Ask five providers what bookkeeping costs and you'll get five answers — because most price by transaction volume: every bank-statement line, receipt and invoice someone has to key in and categorise. Here's what the Singapore market typically charges a small, non-GST business, and where the money actually goes.
The going rates
| Option | Typical price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance bookkeeper | S$80–300/mo | Monthly entry & reconciliation; quality varies |
| Accounting firm | S$100–500/mo | Bookkeeping, often bundled with year-end work |
| Full-service provider | S$100–400/mo | Books + filings handled, per-volume tiers |
| Year-end-only package | S$600–1,500/yr | One catch-up compilation before filing |
| DIY software (e.g. Xero) | S$35–80/mo | Tools only — you still do the categorising |
| Bookly | S$29–99/mo (companies) · S$8–35/mo (sole props) | Statements read & categorised for you, books in Excel |
Ranges are typical quotes for sub-S$1M, non-GST-registered businesses; billed monthly or yearly for Bookly.
What actually drives the price
- Transaction volume — more statement lines = more hours = bigger bill. This is the entire cost model of traditional bookkeeping.
- Mess — shoebox receipts and missing statements get billed as "catch-up" at a premium.
- Extras — payroll, GST (not applicable under S$1M unregistered) and filing add-ons stack on top.
The all-in math for a small Pte Ltd
A typical year with a traditional firm: bookkeeping at S$150–400/mo plus a year-end package — roughly S$3,000–6,000 all-in. The same year with automation: Bookly from S$228/yr, plus the corporate secretary every company keeps anyway (~S$300–600/yr) — about S$530–830 all-in. Sole proprietors skip the corp sec entirely, so it's just S$96–420/yr.
Market ranges are indicative, gathered from published Singapore price lists, and will vary by provider and volume. Not financial advice.