The Nashville Bookkeeping Cost Index
What 340 Middle Tennessee businesses actually pay to have their books kept — by revenue band, industry, and delivery model. Collected February 2026, published free, cite it however you like.
Headline findings
Up 9% year over year, driven almost entirely by wage pressure on staff accountants.
Of businesses under $5M. Above $15M, only 12% have no in-house accounting staff at all.
Nine days later than the businesses in the top quartile of self-reported financial confidence.
Among companies over $3M in revenue — the finding most likely to get picked up by press.
Monthly fee by revenue band
Median all-in monthly fee for outsourced bookkeeping and controller support, n=340. Chart is free to reproduce with attribution.
By industry
| Industry | Median / mo |
|---|---|
| SaaS & software | $3,420 |
| Healthcare practices | $2,760 |
| Construction & trades | $2,510 |
| Professional services | $1,980 |
| Restaurants & hospitality | $1,740 |
| Retail & e-commerce | $1,520 |
Full methodology, crosstabs, and print-ready charts. Contact Compass East for comment or custom cuts.
Per-industry notes
Revenue recognition and deferral schedules push SaaS to the top of the table — see section 02 for why the work is genuinely bigger.
Payor mix and per-provider reporting add complexity a generic close never touches.
Job costing and WIP schedules mean two sets of truth that must reconcile monthly.
Utilization and project margin reporting, but a simpler revenue model keeps fees mid-table.
High transaction volume, but standardized: POS integration does the heavy lifting.
Inventory is the wildcard — clean perpetual inventory keeps fees at the low end.
Industry deep-dives: construction & trades, restaurants & hospitality, and the SaaS economics behind the top line in section 02.
Methodology
The index is compiled from a February 2026 survey of 340 businesses across Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Sumner, Maury, and Montgomery counties, recruited through business associations and direct outreach — not from Compass East's client base, which is excluded to avoid selection bias. Respondents reported their all-in monthly spend on bookkeeping and controller-level support, delivery model (in-house, outsourced, hybrid), close timing, and accounting basis.
Figures reported are medians; revenue bands with fewer than 15 respondents are merged into their neighbors. Fees include software passed through by providers but exclude annual tax preparation. Year-over-year comparisons use the 210 businesses that responded in both 2025 and 2026.
Nashville Bookkeeping Cost Index, 2026 Edition. Published by Compass East, Nashville, TN. Data free to reproduce with attribution and a link to this page.
Compass East, "Nashville Bookkeeping Cost Index" (2026)Where do you land against the index?
Before you compare fees, compare condition — the books health check scores your close, controls, and reporting against the same businesses in three minutes.