In our quest to assist bookkeepers in making payroll a profitable service, we hit the road – or rather, Zoom calls – speaking to bookkeepers across Canada who graciously shared their insights, lessons, and successes. This playbook equips you with the knowledge and tools to make payroll not just a service, but a profit-driving powerhouse.


Each chapter focuses on a specific topic or key area to help you increase your profits in providing a payroll service—the goal of this playbook.

What’s in it for you:

  • A clear roadmap to jumpstart your business growth and earnings with payroll.
  • Actionable steps to set your bookkeeping practice apart as the partner small business owners have been looking for.
  • Effective payroll pricing strategies to boost your earnings (Payroll Pricing Calculator included!).
  • Proven onboarding tactics and tools to streamline client intake.

Enjoy this excerpt from Chapter 2 of Wagepoint’s The Bookkeeper's Playbook to Making Payroll Profitable

Pricing and packaging your services

When we interviewed bookkeepers to find out if payroll was profitable for them, we also wanted to see if there were any emerging patterns when it came to pricing. Here are some of the nuggets we found:

While most bookkeepers custom-priced their services to avoid payroll scope creep, the ones who had overwhelming confidence in their payroll profitability offered packaged pricing or tiers.

Almost every bookkeeper we interviewed agreed that no matter the pricing structure or model they used, they couldn’t escape the hourly rate even if it was only to act as a guideline for building packages or a starting point for value-based pricing. This was due to the fact that you have to account for the cost of someone to do the job.

Find the balance

Whichever way you set your prices, be sure you are charging based on the value provided, not just the time spent. (You should be the one to benefit from your efficiency.) Of course you also need to balance that with understanding the payroll landscape to price and position your service accordingly. What are your competitors charging? More importantly, what do they offer at that price? It’s not about undercutting them or copying them, but getting a sense of the market.

Building service tiers

One-size doesn’t fit all, and neither does one price. The beauty of tiered pricing models is that they cater to different client needs and value is bundled in. Think of your tiers as three levels: Good, Better, and Best (just don’t call them that externally :)). Each level should clearly outline what’s included and the price. This way, you and the clients can choose the service level that best fits their needs, requirements, and budget.

The perks of tier pricing is that it is straightforward to quote and discuss with clients. It’s also easy for clients to understand (and budget for), and sets clear expectations on what is and isn’t included. Remember that everything that isn’t included in your tiers is out of scope and needs to be charged separately. This is one way to keep scope creep out of your work to turn a profit.

Pro Tip:

When building your tiers, consider things like the level of your involvement and your typical client needs. Is your Good tier a DIY for the client where you only do a monthly compliance check? Is the Best tier a full-service, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink, where you are akin to a full-time payroll provider? Do most typical clients you currently have land in the Better tier?

Build your pricing tiers with our exclusive calculator!

The good news is that we’ve created a pricing calculator for you to plug and play your numbers. This will help guide you in setting your prices. But we couldn’t stop there. We’ve also added a tier builder worksheet so you can add, edit and create your packages. Who doesn’t love a great shortcut?

Want the Payroll Pricing Calculator? Grab the playbook!

Friends help each other out. For us, it just happens to be with payroll, because that’s what we’re really good at. Believe it or not (but you really should), you’re the reason we set out to write this.

Get after it, and make today your payday 🫶.

👉 Get your copy! 👈





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