If You’re Charging £20 an Hour, We Need to Talk

When you start a bookkeeping business, attracting the right clients feels like the biggest challenge. Once you get them, the next hurdle is getting them to pay you what you’re actually worth.

If you’re struggling to get £20 an hour, let alone £40 or £60, you’re not alone. Almost every bookkeeper goes through that phase.

But here’s what I’ve learned since first writing about pricing years ago.

Underpricing isn’t just about confidence.

It’s about positioning.

It’s about structure.

And it’s about the type of business you are building.

Confidence Isn’t the Starting Point

We often tell new bookkeepers they need more confidence. That they need to “believe in their value”.

That’s true to a point. If you don’t believe you’re worth it, no one else will.

But confidence doesn’t magically appear. It’s built from clarity. Clarity about what you actually deliver. Clarity about the problems you solve. Clarity about the outcomes you create.

If you describe yourself as someone who “does the books”, you’ll be paid like someone who does data entry.

If you position yourself as someone who brings order, visibility and control to a business owner’s finances, the conversation changes.

The first sale is not to the client.

It’s to yourself.

But it has to be backed up by structure.

You Might Be Fishing in the Wrong Pond

There are clients out there happily paying £60+ an hour for good bookkeeping.

There are also clients who will argue over £5.

If you consistently attract the latter, it’s worth asking where you’re spending your time and how you’re presenting your service.

Some business owners don’t value bookkeeping. That’s fine. They’re not your market.

Pricing is not just about what you charge. It’s about who you’re speaking to. If your messaging is broad, vague or defensive, you’ll attract people who are shopping on price.

When you understand the specific problems your ideal client has — cashflow confusion, compliance fear, lack of clarity — and you articulate your service as the solution, price becomes part of a bigger conversation.

Hourly Rates Are a Trap

Charging by the hour feels simple. It feels fair. It feels transparent.

But it anchors the client to time.

The more efficient you become, the more you “lose”.

The client starts measuring minutes rather than outcomes.

Packaging shifts the focus. When you clearly explain what’s included, what’s delivered, and what the client can expect, the conversation moves from “How much per hour?” to “What do I get?”

That’s a much stronger place to negotiate from.

One Price Point Limits You

If you offer only one package at one price, you will either underprice yourself to win work, or overprice yourself for certain clients and lose it.

Different business owners value different things. Some want compliance and nothing more. Others want insight, forecasting, accountability.

Offering a range doesn’t mean diluting your value. It means giving clients options that reflect their appetite for support.

And crucially, it allows you to grow with them.

This Is Bigger Than a Rate

The real issue with charging £20 an hour isn’t ego.

It’s sustainability.

Low pricing leads to too many clients. Too many clients lead to overwhelm. Overwhelm leads to corners being cut or burnout creeping in.

And suddenly the business you built for freedom starts to feel like a job you can’t escape.

Pricing properly isn’t about squeezing every penny out of your clients. It’s about building a practice that can breathe. One that allows you to invest in systems, education, support and, ultimately, yourself.

It takes time to move up the pricing ladder. It takes better positioning, clearer communication and sometimes a different type of client altogether.

But at some point, you have to decide whether you’re building a hobby that pays you £20 an hour…

Or a business that reflects the value you actually bring.