Your QuickBooks Live budget has three parts: the bookkeeping service, a required QuickBooks Online subscription, and any applicable initial cleanup charge. The advertised monthly bookkeeping price is not the complete bill. This review covers the US offerings and US-dollar prices checked on September 10, 2026.
The service previously marketed as QuickBooks Live now appears under Intuit Experts. The useful choice remains how much work you want to hand over: Expert Assisted provides guidance while you keep the books; Expert Full Service Bookkeeping adds someone to maintain them. Intuit's current service overview also distinguishes bookkeeping from its separate tax services.
QuickBooks Live Pricing: What Goes Into the Bill?
| Component | Current published price or quotation requirement | What to budget for |
|---|---|---|
| Intuit Expert Assisted | $59/month after the advertised 30-day free offer | Guidance for doing your own bookkeeping; software is separate |
| Intuit Expert Full Service Bookkeeping | Starting at $300/month, after an initial cleanup fee | Ongoing bookkeeping; confirm your actual recurring charge and cleanup amount |
| QuickBooks Online | Separate subscription; plan prices below | Required software, even when you purchase bookkeeping support |
| Initial cleanup for Full Service | Obtain the amount and billing schedule for your business | Do not assume it is free or covered by the ongoing monthly price |
Sources checked September 10, 2026: Expert Assisted pricing, Full Service pricing, and the subscription requirement in Intuit's terms, Section B, Part E. The Assisted page also advertises a separate phone-sales promotion; do not assume offers stack. Confirm eligibility, renewal price, and cancellation timing for the offer you select.
The current Full Service page does not establish a universal cleanup amount or a complete table of higher monthly tiers. Treat those as quote details. An older review's tier names or cleanup range should not become your budget by default. Intuit also sells standalone Expert Cleanup; its separate offer does not establish the initial charge for an ongoing Full Service subscription.
The Separate QuickBooks Online Subscription
The US QuickBooks Online pricing page displayed these monthly prices on September 10, 2026:
| Software plan | Standard monthly price displayed | Advertised 50% discount for the first 3 months |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $38 | $19/month |
| Essentials | $85 | $42.50/month |
| Plus | $140 | $70/month |
| Advanced | $340 | $170/month |
These are software prices, not bundled bookkeeping totals. The page offers a 30-day software trial as an alternative selection. Check the checkout terms for your eligibility and the then-current charge after any promotion; use the standard column when planning an ongoing budget. Taxes and optional services can add to the bill.
Worked Ongoing-Cost Examples
Assume monthly billing at the displayed standard software prices, no promotions, no additional services, and no taxes. For Full Service, also assume your business qualifies for the published starting bookkeeping price:
| Scenario | Calculation | Ongoing monthly total |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted with Simple Start, after the Assisted free period | $59 + $38 | $97 |
| Full Service at its starting price with Simple Start | $300 + $38 | $338 |
| Full Service at its starting price with Plus | $300 + $140 | $440 |
The Full Service examples exclude initial cleanup. They are conditional ongoing totals, not first-month quotes. Ask whether your first invoice contains cleanup alone or cleanup plus an ongoing service charge, when each subscription starts, and when introductory discounts end. Do not add the Assisted subscription again to Full Service: its service description already includes Assisted benefits.
What Is Included—and What Still Needs an Owner?
The following summarizes the current Full Service description, Assisted scope, and service agreement, Section B, Part E.
| Task | Expert Assisted | Expert Full Service Bookkeeping |
|---|---|---|
| Categorization and reconciliation | Coaching; you make the entries | Bookkeeper categorizes transactions and reconciles accounts monthly |
| Initial cleanup | Not a service that performs cleanup in your books | Initial cleanup phase; confirm fee and covered period |
| Month-end close and reports | Guidance on your reports | Bookkeeper can close books, prepare a trial balance, and provide profit and loss and balance sheet reports |
| General tax questions | General information and resources | Assisted tax-resource support included |
| Tax return preparation or filing | Not included | Not included; separate tax service needed |
| Sending invoices, paying bills, managing receivables/payables or inventory | You retain operational responsibility | Not included in bookkeeping service |
| Running payroll or preparing/sending 1099s | Guidance does not perform the task for you | Not included in bookkeeping service |
| Audit, review, or compilation engagements | Not included | Not included |
Software features are different from work performed by a bookkeeper. Having an invoicing or payroll function in your account does not mean the bookkeeping subscription operates it for you.
The agreement supports cash and modified cash accounting only. It also leaves you responsible for accurate records, timely documents, management decisions, and approving account classifications and proposed journal entries. A monthly bookkeeper does not replace those controls. This scope matters more than the words “full service” when deciding whether the offering fits.
Eligibility and Onboarding
Intuit's service eligibility guidance says Full Service is available to QuickBooks Online businesses that filed taxes in the last calendar year; it excludes signup during a QBO trial. Complex businesses, foreign currency or cryptocurrency activity, and heavily mixed personal/business spending may not qualify. Confirm acceptance before relying on a starting-price example.
Prepare bank and credit-card statements, transaction explanations, and supporting records before onboarding. You still need to answer questions about unclear payments and supply missing documents. Intuit describes cleanup as typically taking about 30 days after it receives the necessary information; that is not a guaranteed completion date or a promise to repair every historical period. Agree on which months will be covered.
For ongoing work, choose a review routine: check the reports, resolve uncategorized activity, and confirm which tasks remain with you. Ask how to reach the bookkeeper and how coverage works when your usual contact is unavailable.
When Is It Worth Paying For?
Assisted is worth evaluating when you want coaching and have time to do the entries yourself. Compare the service cost with the value of getting your specific questions resolved. A subscription cannot save the hours you still need to spend doing the work.
Full Service is worth evaluating when monthly reconciliation and closing are the tasks you want to delegate. Compare the complete quoted bill with the same scope from an independent bookkeeper. Include your remaining work and any separately purchased tax, payroll, or operational help in that comparison.
Before subscribing, write down these answers:
- What are the separate software, bookkeeping, and cleanup charges, including taxes?
- Which prices expire after a trial or promotion, and what happens at renewal?
- Which months will cleanup cover, and what documents must you provide?
- Who sends invoices, pays bills, runs payroll, and files returns?
- Which reports will you receive, and how will you review unresolved items?
- What records can you export before switching services or canceling?
Avoid treating bookkeeper certification as proof that every specialist accounting need is covered. The service scope and your business's requirements should determine the choice.
Alternatives and Data Portability
An independent bookkeeper may be a better match if you need a customized combination of reconciliation, invoicing, payroll coordination, or industry-specific work. Compare written scopes and current quotes; do not assume another provider automatically includes tax filing or costs less.
If you prefer to maintain your own records, plain-text accounting is another approach. Beancount.io stores accounting records in a readable ledger format that you can inspect and version-control. It requires a different workflow and does not, by itself, replace a bookkeeper or tax preparer. Compare the available plans with the help you actually need.
Whichever approach you choose, test your recordkeeping workflow before a switch: identify the reports, transaction detail, and supporting documents you need to retain, then check what the destination can import. A readable copy of your records and a clear division of responsibilities are useful with any provider.
