Bookkeeping Services Durban covers the day-to-day recording that everything else depends on: capturing invoices, reconciling bank accounts, managing debtors and creditors and keeping the ledgers ready for VAT, payroll and year-end.
Get it wrong and every downstream number is wrong too. Most expensive year-end fees start as cheap bookkeeping.
Your monthly transaction volume, number of bank accounts, VAT status and current software. Bookkeepers in Durban will quote a monthly fee.
Get Quotes From Accountants in DurbanWhat Bookkeeping Covers
| Task | Frequency | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Capturing sales and purchase invoices | Daily or weekly | Keeps the ledgers current |
| Bank and credit card reconciliation | Monthly, ideally weekly | Confirms nothing is missing |
| Debtors management | Monthly | Age analysis and follow-up |
| Creditors management | Monthly | Age analysis and payment scheduling |
| Petty cash and card recons | Monthly | Supports expense claims |
| VAT record keeping | Monthly or bi-monthly | Valid tax invoices for input claims |
| Payroll journals | Monthly | Links payroll into the ledgers |
| Trial balance and year-end file | Annually | Hands over to the accountant |
Bookkeeping stops at the trial balance. Financial statements, tax returns and assurance work sit with an accountant or auditor.
Bookkeeper, Accountant Or Both
- Bookkeeper. Records transactions, reconciles and produces a trial balance. Cheapest per hour.
- Accountant. Reviews the bookkeeping, prepares financial statements, files returns and advises. More expensive per hour, and you need far fewer of them.
- Tax practitioner. A separate SARS registration. Anyone submitting returns on your behalf for a fee must hold one.
Smaller Durban businesses commonly use one firm for both. Larger ones split: an internal or outsourced bookkeeper captures daily, an accounting firm reviews and files. The full picture is on Accountants Durban.
Catching Up On Backlogs
Behind by a year or more is common and fixable. Firms quote catch-up work per year or per month of backlog, and it costs more per month than current work because everything has to be reconstructed at once.
- Pull bank statements first. They are the backbone of a reconstruction and the cheapest thing to obtain.
- Expect returns to follow. Catching up books usually surfaces unfiled VAT201s, EMP201s or ITR14s, and SARS penalties may already be running.
- Deal with the oldest year first. Opening balances have to be right before later years mean anything.
- Get a fixed quote per year. Open-ended hourly catch-up work is where budgets disappear.
Bookkeeping Services Durban Prices
Indicative monthly fees, excluding VAT, priced on transaction volume rather than turnover.
| Monthly transactions | Indicative monthly fee | Typical business |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 50 | R900 - R1,800 | Freelancer, small consultancy |
| 50 - 150 | R1,800 - R3,200 | Small trading business |
| 150 - 400 | R3,200 - R6,000 | Established SME |
| 400 - 800 | R6,000 - R10,500 | Busy retail or distribution |
| 800 - 2,000 | R10,500 - R20,000 | High-volume operation |
| Add VAT processing | R750 - R2,200 per return | Monthly or bi-monthly |
| Add payroll | R90 - R220 per payslip | Minimum fee usually applies |
| Catch-up work, per year behind | R4,500 - R25,000 | Volume and record quality |
| Hourly rate | R250 - R600 per hour | For ad hoc work |
Indicative Durban ranges, not a quotation. A transaction is a line on a bank statement or an invoice captured. Count a typical month before asking for quotes, because it is the single biggest driver of the fee.
Send your monthly volumes and compare fixed fees rather than hourly estimates.
Compare Bookkeepers in DurbanFrequently Asked Questions
How much does a bookkeeper cost in Durban?
Roughly R900 to R1,800 a month excluding VAT for under 50 transactions, R1,800 to R3,200 for 50 to 150, and R3,200 to R6,000 for 150 to 400. VAT and payroll processing are usually charged on top.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?
A bookkeeper records transactions up to trial balance. An accountant reviews that work, prepares annual financial statements, files tax returns and advises. Many firms provide both under one fee.
How far back can bookkeeping be caught up?
As far back as your records allow. Banks generally provide statements for at least five years, and SARS expects records to be kept for five years from submission. Expect R4,500 to R25,000 per year of backlog.
What records do I need to keep?
Bank statements, supplier invoices, customer invoices, payroll records, asset purchase documents and VAT documentation. SARS requires these to be retained for five years, and electronic copies are acceptable.
Which accounting software should I use?
Xero, Sage Business Cloud and QuickBooks Online are the common cloud options. Pastel remains widespread in older Durban businesses. Pick what your bookkeeper knows well, and hold the licence in your own name.
Related Accounting Services in Durban
Accountants Durban is a free quote-comparison service. The accounting, tax and audit work is carried out by the independent firms and practitioners that quote you, and your engagement is with the firm you appoint. Ask each firm for its registration details, professional body membership and a written engagement letter before appointing anyone.
Bookkeeping Services Durban. Compare monthly bookkeeping fees from bookkeepers and firms covering Durban.
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Send your transaction volume, VAT status and software, and bookkeepers will quote directly.
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