We charge a flat monthly fee because you should know what your books cost before the month starts.
You already run your practice this way
Direct Primary Care is built on a simple deal. Your members pay one monthly fee, and they don't get a bill every time they call or come in. They can reach you without doing math in their head first.
We work the same way. You pay one flat monthly fee for your level of service. There's no surprise bill because a month had more transactions than usual.
What's wrong with hourly
Hourly billing isn't dishonest. It sets up the wrong habits on both sides.
On your side, every question has a price. So you hold them, or you save them up, or you skip them. The question you didn't ask about a strange charge in March is the one that turns into a mess in June.
On the bookkeeper's side, hourly pays for time, not results. A firm that finds a faster way to close your books earns less for it. A messy month earns more. I'd rather be paid to keep your books clean and on time, and to get faster at it every month.
It also makes your costs hard to plan. Here's a made-up example. Say an hourly bookkeeper bills $75 an hour. A quiet month takes 6 hours, which is $450. A busy month with a cleanup takes 14 hours, which is $1,050. You won't know which one you got until the invoice shows up. With a flat fee, the quiet month and the busy month cost the same, so the number you planned for is the number you pay.
What flat means for you
- You know the number. It goes in your budget the same as rent.
- The timeline is set. Your monthly numbers arrive by the 15th of each month.
- The fee doesn't change with a busy month. A month with more transactions costs the same as a quiet one.
How our levels are priced
There are three levels, each a flat monthly fee. DPC Bookkeeping starts at $500 a month and covers monthly categorization and reconciliation, a DPC chart of accounts, membership dues recorded correctly, and your monthly P&L and Balance Sheet. Monthly Financial Partner starts at $1,200 a month and adds a monthly performance review, DPC metrics like revenue per member and panel trend, and a monthly call. Fractional CFO starts at $2,500 a month and adds cash flow forecasting, modeling for a new hire or second location, owner pay planning, and budgets and growth targets.
Each level has a one-time setup fee. Onboarding takes two to three weeks. If you haven't opened yet, pre-launch advice starts at $99 a month. Payroll is an add-on and runs in Gusto. The full breakdown is on our pricing page.
Each level is a starting price, and it's still one flat monthly number, not an hourly bill.
What to check in any fee, ours included
Whoever you hire, I'd ask three things this week. What's included every month, in writing? What costs extra, and how much? And what happens to the fee if the practice grows? Ask before the first month, not after the first invoice. If you can't get clear answers, you can't budget for it. That alone is worth knowing before you sign anything.
If you're comparing options, these questions to ask before hiring a DPC bookkeeper cover the rest.
Common questions
Is there a setup fee?
Each level has a one-time setup fee. Onboarding takes two to three weeks.
Which level should I start with?
If you mainly want clean, reconciled books, start with DPC Bookkeeping. If you want someone to walk through your numbers with you each month, look at Monthly Financial Partner, and if you're planning a hire, a second location or owner pay, look at Fractional CFO.
Do you ever bill by the hour?
No. Every level is a flat monthly fee. The Monthly Financial Partner and Fractional CFO levels include a monthly call.
Want to know your bookkeeping cost before the month starts?
We keep the books for DPC practices for a flat monthly fee, with your numbers by the 15th of every month. If that's the kind of arrangement you want, apply to work with us.