Bookkeeping packages for accountants in Ireland: designing fixed fees

Hourly billing penalises efficiency. If software removes half the data entry, an hourly fee halves too, even though the client gets the same or better outcome. Fixed packages price the outcome: books kept, returns filed, questions answered. They also remove the client’s reluctance to call, which is when small problems become big ones.

A clear package names the outputs, not the hours: bookkeeping kept current to an agreed cut-off, VAT returns prepared for each period, management figures each month or quarter, and a set number of queries answered. Year-end accounts and tax returns are often priced separately or bundled at a higher tier.

Most packages are built from the same components.

• Monthly or bi-monthly review of the client’s books.
• VAT3 returns for each period and the annual Return of Trading Details.
• Payroll, if the practice runs it, priced per employee.
• Year-end accounts and tax return.
• A set number of advisory calls or meetings.

Transaction volume is the simplest driver, because the number of bank lines and invoices each month sets most of the work. Complexity adds to it: stock, several currencies, the construction reverse charge or a large staff.

Two measures predict the work: transactions per month and complexity. Complexity covers multiple currencies, intra-EU trade, reverse-charge construction work, stock and multiple entities. Build three or four tiers on those measures, define them clearly in the engagement letter, and review each client’s tier once a year.

A fixed fee depends on the client doing their part. Write down what the client must provide and by when: bank data, receipts captured at source, answers to questions within a set number of days. Clients who meet those terms are cheap to serve; those who do not should move to a higher tier or pay for extra work.

When bank data arrives automatically and AI codes most transactions, the practice’s time per client falls sharply after the first few months. On a fixed fee, that saving becomes margin. The practice can hold prices steady while costs fall, or pass some saving to clients to win new work.

Scope creep usually arrives as small favours: an extra report, a call with the bank, a one-off grant application. Log each one, and at the quarterly review either fold them into a higher tier or bill them as extras agreed in advance.

Every package eventually meets work it did not anticipate: a Revenue query, a new company, a property purchase. List common extras with their prices in the engagement letter so the conversation is quick. Anything outside the list is quoted before work starts.

Moving existing clients from hourly to fixed fees works best at their year end. Show them last year’s total, the package that fits, and what it includes. Most clients prefer a known monthly figure, and the conversation is a natural time to agree new responsibilities such as digital capture.

HelloBooks lets accountants manage every client workspace from one login at no extra cost, so the software cost of a package is the client’s own subscription, which starts on a permanent Free plan. AI coding and reconciliation reduce review time, and VAT3 figures come straight from the ledger for entry in ROS. Irish payroll runs in a separate product.