How to Price Catch-Up Work

Pricing is one of the trickiest topics for bookkeepers. Charge too little and you’re overwhelmed and underpaid. Charge too much and you risk scaring off the kind of clients you’d love to work with.

There are dozens of pricing methods out there, but one I’m particularly fond of is menu pricing – giving clients a clear set of options, often three, so they can choose what works best for them and their budget.

But what happens when a new client comes to you with a year’s worth of bookkeeping that’s never been touched?

That’s where things get a bit more nuanced. So let’s break it down.

Why I Like Menu Pricing

Menu pricing (sometimes called tiered or three-option pricing) is powerful because it shifts the conversation away from how much you charge per hour and onto what level of service the client values.

For example, you might offer:

• Essential – just the basics: categorising, reconciling, and reports

• Support – adds email support, quarterly reviews, and reminders

• Complete – includes everything above plus budgeting, cash flow, or even strategy calls

Each level has a clear price, so there’s no ambiguity. Clients self-select based on what’s most important to them, which often leads to higher satisfaction and better alignment.

It also protects you from scope creep. If they’re on the Essential plan and start asking for extras, you can confidently say, “That’s something we cover in our Support plan.”

But What About Catch-Up Work?

This is where many bookkeepers get stuck.

Let’s say a sole trader wants you to take over from April onwards, but they haven’t touched anything for the past nine months. You can’t really start fresh without sorting the backlog – but how do you price it?

Here’s the method I recommend:

1. First, price the work going forward
   Decide which monthly package suits them best. Maybe it’s £100/month for the ongoing bookkeeping.

2. Then, multiply that monthly price by the number of catch-up months
   For nine months of missing work, that’s £100 × 9 = £900.

3. Finally, add 10–20% on top
   So you’re looking at £990–£1,080 in total for the catch-up.

Why the extra?

Because catch-up work is intense. You’re condensing nine months of tasks into a couple of weeks. You might be chasing invoices, decoding mystery transactions, or dealing with missing paperwork. It takes more focus, more patience, and often, more stress.

Plus, adding that 10–20% acts as a gentle incentive for the client to stay up to date going forward. You’re sending a clear message: It’s cheaper and easier to do this monthly.

Example

Let’s say you offer the following monthly options:

• Essential: £80/month

• Support: £120/month

• Complete: £180/month

Your client wants the Support plan, but they’re nine months behind.

You’d quote:

• Ongoing: £120/month

• Catch-up: (£120 × 9 = £1,080) + 15% = £1,242

You can present this clearly:

“We’ll get everything up to date for £1,242, and from then on, you’ll be on the £120/month Support plan.”

Suddenly, the client knows exactly what they’re committing to. There are no hidden surprises, and no haggling over hourly rates.

A Final Note on Confidence

One of the biggest struggles with pricing isn’t the maths, it’s the mindset.

Many bookkeepers hesitate to charge properly for catch-up work because they feel bad. “It’s a lot of money.” “They’re a small business.” “I could just do it over the weekend and not tell them.”

But catch-up work isn’t a favour, it’s a service. It saves the client time, stress, and risk. They’ll be the one thanking you when their accounts are sorted and their tax return is filed on time.

So stand by your pricing. Be clear, be fair, and don’t be afraid to charge for the value you bring.

Over to You

Do you use a similar method to price catch-up work? Or do you do it differently?

Let me know in the comments or drop me a message, I’d love to hear how you handle this in your practice.