How is franchise bookkeeping priced?
There are four common ways to pay. A local bookkeeper bills by the hour or a monthly retainer. An outsourced firm charges per entity or per location, with scope set in the contract. Software you staff yourself costs a licence plus salaries. Spacetil charges one price per location with the software and accountants included.
| Option | How it is priced | Who does the accounting |
|---|---|---|
| Local or independent bookkeeper | Hourly or a monthly retainer; accounting software licensed separately | The bookkeeper |
| Outsourced bookkeeping firm | Per entity or per location; scope and software vary by firm | The firm |
| Accounting software, staffed in-house | A licence per location or user, plus the salaries of the people who run it | Your own staff |
| In-house bookkeeper | $50,670 median annual wage, about $4,223 a month before benefits and payroll taxes (BLS, May 2025) | Your employee |
| Spacetil | $350 per location per month; volume pricing from 26 locations | A Spacetil accounting team, signed off by a Financial Controller |
What drives the cost of bookkeeping for a franchise group?
Cost scales with the number of locations and legal entities, transaction volume, the number of systems to reconcile (POS, delivery apps, payroll, banks), and the scope of work. A quote that covers only data entry and bank reconciliations is not comparable with one that includes payables, a month-end close, consolidation and reporting.
When comparing quotes, line them up on scope, not on the headline price. Ask each provider whether the price includes:
- Accounting software or a general ledger, or whether you license it separately.
- Accounts payable: invoice capture, coding to each location and payment.
- Revenue reconciliation from POS and delivery platforms to bank deposits.
- Royalty, ad fund and franchisor reporting.
- A month-end close for every entity, intercompany eliminations and a consolidated view.
- Lease accounting under ASC 842.
- Review by a senior accountant or controller, and who signs off the close.
What does franchise accounting cost all-in for 20 locations?
At 20 locations, Spacetil costs $7,000 a month ($350 × 20), or $84,000 a year, with the software, bookkeeping, close and reporting included. Doing it in-house costs about $4,223 a month per bookkeeper at the BLS median, before benefits, software and controller review.
| Approach | Software | People doing the accounting | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting software, staffed in-house | Licensed separately, per location or user | About $4,223 per full-time bookkeeper at the BLS median wage, before benefits; plus controller time | $4,223+ per bookkeeper, plus software |
| Outsourced bookkeeping firm | Varies; ask whether a ledger is included | Per entity or per location; scope varies by firm | Ask for a quote on the same scope |
| Spacetil | Included: platform and general ledger | Included: a Spacetil accounting team and a Financial Controller | $7,000 (20 × $350) |
The in-house line understates the real cost: benefits, payroll taxes, recruiting, cover for vacations and a controller or CPA to review the close all come on top. At 20 locations, most groups need more than one person to keep books daily.
Where does Spacetil's price fit?
Spacetil is $350 per location per month, which covers the software platform and a Spacetil accounting team that keeps the books daily, closes every entity in 5 days and produces location and group reports. Groups with 26 or more locations get volume pricing, shown on the pricing page. Spacetil does not run payroll.
No separate accounting software is needed: Spacetil includes the general ledger. Groups that want to keep an existing ledger can use the optional two-way sync with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, NetSuite, Sage, Oracle Cloud and SAP.