How to Price Bookkeeping Services in the UK When Receipt Scanning Is Part of the Work
If you're doing receipt scanning for clients and not charging separately for it, you're almost certainly working for free on a portion of every engagement. It's one of the most common ways bookkeepers quietly erode their margins, and it happens for a simple reason: when receipt volumes are unpredictable, it feels easier to wrap everything into a flat monthly fee and hope it evens out.
It rarely does.
This guide covers three practical packaging models for pricing receipt scanning into your bookkeeping services, how to talk to clients about the change, and what the market currently looks like for UK practices that have made the shift.
Why Flat Fees Break Down When Receipt Volumes Vary
Flat-fee bookkeeping packages work well when the scope is stable. But receipt processing is inherently variable. A client who trades seasonally might submit 20 receipts in January and 200 in November. A sole trader during a growth phase doubles their supplier count overnight.
When you've priced on an assumed average and volume spikes, one of three things happens: you absorb the extra time, you rush the work, or you have an uncomfortable conversation about fees mid-engagement. None of those outcomes is good for your practice or your client relationship.
According to ICAEW's 2023 practice survey, time written off due to scope creep is one of the top three profitability challenges for small accountancy practices in the UK. Receipt processing, particularly for businesses that haven't adopted proper digital records, is a frequent contributor.
The answer isn't to refuse receipt work. It's to price it so the fee moves with the volume.
Three Packaging Models for Receipt Scanning
There's no single right approach. The model you choose depends on your client mix, your appetite for admin, and how you want to position the service. Here are three that work in practice.
Model 1: Per-Client Add-On Fee
The simplest approach. You add a fixed monthly line item for receipt scanning to each client's engagement, regardless of volume.
Typical range for UK practices: £15 to £40 per client per month, depending on expected volumes and the software you're using to process them.
