Pricing · Outsourced controller · Fixed monthly retainer
Outsourced controller pricing. One fixed retainer for owning the close.
A controller is priced on responsibility, not hours: someone owns the close, the accuracy of the statements and the controls around them. At TechBrot that is a fixed monthly retainer of $2,000–$5,000, set in a written scope after a free discovery call — the exact number in writing before you commit. No hourly billing.
Outsourced controller: $2,000–$5,000/month · fixed monthly retainer against a written scope · no hourly billing · the retainer covers close management, financial-statement oversight, internal controls, bookkeeping supervision, the reporting package and coordination with your CPA · where you land in the band depends on entities, transaction complexity, close cadence and how many people rely on the statements · the exact number is in the written scope before any work starts.
TechBrot Inc. · independent bookkeeping and advisory firm led by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor — not a CPA firm and not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
Intuit certifications
Every engagement is reviewed by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor (QuickBooks Online Level 2, Payroll) — verification on request. Intuit’s ProAdvisor program becomes ProPartner Accountants in early 2027; the certifications continue.
Outsourced controller pricing, in five questions.
How much does an outsourced controller cost?
$2,000–$5,000 a month at TechBrot, as a fixed retainer against a written scope — not hourly. The exact number is set after a free discovery call and confirmed in writing before you commit.
What does the controller retainer cover?
Close management, financial-statement oversight, internal controls, bookkeeping supervision, the reporting calendar and package, and coordination with your CPA and payroll and sales-tax providers.
What decides where I land in the band?
How much there is to own each month: the number of entities, the complexity of the transactions, how fast and how often the close runs, and who relies on the statements — a lender, board, investor or buyer.
How is a controller priced differently from bookkeeping and a CFO?
Bookkeeping is priced on transaction volume ($400–$2,500+/mo). A controller is priced on responsibility for the numbers ($2,000–$5,000/mo). A fractional CFO is priced on strategic judgment ($3,000–$8,000+/mo).
Does the controller retainer include tax filing or an audit?
No. TechBrot is not a CPA firm and does not perform audits, reviews, compilations, or income-tax filing. The controller coordinates with your CPA, who files.
What an outsourced controller costs.
An outsourced controller at TechBrot is a fixed monthly retainer of $2,000–$5,000. It sits between monthly bookkeeping ($400–$2,500+/mo, priced on transaction volume) and a fractional CFO ($3,000–$8,000+/mo, priced on strategic judgment): the controller is priced on responsibility for the numbers — owning the close, the accuracy of the statements and the controls that keep them right. The exact retainer is set in a written scope after a free discovery call, before you commit. No hourly billing.
Six things you are paying someone to own.
The full service is on the outsourced controller page. The retainer is the same scope every month, written down.
Close management
The month-end close on a published calendar — reconciliations verified, accruals posted, the period locked on time, every month.
Financial statement oversight
The P&L, balance sheet and cash flow reviewed for accuracy and reasonableness before they go out — catching what the bookkeeping process misses.
Internal controls
Controls sized to the business — approvals, segregation of duties, spend authorization, reconciliation review — so the books are not protected by one person’s memory.
Bookkeeping supervision
Someone reviewing and directing the people who record the transactions — TechBrot’s bookkeeping, your internal staff, or a mix.
Reporting calendar & package
A reliable reporting calendar and the monthly package for leadership, the board or lenders — consistent format, on schedule, defensible.
CPA & vendor coordination
Year-end and tax coordination with your CPA, and the payroll and sales-tax providers kept in step, so the whole finance function is managed.
Four things set where you land in the band.
None of them is hours. Each one changes how much there is to own each month — and the written scope names which of them apply to you.
How many sets of books
One operating company is one close. A holding company with subsidiaries, intercompany balances or multi-state operations is several closes plus the work of tying them together.
What the transactions ask of the close
Inventory, job costing, deferred revenue, payouts from several sales channels or multiple bank and card accounts each add reconciliation and review work to every month.
How fast and how often the close runs
A close that must lock within days for a lender or board, or reporting that runs weekly as well as monthly, needs more sustained ownership than a standard monthly close.
Who relies on the statements
When a lender covenant, an investor, a board or a buyer’s diligence depends on the numbers, the review and the controls around them have to hold up outside the business.
Bookkeeping records it. The controller makes sure it is right. The CFO decides what it means.
- Monthly bookkeeping — $400–$2,500+/mo. Records and reconciles the transactions; priced on volume. Bookkeeping pricing.
- Outsourced controller — $2,000–$5,000/mo. Owns the close, the accuracy of the statements and the controls; priced on responsibility for the numbers. The controller service.
- Fractional CFO — $3,000–$8,000+/mo. Forecasts, strategy and board-level judgment; priced on depth of involvement. Fractional CFO pricing.
All ranges are TechBrot’s own published fixed fees; the full table is on the pricing page.
Four steps to a retainer in writing.
Discovery call
Free, 30 minutes: how your close runs today, who does what, what breaks, and what reporting you actually need.
A look at the books
When the call alone cannot size it, accountant-user access to your own QuickBooks file to see the state of the reconciliations and the close.
Written scope within 3 business days
The exact monthly retainer inside the $2,000–$5,000 band, the close calendar and the deliverables — in writing. If the books need a cleanup first, that is scoped separately.
You decide
Nothing starts until you accept the scope. It runs month to month against that written scope, with no long-term lock-in.
Controllership, not tax or audit.
The controller retainer keeps the books accurate and the close on schedule, and hands your CPA a year they can file from. It is not tax filing and not audit or assurance: TechBrot is an independent bookkeeping and advisory firm, not a CPA firm, and does not perform audits, reviews, compilations, or income-tax filing. Financial statements we prepare are unaudited, for internal management use, and provide no assurance.
Questions about outsourced controller cost.
How much does an outsourced controller cost per month?
Is there a cheaper option if I only need the close reviewed?
Do I need a cleanup before the controller retainer starts?
Is the retainer hourly, and is there a long-term contract?
Can the controller supervise my in-house bookkeeper?
How do I get an exact controller quote?
Start here
Get a controller number in writing.
Start with a free 30-minute discovery call. We look at how your close runs today, and if the fit is right you get a written scope — the exact monthly retainer, the close calendar and the deliverables — within 3 business days. Nothing starts until you accept it.
Tell us what’s wrong with the books. We’ll tell you whether cleanup, catch-up or monthly bookkeeping fits.
Call (877) 751-5575. If we miss you, a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor returns your call within one business day. Written fixed-fee scope within 3 business days. No hourly billing.