Pricing Guide

Time tracking and billing software pricing for small firms

What small accounting firms actually pay for time tracking and billing software â€” per-user costs, invoice volume limits, and payment processing fees.

By Accounting Practice Workflows TeamLast reviewed: 2026-03-26

Contents

1.Billing software pricing overview (approximate, early 2026)
2.Total cost for a typical five-person firm
3.Reducing payment processing costs
4.The ROI calculation
5.Disclosure
6.Is free Harvest enough for a solo accountant?
7.Are payment processing fees tax deductible?
8.Should I pass payment processing fees on to clients?
9.What is the cheapest way to get time tracking plus invoicing?

Billing software pricing ranges from free (Harvest for solo users) to over $100 per month for full-featured platforms. The right spend depends on your billing volume, billing model complexity, and whether you need payment processing built in.

Billing software pricing overview (approximate, early 2026)

Tool	Starting Price	Model	Payment Processing	Best For
Harvest	Free (1 user) / $10.80/user	Per user	Via Stripe/PayPal	Simple hourly tracking
Ignition	~$99/mo (multi-user)	Per plan	2.9% + 30Â¢ per charge	Fixed-fee / proposals
FreshBooks	~$19-33/mo	Per plan (client limits)	2.9% + 30Â¢	Small firm invoicing
QuickBooks Time	~$20/mo + $8-10/user	Base + per user	Via QuickBooks	QBO-integrated firms
Clio	~$49/user/mo	Per user	Via LawPay/Stripe	Complex billing / trust

Total cost for a typical five-person firm

For a five-person accounting firm processing 50-100 invoices per month: Budget option: Harvest at $54 per month plus Stripe fees of approximately 2.9% on collected payments. Total approximately $100-200 per month depending on billing volume. Mid-range option: FreshBooks Plus or Ignition at $99-165 per month plus payment processing fees. Premium option: Clio or integrated billing through Karbon or TaxDome at $245-445 per month (but includes practice management features beyond billing). Payment processing fees typically add 2.5-3.5% for credit card payments or 0.5-1% for ACH bank transfers. For a firm billing $50,000 per month, that is $1,250-1,750 in processing fees alone.

Reducing payment processing costs

ACH bank transfers cost significantly less than credit card payments â€” typically $0.25-1.00 per transaction versus 2.9% + $0.30 for credit cards. Encouraging clients to pay via ACH can save hundreds per month for firms with high billing volumes. Some platforms negotiate lower processing rates for higher-volume clients. Ask about volume discounts if you process more than $25,000 per month in payments. Invoice payment terms also affect cost: net-15 terms with autopay enabled typically result in faster collection and fewer manual follow-ups than net-30 with no auto-collection.

The ROI calculation

Compare your billing software cost not to zero but to the cost of your current process. If assembling invoices manually takes your team five hours per month at $100 per hour, that is $500 in labor. A $100 per month billing tool that cuts that to one hour saves $300 net per month.

Disclosure

Some links on this page may be referral links. If you choose a tool through one of these links, it may support this site at no extra cost to you. We only include tools we would evaluate ourselves.

Is free Harvest enough for a solo accountant?

For basic hourly tracking and simple invoicing, yes. The free tier supports one user with unlimited time tracking and invoicing for up to 50 clients. The limitation is reporting â€” you will not get deep realization analysis. For many solo practitioners, this is sufficient for the first year or two.

Are payment processing fees tax deductible?

Yes, payment processing fees are a business expense. They reduce your taxable income. Factor the after-tax cost when comparing payment methods â€” a 3% processing fee might be an effective 2% after tax deduction, which is a reasonable cost for the convenience of faster collection.

Should I pass payment processing fees on to clients?

Some firms add a convenience fee for credit card payments, typically 2-3%. This is legal in most states but check your state's regulations. An alternative is offering a small discount for ACH payments, which frames it positively rather than as a surcharge.

What is the cheapest way to get time tracking plus invoicing?

Harvest free tier for time tracking plus Wave for invoicing and payment collection. Both are free for basic use. The tradeoff is manual data transfer between tools and limited reporting. For firms billing fewer than 20 clients per month with simple billing models, this works.

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