Bookkeeper Invoice and Monthly Retainer Template
A bookkeeper's invoice should bill the monthly retainer in advance, state the transaction volume and account count the tier covers, and itemize catch-up or cleanup work, payroll runs, 1099 filings, and anything out of scope at an hourly rate. ShowTheReceipts bills recurring retainers automatically on the 1st, saves each service tier as a reusable line, and charges the card on file so you're not invoicing your own clients late.
Header block
- Your business name, address, tax ID
- Client business name and billing contact
- Period covered (month/quarter)
- Invoice number, due date, payment method on file
Service lines
- Monthly retainer — tier stated, billed in advance
- Transaction volume / accounts covered — scope, on the invoice
- Catch-up / cleanup — per month of backlog, billed separately
- Payroll runs — per run, headcount capped
- 1099 filings — per form filed
- Sales tax filings — per filing, per jurisdiction
- Out-of-scope hours — hourly, stated rate
Retainer tiers
| Tier | Typical scope |
|---|---|
| Starter | Up to ~100 transactions, 1–2 accounts |
| Standard | Up to ~250 transactions, 3 accounts |
| Growth | 500+ transactions, multi-account, payroll |
Price the volume, not the hours. A client whose transaction count doubles has bought a different service — the tier is how you say so without a difficult conversation.
Cleanup never goes in the retainer
Backlog work is unbounded until you’ve opened the books. Quote it per month of backlog, take 50% up front, and start the monthly retainer only once the file is current.
Bill in advance, on the 1st
You advise clients on cash discipline. Run your own the same way: retainer invoiced on the 1st, card or ACH on file, no chasing.
What not to do
- Don’t leave transaction volume off the invoice
- Don’t fold cleanup into the monthly rate
- Don’t include uncapped payroll or 1099 season
- Don’t bill in arrears and then chase your own client
Frequently asked questions
Should a bookkeeper bill monthly in advance or in arrears?
In advance, on the 1st, with a card or ACH on file. You're the one who tells clients about cash discipline — billing in arrears and chasing your own receivables undercuts the advice, and advance billing removes the collection problem entirely.
What defines the scope of a bookkeeping retainer?
Transaction volume and connected accounts, stated on the invoice — e.g. 'up to 250 transactions across 3 accounts.' Volume is the real cost driver, and a tier defined that way lets you raise the price when a client's business grows instead of quietly absorbing the extra work.
How do I bill catch-up or cleanup work?
Separately from the retainer, priced per month of backlog or hourly, and paid up front or 50% down. Cleanup is unbounded work on someone else's mess — bundling it into a monthly rate is how bookkeepers end up doing a year's reconciliation for one month's fee.
Should payroll and 1099 filings be included?
Only if they're written into the tier with a headcount cap. Otherwise they're their own lines — per payroll run and per 1099 filed — because January arrives every year and an uncapped filing season eats the margin on twelve months of retainer.