--- title: "Subcontract bookkeeping | Ledgerbrook" source: https://ledgerbrook.com/subcontract-bookkeeping/ description: "Subcontracting bookkeeping: when it fits, what it costs in margin, and what your firm keeps on every file." --- [Ledgerbrook](/) / Subcontract bookkeeping # Should your firm subcontract bookkeeping? Subcontracting a client file means paying another practitioner a fixed fee to do the work while your firm stays the one billing the client and standing behind the result. It's a different decision from hiring, and it doesn't fit every file. Here's how to tell. The choice ## Subcontracting versus hiring Hiring adds a person: payroll, benefits, training, a desk to manage, and capacity that exists whether or not there's work to fill it. Subcontracting adds capacity only: a fixed fee per file, paid when there's a file to pay for, with no management overhead between commitment and delivery. The trade is control for flexibility. An employee learns your firm's conventions once and keeps them; a subcontractor has to be told, per engagement, what your chart of accounts looks like and what your client expects. That's a real cost, and it's the one a firm should weigh honestly before treating subcontracting as the cheaper option by default. When it fits ## When subcontracting makes sense More files than hours this month, without the case for a permanent hire Settled: A capacity spike A specific date the file has to be current by, not an ongoing staffing gap Settled: A filing deadline A trade or entity type your firm doesn't run often enough to be fast at Settled: A client outside your competence It fits less well as a permanent substitute for staffing. A firm that's subcontracting every file, every month, indefinitely has a hiring decision to make, not a vendor to find. Subcontracting is built for the file that doesn't justify a hire, not for avoiding the hire your volume already justifies. Margin ## What it costs your firm A subcontractor's fee is a cost line against what your firm bills the client, and the gap between the two is your margin on the file. A published, flat, per-file rate makes that gap predictable before you commit a client; a rate quoted per file after the fact does not. Monthly Close, Standard Up to 3 bank or credit card accounts, and up to 200 transactions a month. The high-volume band is on the pricing page. $99per client file, per month Cleanup For a file that has to be fixed before a monthly cadence means anything. Priced per month of backlog needing correction. $99per month of backlog20% off 6+ months[12+ months: custom discount](/contact/?from=subcontract-bookkeeping "12 months or more behind? The published rate is the most you pay. Contact us for a custom quote with a larger discount.") What you keep ## What stays yours Your client stays your client, and the subcontractor never contacts them Settled: The relationship You bill the client at whatever you charge; the subcontractor bills your firm, per file Settled: The invoice The work carries your firm's name, not the subcontractor's Settled: The name That's the part worth checking before signing anything. A subcontractor who also sells direct, or who leaves your firm's branding off the deliverable but leaves theirs on, is competing for the same client relationship you're paying them to protect. The naming side of this has its own term, covered in [what white-label bookkeeping means](/white-label-bookkeeping/). See [what to check before you hand over a file](/bookkeeping-subcontractor-agreement/) for the specifics. Fit ## Who this is for Bookkeeping firms on QuickBooks Online with a file or a batch of files that don't justify a hire: a busy month, a deadline, a client type outside the firm's usual work. It fits equally for one overflow file and for a standing roster. It's not the right fit if your clients are on Xero or Sage, or if what your firm actually needs is a permanent seat rather than a fee per file. Questions ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about subcontracting client files, margin mechanics, and non-solicitation. ### What is the difference between subcontracting bookkeeping and hiring? Hiring adds a person: payroll, benefits, training, management overhead, and capacity you pay for whether there is work or not. Subcontracting adds capacity only: a fixed published fee per file, paid when there is work, with no overhead between commitment and delivery. ### When does subcontracting bookkeeping make sense for an accounting firm? Subcontracting fits for capacity spikes (more files than hours this month), hard filing deadlines where a file must be current quickly, or client entity types outside your firm's day-to-day focus. It is designed for files that do not justify a permanent hire. ### How does margin work when subcontracting a client file? A published, flat, per-file rate makes your margin predictable before you commit a client. You bill the client whatever your firm charges, the subcontractor bills your firm at the fixed rate, and the entire difference is your firm's margin. ### Will a bookkeeping subcontractor ever contact our firm's clients? No. The firm retains the client relationship, the invoice, and the branding. The subcontractor works strictly behind the scenes under accountant-level access and never contacts client personnel. ### Who is subcontract bookkeeping designed for? Bookkeeping and CPA firms on QuickBooks Online that have individual files or batches that need clean, timely completion without the overhead of hiring. It is not suitable for firms using Xero or Sage. Ledgerbrook Extra QuickBooks capacity, under your firm's name Monthly close From $99 a client file a month Cleanup or catch-up $99 per month of backlog, 20% off 6+ months Year-end handoff pack $199 a client, one-time [Get a free file review](/contact/?from=subcontract-bookkeeping) Free, no card. A written answer within about 48 hours. [See every price](/pricing/) Certified - [![Intuit QuickBooks Certification Level 1](/_astro/level-1.BokmyvzE_Z2cyGo6.webp)](https://www.credly.com/badges/7ceaf1c4-83da-4a1b-b19f-7e15cb5c0ac7/public_url "Intuit QuickBooks Certification Level 1. Verify on Credly.") - [![Intuit QuickBooks Certification Level 2](/_astro/level-2.D-GWLUNI_Z1Sh5RD.webp)](https://www.credly.com/badges/02426568-00bb-46e1-a939-9063497c54d6/public_url "Intuit QuickBooks Certification Level 2. Verify on Credly.") - [![Intuit Bookkeeping Certification](/_astro/bookkeeping.C82JE0Dn_Z1YzPBj.webp)](https://www.credly.com/badges/30b70ae2-e369-4a8b-9fee-d6db3a47b70c/public_url "Intuit Bookkeeping Certification. Verify on Credly.") - [![QuickBooks Online Payroll Certification](/_astro/payroll.r5Yo2XnL_VxspM.webp)](https://www.credly.com/badges/2fc8fb7d-90d1-43ba-961b-aff161fe8491/public_url "QuickBooks Online Payroll Certification. Verify on Credly.") Issued by Intuit, verified by Credly. Start ## Deciding, or ready? Still weighing it: read [what to check before subcontracting a client file](/bookkeeping-subcontractor-agreement/) before you talk to anyone. Ready to send one: see [how it works under your own name](/for-bookkeeping-firms/), with every figure on [the pricing page](/pricing/). The steps from scoping a file to delivering it are in [how to subcontract a QuickBooks cleanup](/blog/how-to-subcontract-a-quickbooks-cleanup/). [Get a free file review](/contact/?from=subcontract-bookkeeping) Accountant-level access, no card. The report is yours to keep either way. Published August 12, 2026 ยท Updated September 28, 2026