The core difference is who does the actual bookkeeping work: with Live Expert Assisted, you continue entering and categorizing your own transactions while a certified bookkeeper reviews your work and answers questions, starting at $59/month. With Full-Service Bookkeeping, a dedicated bookkeeper handles categorization, reconciliation, and month-end close for you, starting at $300/month plus a one-time cleanup fee. Both run on top of your existing QuickBooks Online subscription.
Here's how to figure out which one actually fits your situation.
Not sure which tier makes sense for your business? Call +1-866-408-0444 and we'll help you decide.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Live Expert Assisted | Full-Service Bookkeeping | |
|---|---|---|
Who enters transactions | You do | Your dedicated bookkeeper does |
Who reconciles accounts | You do (expert reviews it) | Your dedicated bookkeeper does |
Monthly starting price | $59/month | $300/month and up |
One-time setup/cleanup fee | None | Starting around $800, more for larger or messier books |
Access to a bookkeeper | On-demand chat and video | Dedicated bookkeeper assigned to your business |
Financial reports prepared for you | You generate them yourself, with guidance | Bookkeeper prepares and sends them |
Best for | Businesses comfortable doing their own data entry who want a safety net | Business owners who want bookkeeping fully off their plate |
What Actually Determines Which One You Need
How Much Time Do You Want to Spend on Bookkeeping?
This is the single biggest factor. Expert Assisted still requires you to do the actual data entry, categorization, and reconciliation — the expert's role is guidance and review, not doing the work. If your time is better spent elsewhere in the business, that ongoing time cost is worth weighing against the price difference.
A common pattern worth noting: business owners who choose Expert Assisted to save money sometimes end up spending enough personal time on bookkeeping that the "savings" compared to Full-Service don't hold up once their own hourly value is factored in.
How Messy Are Your Current Books?
If your books are already behind or disorganized, Full-Service includes a structured cleanup phase as part of onboarding — your bookkeeper works through existing records and fixes inconsistencies before ongoing bookkeeping begins. Expert Assisted doesn't include this; if your books need real cleanup work, you'd be doing that cleanup yourself with guidance, which is a meaningfully different lift than starting from clean books.
How Complex Is Your Business Financially?
Simple, low-transaction-volume businesses may not see much practical difference in bookkeeping quality between guided self-service and full management, since there's less room for the kind of errors that compound over time. Businesses with higher transaction volume, multiple accounts, or industry-specific categorization needs tend to benefit more from having a dedicated bookkeeper actually doing the reconciliation work consistently, rather than relying on periodic review to catch what may have already gone wrong.
If you're unsure which category your business falls into, call +1-866-408-0444 for a quick assessment before choosing a tier.
What Happens at Tax Time?
Neither tier files your taxes — that's a separate service in both cases. However, Full-Service's month-end close and prepared financial statements generally leave your books in a more tax-ready state without additional work on your part, since reconciliation and categorization have already been maintained consistently throughout the year by your dedicated bookkeeper.
The Real Cost Comparison
The sticker prices understate the actual gap. Once you add the one-time cleanup fee that comes with Full-Service, and account for your own time investment with Expert Assisted, the effective cost difference is larger than the $59 vs. $300 headline numbers suggest — but so is the difference in what you're actually getting for it.
For a business genuinely comfortable doing its own bookkeeping and just wanting a knowledgeable second set of eyes, Expert Assisted's lower price reflects a smaller scope of work, not a lesser version of the same service. For a business that wants bookkeeping handled entirely, Full-Service's higher price reflects that full handoff, cleanup included.
Can You Switch Between the Two Later?
Yes — this is a common path. Many businesses start with Expert Assisted to keep costs lower, then move to Full-Service once they decide the time savings are worth the higher monthly cost, or once their transaction volume grows to a point where guided self-service starts feeling like more work than it's worth.
Related QuickBooks Live Topics
For the full mechanics of what Expert Assisted actually includes, see What's Actually Included in QuickBooks Live Expert Assisted.
FAQs
Does Full-Service Bookkeeping include everything Expert Assisted includes, plus more?
Largely yes — Full-Service is built as a more comprehensive tier on top of the same underlying support infrastructure, rather than a completely separate service.
Is the cleanup fee for Full-Service a one-time cost or does it recur?
It's a one-time fee during onboarding to bring your existing books current; the monthly fee afterward covers ongoing bookkeeping only.
Can I try Expert Assisted first and upgrade if it's not enough?
Yes, upgrading to Full-Service later is a standard path if you find guided self-service isn't giving you the outcome you need.
Does either service handle payroll or sales tax filing?
Both offer guidance on payroll and sales tax questions, but neither includes actually managing payroll or filing sales tax returns on your behalf — those remain separate services.
Still weighing which tier fits your business? Call +1-866-408-0444 and we'll help you figure out the right one before you commit.