Pricing · Accounting

Bench pricing

What Bench costs after its 2024 shutdown and Employer.com relaunch, why pricing tracks your transaction volume, and where tax filing changes the bill.

Bench is a done for you bookkeeping service rather than software you operate yourself, so you are paying for a dedicated team plus an app to view the results. Following the abrupt December 2024 shutdown and the Employer.com acquisition that revived it, Bench settled into two plans: Essential, which is bookkeeping only, and Premium, which folds in year end income tax filing and advisory. Headline pricing starts around $299 a month for Essential and $499 for Premium, but Bench quotes by monthly transaction volume and number of bank accounts, so a high volume business lands higher. Catch up bookkeeping for prior months is billed separately. Weigh the convenience against the platform risk a recent shutdown introduces.

Read the full Bench review

        Reviewed by FREDRIK FILIPSSON·Updated MARCH 2026·How we vet
      

Plans and prices

Per month, annual billing

Pricing as of June 2026, following the 2024 shutdown and Employer.com relaunch. Essential is bookkeeping only; Premium bundles year end tax filing. Final pricing is influenced by your monthly transaction volume and bank accounts, and some sources cite entry plans from around $249. Catch up bookkeeping for prior months is billed separately. Check the vendor for current pricing.

Essential

$299

Bookkeeping only, per month

+Dedicated bookkeeping team

+Monthly books and year end financials

+Bench app and financial dashboard

+Unlimited messaging with your team

★ Our pick

Premium

$499

Bookkeeping plus tax, per month

+Everything in Essential

+Year end income tax filing included

+One on one tax advisory

+Federal and state returns

What moves the real bill

Transaction volume and tax filing move the real bill

Bench's listed prices are a starting point, not a flat rate. Four things commonly change what you actually pay, so confirm each in your quote.

→ Monthly transaction volume. Bench prices by how much activity your books carry. A consultant with two accounts and light volume sits near the entry price, while an ecommerce store with several payment processors and high volume moves up the range quickly. Get a quote based on your real numbers.

→ Tax filing. Essential is bookkeeping only. If you want year end federal and state filing handled in house rather than handing books to a separate CPA, that is the Premium plan at the higher monthly rate. Decide whether bundling tax is worth roughly $200 a month more.

→ Catch up bookkeeping. If your prior months or years are behind, Bench charges separately to bring them current before the regular service begins. For businesses that have not kept books, this one time cost can be significant, so ask for it up front.

→ Platform risk after the shutdown. This is not a line item, but it is a real cost to weigh. Bench abruptly shut down in December 2024 before Employer.com revived it, so factor the continuity risk, and how easily you could export your books and leave, into the value, not just the monthly fee.

Pricing questions

Bench pricing FAQ

How much does Bench cost?

As of June 2026, Bench's Essential bookkeeping plan starts around $299 a month and Premium, which adds year end tax filing, around $499 a month, billed annually. Final pricing depends on your monthly transaction volume and bank accounts. Some sources cite entry plans from around $249. Check the vendor for current pricing.

What is the difference between Bench Essential and Premium?

Essential is bookkeeping only: a dedicated team, monthly books and year end financial statements. Premium adds year end income tax filing for federal and state returns plus one on one tax advisory, so you avoid using a separate CPA. Premium typically costs around $200 a month more.

Is Bench pricing based on transaction volume?

Yes. Bench quotes by your monthly transaction volume and number of bank accounts, so the headline prices are a starting point. Low volume service businesses sit near the bottom of the range, while high volume or multi account businesses pay more. Ask for a quote on your actual figures.

Is Bench safe to use after its shutdown?

Bench abruptly shut down in December 2024 and was then acquired and relaunched by Employer.com, so the service is operating again in 2026. The history is a genuine reason for caution; if you sign up, keep exportable copies of your books and confirm data ownership terms so you are not stranded if anything changes.

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Bench review → Bench alternatives → The Accounting ranking → Wave pricing →