |
| Your responsibilities | What records must I provide, by when, and what work stays with my team? |
| Changes and extras | What changes the fee, and how will additional work be agreed? |
For a simple illustration, a €250 monthly quote costs €3,000 a year. A €750 monthly quote costs €9,000. The difference is €6,000 before VAT. These are illustrative quotes, not a market benchmark.
You cannot decide whether the difference is worthwhile until you know what the second provider does that the first does not. If both deliver the same work to the same standard, the lower fee deserves serious consideration. If one includes reliable monthly reporting and an agreed review, judge that additional work against the decisions it supports.
Is a percentage of turnover a useful benchmark?
It can help you notice a change in your overall finance cost. It cannot tell you what your accountant should charge.
A low-volume consulting business and a multichannel retailer can have the same sales and very different bookkeeping, stock and VAT requirements. A business preparing for funding may need work that a steady business does not.
There is no defensible universal rule that every business should spend 1%, 3% or a maximum of 4% of turnover. We would rather understand the work and agree a clear scope than give you a percentage that hides the difference.
When does more support become worth paying for?
Look at the decisions coming up. If you are adding staff, buying more stock, opening a location or changing prices, you need numbers that arrive early enough to inform those choices.
The test is practical. Can your accountant explain why profit changed? Can you see which customers, products or projects make money? Do you know what tax and other commitments are coming out of the bank?
If the answer is no, establish whether that work is missing from the engagement or included but not being delivered. Those are different conversations.
Match the support to the gap: dependable bookkeeping, management reporting, or a wider outsourced accounting service. You do not automatically need a CFO because the current arrangement is frustrating.
How to reduce accounting costs sensibly
Keep records complete, agree deadlines and give each recurring task an owner. Resolve missing invoices before they become a year-end project. Use accounting software that suits the business, with integrations where they justify their cost.
Buy the level of support you need now. Do not pay for detailed strategic modelling that nobody uses. Equally, do not save on monthly reporting while making large commitments from last year’s numbers.
The cheapest fee can be the right fee for a simple scope. A higher fee should buy clearly defined additional work, not just a more impressive title.
Are accounting fees subject to VAT or tax-deductible?
Accountancy services supplied by an Irish VAT-registered provider to an Irish business normally carry VAT at the standard rate, currently 23%. Revenue’s rates database confirms the treatment. Check whether each quote includes or excludes VAT. Around Finance’s published prices exclude it.
VAT recovery depends on your activities and supporting records; it is not automatic just because your business is VAT registered. Revenue explains who can reclaim VAT.
Revenue lists business accountancy fees among expenses that may be deducted. The work must relate to the business. Private or capital costs need separate consideration. A deduction reduces taxable profit; it does not refund the full fee.
What should your accounting fee buy?
Dependable work, a clear scope and someone who understands the numbers well enough to explain them. If you are paying for ongoing input, you should be able to see what that input changes.
If you run an Irish business turning over €250,000 or more and want to understand the support your business needs, Book a Finance Fit Call.
FAQs
How much does an accountant cost for a small business in Ireland?
The cost depends on scope, transaction volume, complexity and ongoing support. Around Finance’s complete monthly packages start at €350, €750 and €1,500 excluding VAT. These are our prices, not a national average. A one-off compliance quote covers different work.
Should accounting fees rise with turnover?
Turnover may bring more work, but it does not determine the fee on its own. Ask what changed in transaction volume, payroll, VAT, reporting or advice, and agree the revised scope.
Is bookkeeping included in an accountant’s fee?
Sometimes. Check the proposal. Around Finance’s complete packages include monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations, with the volume and responsibilities agreed. Other providers may quote for year-end work while leaving bookkeeping with you.
What accounting costs should I include in my budget?
Include external fees, software, internal finance work and one-off setup or catch-up costs. Keep your own time visible too. Avoid counting the same work twice when comparing options.
Can I reclaim VAT on accountancy fees?
You may reclaim VAT where the service is used for taxable business activities and you hold the required records. Exempt, non-business or mixed activities can restrict recovery. Check the invoice and your business’s VAT position.
