Bench
Human bookkeepers close monthly books in Bench's software. You connect banks; they categorize, reconcile, and hand you a year-end package.
Best for
US owners who want humans to close the books each month in Bench's software and will accept Excel, not a live QuickBooks file, at tax time.
Not ideal if
Anyone whose CPA will only open QuickBooks Online or Xero, who needs full accrual on the default Bench ledger, or who will not hire a vendor that paused with no warning in December 2024.
Standout
A published flat monthly human close in Bench's own software, plus a tax-filing bundle, without buying QuickBooks.
About Bench
Bench is a bookkeeping service, not DIY software. You connect banks through Plaid plus Stripe, Square, Shopify, PayPal, Amazon Seller Central, and payroll tools such as Gusto. A Bench bookkeeper categorizes the lines, reconciles the accounts, and posts monthly books in Bench's own software. You answer questions, upload the statements they still need, and download a P&L, balance sheet, and a year-end Excel package (income statement, balance sheet, trial balance, general ledger, journals). Grow is a lighter-touch plan for shops under $250k in annual revenue. Core adds unlimited messages. Core + Tax adds licensed tax pros who file the business return (and the personal return for a sole prop).
It replaces QuickBooks Online and Xero on the main plans. Bench does not sync to those files. Kick is the other replacement ledger in this directory, software you review yourself. Double sits on the QuickBooks or Xero file a firm already has. Pilot and Bookkeeper360 are the other human bookkeeping services here; both are more likely to keep the books in QuickBooks Online or Xero. Bench also sells an hourly QuickBooks Online bookkeeper ($55/hour plus $1,200 onboarding) if you refuse to leave QBO.
People who stick want the books done for them, about 15 minutes a month if accounts stay connected and personal spend stays off the business cards. They stay for a dedicated team and a tax-ready year-end package. They leave when their CPA will only open a live QuickBooks file, when they need full accrual outside the hourly QBO SKU, or when they remember December 2024: Bench paused, then Employer.com bought the assets and brought the service back in January 2025.
What people who used it say
What they tend to like
Books done for you in minutes a month
Owners treat Bench as the handoff: connect accounts, answer a short list, and stop coding the bank feed themselves.
A year-end package a tax pro can open
The Excel package (P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, general ledger) is the moment they care about, with or without Bench Tax.
Catch-up when they are years behind
Retro is sold for overdue books and IRS letters, with a fixed quote instead of an open hourly tab.
What they hesitate about
They went dark in December 2024
Customers lost the platform days before year-end. Employer.com bought the assets, asked for consent to keep serving, and refunds were not the story owners told.
Bookkeeper turnover and late packages
Trustpilot and owner threads cite a new bookkeeper too often, plus delays on the year-end package or tax prep.
CPAs still clean the file
Some tax preparers say they spend hours fixing inconsistent Bench books before they can file.
How it hits your books
- Replaces your ledger
- Yes
- QuickBooks Online
- Partial
- Xero
- No
- Inventory
- No
- 1099s
- Partial
- Payroll
- No
The team categorizes and reconciles in Bench. You answer questions and upload leftover statements. The month is closed when they mark it complete, which waits on your replies. Grow is scheduled touchpoints only. Nothing writes back to QuickBooks or Xero on the main plans.
Download the year-end Excel package (notes, P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, general ledger, journals) plus optional 1099-NEC/MISC reports. Bench does not e-file 1099s. Core + Tax files the income tax return. There is no live QuickBooks Online login to hand a CPA unless you bought the hourly QBO SKU.
Images
Features
Connect accounts; humans categorize and reconcile
Connect banks through Plaid plus Stripe, Square, Shopify, PayPal, Amazon, and Gusto. A Bench bookkeeper categorizes most lines, reconciles the accounts, and asks when a transaction is unclear. You upload leftover statements. About 15 minutes a month if accounts stay connected; closer to 45 if you mix personal and business cards.
Monthly statements in the Bench app
Every plan includes monthly books plus a P&L, balance sheet, and a Top 10 expenses view. Reports export to Excel. Grow is pre-scheduled touchpoints. Core and Core + Tax add unlimited messages, with a reply inside one business day and no hourly support fee.
Year-end tax package, not 1099 e-file
Download an Excel package (notes, income statement, balance sheet, trial balance, general ledger, journals, and a tab for the tax preparer's adjusting entries). Bench does not e-file 1099s. The Tax Center can produce 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC reports if you asked the team to track contractors.
Tax filing on Core + Tax
Licensed tax pros (Enrolled Agents or CPAs) prep and file federal and state income tax returns. Personal filing is included for sole props. S corps, C corps, and partnerships add personal filing for 1 partner at $59/month billed annually or $69/month billed monthly. Grow and Core stop at the year-end package.
Catch-up (Retro) for months or years behind
A separate team reconstructs overdue books and produces a year-end package per year completed. Quote is fixed up front, not hourly. Retro page starts at $299/month. Then you move onto a monthly Grow or Core plan.
Hourly bookkeeper inside QuickBooks Online
QBO Certified Bookkeeper is $55/hour plus $1,200 onboarding. Experts work in your QuickBooks Online file. Full accrual lives on this service line. The default Bench ledger is modified cash with limited accrual adjustments, and it does not sync to QuickBooks or Xero.
Pricing
A shop under $250k in annual revenue that qualifies for Grow pays $199/month or $1,910/year. A typical 5-person service shop over that line is on Core at $399/month or $3,830/year. Add tax filing and it is $599/month or $5,750/year. An S corp that also wants one personal return pays another $59/month on annual billing ($69 month-to-month). Catch-up is a separate fixed quote that starts at $299/month on the Retro page. The QuickBooks path is $55/hour plus $1,200 onboarding; four hours a month is $220 plus that setup fee, and it is not a flat close. Stripe or Gusto referrals can take up to 30% off. FAQ: published prices are starting points and scale with complexity. Monthly cancel needs 15 days' notice before renewal; annual needs 60 days.
Bookkeeping Grow
Lean US shop under $250k annual revenue. Eligibility check. Monthly books and a year-end package, with scheduled touchpoints.
- Dedicated bookkeeping team
- Monthly books and year-end tax-ready package
- P&L, balance sheet, and 1099 reporting
- Pre-scheduled communication touchpoints
Bookkeeping Core
Same monthly close when you want unlimited messages with the team.
- Everything in Grow
- Unlimited communication with your bookkeeping team
- Custom categorizations
Bookkeeping Core + Tax
Core plus licensed tax pros who file the income tax return.
- Everything in Core
- Business income tax filing (partnership, S corp, C corp)
- Personal filing included for sole props
- Personal filing add-on for 1 partner/shareholder: $59/mo annual or $69/mo monthly
QBO Certified Bookkeeper
Keep QuickBooks Online. Buy hours, not a flat monthly Bench ledger.
- Certified experts work inside your QuickBooks Online file
- Hourly support and virtual sessions
- Custom scope, including full accrual
Catch Up / Retro
Months or years behind. Fixed quote, then move to a monthly plan.
- Historical books and a year-end package per completed year
- No hourly catch-up rate
- Payment plans available (catch-up page: up to 12 months)
Integrations
Platforms
Audience
Pick something else instead of Bench
Kick
Pick Kick instead if you will review the books yourself and want a replacement ledger without a monthly bookkeeping team. Kick starts at $0 / $40; Bench starts at $199.
Double
Pick Double instead if you are a firm closing many QuickBooks Online or Xero clients. Double is close software, not a bookkeeping service for one shop.
Pilot
Pick Pilot instead if you want a human bookkeeping and tax service that will put the file in QuickBooks Online (Pilot's own Bench-shutdown offer was a free migration into QBO).
Bookkeeper360
Pick Bookkeeper360 instead if you want humans on QuickBooks Online or Xero, plus payroll and advisory, and you do not want the books locked in Bench's software.