Outsourced accounting can be a simple line on a budget or a strategic lever that changes how a business spends and grows. The realistic answer to “how much is outsourced accounting?” is that it depends on the size of the business, the scope of work, the country of the provider, and whether you want senior-level advice or routine bookkeeping. This post explains the typical price ranges, the drivers of cost, what businesses in Dubai should expect, and how to decide if outsourced accounting is the right financial move for your firm.
For many small and medium businesses, the monthly cost of outsourced accounting ranges from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per month. In markets like the United States and Europe the common range cited by multiple providers and industry surveys is roughly $500 to $10,000 per month, depending on complexity and scale. This range captures basic bookkeeping for small firms at the low end and full finance function management for larger or more complex firms at the high end.
Why prices vary so widely
Price variation comes from the tasks you hand over, the frequency of reporting, the regulatory burden where you operate, and the skill level you require. Simple transaction recording and VAT filings cost far less than monthly management accounts plus CFO advisory. When you contract for outsourced accounting services you are buying two things: time and expertise. Time is billed as hours or packaged as monthly plans. Expertise is reflected in the qualifications of staff doing the work and in the tools they use. The combination of time and expertise explains the broad pricing spectrum you see in the market.
How providers usually charge
Providers structure fees in three common ways. They charge per hour for discrete projects or one-off tasks. They offer fixed monthly plans for ongoing bookkeeping and management reporting. They quote project fees for specific engagements such as system implementation or audit preparation. The hourly route is common for short-term advisory and peaks in complexity. The monthly fixed plan is common for continuous outsourced accounting services because it gives predictable cost and steady access to a team handling day-to-day finance work.
Typical numbers to expect globally
Benchmarks collected from multiple market sources show a pattern. Basic bookkeeping packages often start near the lower hundreds per month for very small operations, moderate monthly bookkeeping and reporting packages commonly fall in the $500 to $2,500 range, and comprehensive outsourced accounting services that include payroll, tax planning, regular month-end close, and CFO-level advisory commonly fall between $2,500 and $10,000 per month. These figures are industry averages and should be used to form a budget rather than a final quote.
What companies actually save by outsourcing
When a company compares the full cost of hiring in-house staff with outsourcing, the numbers that matter include direct salary, benefits, office overhead, training, software licenses, and recruitment. On average, organizations that scale their finance operations through shared services or outsourcing report meaningful savings. Industry studies and practitioner reports show savings can be substantial when a business moves routine work to specialized providers and automates processes. Sector-level research by leading consulting firms shows many organizations achieving double-digit percentage savings after transforming to an outsourced or shared services model.
How this translates in Dubai
Dubai attracts a variety of providers from local firms to international outsourcing vendors. Market offers in Dubai include low-cost startup packages for new companies and higher-tier plans for regulated, fast-growing firms. For example, some Dubai-based firms offer start-up monthly accounting packages priced in the low hundreds of UAE dirhams, while established monthly packages for companies with heavier transaction volumes move into mid-range fees. Another local benchmark used by firms in the UAE places annual outsourced accounting and bookkeeping costs in a band that often converts to roughly AED 10,000 to AED 20,000 per year for typical small to medium engagements. These local packages are frequently designed to replace the full cost of hiring and managing an in-house bookkeeper.
If you need specialist work, such as a financial restructuring or a complex audit readiness program in Dubai, you should expect project fees to rise accordingly. Large projects and senior advisory can be priced in the tens of thousands of dirhams depending on scope.
Offshore options and how rates compare
Part of why outsourced accounting services can be affordable is the global market for accounting talent. Firms that use offshore talent can obtain experienced accountants at lower hourly rates than local markets. For example, outsourcing to markets like India often brings per-hour rates that are a fraction of western market rates, sometimes reported in the single digits in US dollar terms for routine tasks. This arbitrage is a core reason many companies choose mixed models: keep strategy and compliance local, and outsource transactional processing to lower-cost locations.
What you get for your money
Paying for outsourced accounting services typically buys you organized books, timely VAT and payroll compliance, monthly reports you can trust, and access to an experienced team when you need it. Many firms add value by recommending process improvements, automating repetitive tasks, and delivering dashboards that let leaders make faster decisions. When suppliers bundle advisory, the monthly fee also buys a degree of strategic input. That combination of execution and insight is why smart firms treat outsourced accounting as a business function, not just an administrative cost.
How to estimate your own cost
Start with the volume of transactions and the complexity of your compliance environment. Ask prospective providers to price a base package that covers bookkeeping and VAT and then request add-on prices for payroll, management reporting, and advisory hours. Compare a full internal cost model—salary, benefits, software, office, hiring overhead—with the outsourced quotes. In many cases, outsourcing will be cheaper than hiring, especially when you factor in the time to recruit and the recurring cost of software and training.
How to choose between local accounting consultants in Dubai and offshore teams
Choose local accounting consultants in Dubai if you need fast regulatory advice, face-to-face meetings, or immediate support with UAE-specific filings. Choose offshore partners if you want to reduce billable rates for routine processing while keeping strategic oversight local. Many successful firms adopt a hybrid approach, combining local accounting consultants in Dubai for compliance and advisory with offshore teams for data entry and reconciliations. This hybrid model often delivers the best mix of cost, compliance, and control.
A simple rule of thumb
If you are a small business with straightforward needs, budget for the lower end of the monthly range and validate that the package includes VAT filings and payroll if needed. If you are a growing firm with multiple entities, set your budget in the mid to upper range and prioritise vendors that demonstrate financial reporting depth and scalable processes. Finally, if regulatory risk or investor reporting is material, invest in higher-tier outsourced accounting services that offer senior review and deeper controls.
Final thought
The right outsourced accounting services convert a variable internal cost into a predictable external cost and deliver reliable financial information. When you judge options, compare the total cost of ownership, the quality of reporting, the vendor’s ability to scale with you, and the local compliance expertise you need. For Dubai companies this often means balancing the convenience of accounting consultants in Dubai with the cost efficiency of global delivery. Good outsourced accounting services will pay for themselves through time saved, fewer errors, and clearer decisions.
