Bookkeeping Services in Singapore for Small Businesses

Clean, current books every month, reconciled on Xero and reviewed by a Financial Controller. Stop catching up on weekends and pay only for the transactions you actually have.

THE SERVICE

What is bookkeeping and what does the service cover?

Bookkeeping is the day-to-day recording of your business transactions: sales, expenses and bank movements, all logged and reconciled so your records are accurate and current. Our service does this for you each month in Xero, covering data entry, bank reconciliation, ledger maintenance and a clear monthly summary.

Done properly, bookkeeping is the foundation everything else stands on. Accurate books turn your financial statements, and your tax agent's filing work, into routine instead of a year-end scramble.

Each month we handle transaction recording, bank and credit-card reconciliation, accounts payable and receivable tracking, and a tidy set of books ready for reporting.

Monthly cycle On track
Transaction recording
DONE
Bank reconciliation
DONE
AP / AR tracking
DONE
Ledger review by FC
IN REVIEW
Monthly summary sent
PENDING

*Every account matched, every month

How They Connect
Bookkeeping (INPUT)

Records every sale, expense and bank movement. Keeps Xero accurate and current each month.

Data entryReconciliationLedger posting
Accounting (OUTPUT)

Uses clean books to produce financial statements, management reports and analysis.

StatementsReportsAnalysis
Tax Agent (FILING)

Files GST and corporate tax from the clean books and finished statements.

*We cover bookkeeping + accounting; tax agent covers filing

BOOKKEEPING VS ACCOUNTING

What's the difference between bookkeeping and accounting?

Bookkeeping records the transactions; accounting interprets them. A bookkeeper logs your sales, expenses and bank movements into Xero and reconciles them. An accountant uses those records to prepare financial statements and management reports. For most small businesses, one provider does both, while a tax agent handles the actual GST and tax filing.

This is the question we hear most. Put simply, bookkeeping is the input and accounting is the output. You cannot get accurate statements, or accurate tax filings from your tax agent, without clean books underneath them.

We cover both. Bookkeeping keeps your records current, and our wider accounting service turns them into statements and filings.

See our full accounting service →
PRICING

How much do bookkeeping services cost in Singapore?

Monthly bookkeeping for a Singapore SME typically costs S$90 to S$800, depending on transaction volume. A freelance bookkeeper runs S$300 to S$800 a month for basic scope, while DIY with Xero is about S$35 a month in software plus your own time. We price on your real transaction count, not a fixed tier.

The biggest cost driver is simple: how many transactions you have each month. A low-volume sole proprietor pays far less than a busy GST-registered company. We quote on that actual number so you never pay for a tier you haven't grown into.

See full pricing on our pricing page, or get a fixed bookkeeping quote in one short call.

Monthly Cost Options
DIY Xero software Your time + effort
S$35 /mo
Freelance bookkeeper Basic scope only
S$300+ /mo
AFSB managed service FC-reviewed, Xero included
S$90+ /mo
In-house bookkeeper Salary + CPF + benefits
S$3,500+ /mo

*AFSB price tracks your real transaction count

DIY Xero vs Outsourcing
DIY Xero

Works when:

  • ✓ Few transactions
  • ✓ Time available
  • ✓ Confident to reconcile

Fails when:

  • ✗ Volume grows
  • ✗ Books fall behind
  • ✗ Year-end scramble
AFSB Service

Always works:

  • ✓ Any volume
  • ✓ Always current
  • ✓ FC-reviewed
  • ✓ No weekends
  • ✓ Xero included

*Outsourcing gives you the same accuracy at a fraction of in-house cost

DIY VS OUTSOURCE

Should you DIY bookkeeping with Xero or outsource it?

DIY with Xero works while you have the time and your transaction volume is low. Once books start eating your evenings or you're unsure they're correct, outsourcing is the safer call. A full-time in-house bookkeeper costs S$3,500 to S$5,500 a month with CPF, so outsourcing gives you the same accuracy for a fraction of that.

DIY Xero suits you when you have few transactions, the time to keep up, and the confidence to reconcile correctly.

Outsourcing suits you when bookkeeping is falling behind, you're GST-registered, or you'd rather spend the hours on your business.

5 Warning Signs
1 You are doing books at the weekend
2 You are behind by more than a month
3 You are unsure your records are correct
4 Your statements are never ready on time
5 Your tax agent won't file until you clean up

Any one of these = time to outsource

It will save you money and stress.

WARNING SIGNS

How do you know it's time to outsource your bookkeeping?

Five signs say it's time: you're doing books at the weekend, you're behind by more than a month, you're unsure your records are correct, your statements are never ready on time, or your tax agent won't file until your books are cleaned up. Any one of these means outsourcing will save you money and stress.

Tax agents won't file on messy records, because they can't file accurately on bad data. Clean books aren't optional, they're the thing that lets everything else happen on time.

How it Works

How does the monthly bookkeeping service work?

Each month you connect your bank to Xero or send us your statements, invoices and receipts. We post and reconcile every transaction, flag anything unusual, and send you a clean set of books with a short summary. You review, and your records are ready for any filing that's due.

01

Connect or send records

Via Xero bank feed or secure file upload, statements, invoices and receipts.

02

We reconcile everything

Every transaction posted correctly and reconciled against your bank statements.

03

Clean books plus summary

You get clean books plus a plain monthly summary. Your records are ready for any filing due.

BACKLOG & CATCH-UP

Can you fix months of backlog?

Yes. If you're behind by several months or your Xero is a mess, we run a catch-up clean-up first, then move you onto a steady monthly cycle. Getting current is usually the fastest way to unblock your statements and your tax agent's filing.

Why choose accountantforsmallbusiness.com for bookkeeping?

Because your books are kept by a service and reviewed by a qualified Financial Controller, not handed to an anonymous data-entry clerk. Mehdi Javed brings 15+ years of multi-entity finance experience, so the numbers behind your statements are checked by someone who knows what they should look like.

  • Pricing tracks your real transaction volume, with no hidden tiers.
  • Everything runs on Xero, so you get real-time access to your own numbers.

Why it Matters

5 years IRAS record-keeping requirement
S$90/mo Starting price for clean books
28% faster Month-end close with clean books

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I do monthly or annual bookkeeping?
If you're GST-registered or want regular reports, choose monthly. Low-volume businesses needing only year-end compliance can start annual and upgrade as they grow.
Do you work in Xero?
Yes. We work in both Xero and QuickBooks Online, whichever you prefer. Both are SFRS-friendly and give you real-time access to your numbers.
Can you clean up months of backlog?
Yes. We run a catch-up first to get you current, then move you onto a steady monthly cycle.
Is bookkeeping required by law in Singapore?
Yes. IRAS requires businesses to keep proper accounting records for at least five years, so some level of bookkeeping is mandatory.
Does bookkeeping include GST and tax filing?
No. We keep your records clean and your statements ready, which is the foundation for filing. Your GST and corporate tax are filed by your tax agent, and clean books make their job accurate and on time.

Tired of weekend catch-ups?

Get a fixed bookkeeping quote based on your real transaction volume, and let us keep your books clean every month.

Get a bookkeeping quote  →

Accountant for Small Business is a remote accounting firm serving Singapore sole proprietors, Pte Ltd companies, e-commerce sellers and growing SMEs. We handle bookkeeping, CPF payroll, SFRS financial statements and monthly management reports, so your records stay clean, your tax agent can file on time, and you always know what you're paying.

Singapore-focused • Cloud-based delivery via Xero & QuickBooks • Fixed monthly fees • No hidden costs

Mehdi Javed Chat with Mehdi