An editable bookkeeping proposal covering services, volumes, monthly fee, timeline, pricing and next steps, with a filled-in example. No email required.
Sign to accept, pay the deposit and we’ll book the kickoff.
How to write a bookkeeping proposal
A good bookkeeping proposal is about the client, not you. It shows you understand their situation, proposes a specific way forward and makes the price and next step easy to find. Bookkeepers and accountants usually charge fixed monthly fees by volume of transactions and services, plus hourly rates for catch-up or advisory work.
Open with their situation, using the words they used on your call.
Make objectives measurable where you can, so success is shared.
Explain your approach by phase — for bookkeepers and accountants, typically onboarding and catch-up, monthly bookkeeping, quarterly returns, year-end.
Break the price down so the client can trade scope rather than question your rate.
Say what’s not included, such as tax advice beyond the listed returns.
End with one clear next step and a validity date.
The template
Cover
Proposal: [Project name] for [Client]
Prepared by: [Your name, business]
Date: [Date]
Valid until: [Date]
1. Your situation
[In the client’s words: where they are now, what they want to achieve and why now.]
2. Objectives
[Objective, ideally measurable]
[Objective]
[Objective]
3. Our approach
Onboarding and catch-up: [What happens and what the client sees]
Monthly bookkeeping: [What happens and what the client sees]
Quarterly returns: [What happens and what the client sees]
Year-end: [What happens and what the client sees]
4. Deliverables
[Reconciled monthly books]
[Monthly management report]
[Payroll and payslips]
[Tax returns as listed]
5. Timeline
Phase
Dates
Client input needed
Onboarding and catch-up
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Monthly bookkeeping
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Quarterly returns
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Year-end
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
6. Investment
Item
Description
Fee
Monthly bookkeeping
[Bank reconciliation and categorisation, up to 150 transactions]
[Fee]
Payroll
[Monthly payroll for 6 employees]
[Fee]
Sales tax return
[Quarterly return preparation and filing]
[Fee]
Catch-up bookkeeping
[Prior months’ reconciliation]
[Fee]
Total: [Amount, excluding tax]
Payment schedule: [e.g. 40% to start, 30% at milestone, 30% on completion]
7. Not included
[Tax advice beyond the listed returns]
[Audit or assurance work]
[Work on records before the start date unless quoted]
8. What we need from you
[Read-only bank feeds or statements each month]
[Receipts and invoices by the 5th of the following month]
[Prompt answers to queries on transactions]
9. Why us
[Two or three sentences and one relevant example or result. Keep it about the client’s problem.]
10. Next steps
[Sign below or reply to accept]
[Pay the deposit]
[Kickoff on date]
Accepted by: [Name, title]
Signature: [Signature]
Date: [Date]
How to fill it in
Write the client’s situation and goals in their own words, from your discovery call.
Turn goals into two or three objectives you can both recognise as success.
Set out your approach by phase and the deliverables at each step, such as “Reconciled monthly books”.
Add a timeline that shows where you need the client’s input or approval.
Price the work by item or phase, with a payment schedule.
List exclusions and what you need from the client, then add a clear way to accept.
Use it in Word, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: Ledgerline Accounting’s proposal for Moss & Pine Landscaping
Key sections from a proposal for a monthly bookkeeping and year-end accounts. Both companies are fictional.
Your situation
Moss & Pine Landscaping wants a monthly bookkeeping and year-end accounts. You told us the priority is getting it right first time, with clear approvals and no surprises on cost.
Our approach
Onboarding and catch-up: Reconciled monthly books
Monthly bookkeeping: Monthly management report
Quarterly returns: Payroll and payslips
Year-end: Tax returns as listed
Investment
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Monthly bookkeeping
Bank reconciliation and categorisation, up to 150 transactions
1 month
$350.00
$350.00
Payroll
Monthly payroll for 6 employees
6 items
$12.00
$72.00
Sales tax return
Quarterly return preparation and filing
Fixed fee
$180.00
$180.00
Catch-up bookkeeping
Prior months’ reconciliation
5 hours
$65.00
$325.00
Total: $927.00 excluding tax
What we need from you
Read-only bank feeds or statements each month
Receipts and invoices by the 5th of the following month
Prompt answers to queries on transactions
Proposal mistakes that lose work
Starting with your history. The client cares about their problem first; your credentials belong near the end.
A template that reads like one. Replace every generic sentence with something specific to this client.
Hiding the price. If they can’t find it, they can’t say yes.
Vague deliverables. Specific deliverables make the proposal easier to approve and the project easier to run.
No follow-up. Agree when you’ll check in before you send it.
Angelwood’s proposal software builds proposals and agreements from your own templates, shows when the client has opened them and collects e-signatures, with a countersignature to execute the agreement.
Open with the client’s situation and goal in their own words. For a monthly bookkeeping and year-end accounts, that means the outcome they want, not the services you sell. It proves you listened before you start selling.
02
Make scope easy to approve.
List deliverables and exclusions plainly. For bookkeepers and accountants, the usual disputes start with tax advice beyond the listed returns.
03
One clear next step.
End with how to accept, the deposit and the kickoff date. A proposal that ends with “let us know” waits in an inbox.
The services and their frequency, transaction volumes the fee assumes, what the client must provide and by when, software used, the monthly fee, what’s excluded and how fees change if volumes grow.
How long should a proposal be?+
As short as it can be while still defining the work. For most service projects, three to eight pages is enough. The client should be able to find the scope, price and next step in under a minute.
Should I put the price in a proposal?+
Yes. A proposal without a price can’t be accepted. Present it after the approach and value, broken into items or phases, and consider offering two or three options.
What’s the difference between a proposal and a contract?+
A proposal sells the work and sets out scope and price. A contract sets the legal terms. Many firms send a proposal that, once signed, incorporates their terms, or follow it with a separate agreement.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.