Monthly or Once-a-Year Bookkeeping: Which Suits a Small Company?
Every company keeps books. The question for a small company is when: written up once a year, after the year has ended, so the accounts can be audited and the tax return filed — or kept current every month, so the numbers are there whenever someone needs them. The first costs less. The second is worth more to some companies than others.
What "once a year" means
With annual bookkeeping, the year's bank statements, invoices and receipts are processed together after the year end. The result is the same set of books — a ledger, a trial balance, the financial statements your auditor works from — produced in one go.
- It suits companies with few transactions, little change from month to month, and nobody asking for figures during the year: a holding company, a company with one or two clients, a business that is winding down.
- The trade-off: for most of the year you are running on your bank balance and memory. Questions about transactions come months after they happened, when receipts are harder to find. And the audit can only start once the write-up is done.
What "monthly" means
With monthly bookkeeping, transactions are processed as the month goes — daily for connected accounts — and each month is closed off. At any point the books are at most a few weeks behind.
- You see your numbers while they are useful: profit for the month, what customers owe you and how late they are, cash for the weeks ahead. (See what a monthly management pack contains and the 13-week cash flow forecast.)
- Questions are asked while they are fresh — which order a payment was for, the missing receipt from last week — not ten months later.
- The year end is mostly done when it arrives, so the audit and the profits tax return are not waiting on a write-up. (See profits tax deadlines.)
Five questions to decide
- How many transactions? Count the lines on your bank and payment-platform statements. A handful a month leans annual; dozens a month lean monthly — and very busy companies outgrow annual packages altogether.
- Who needs your numbers during the year? Directors, investors or a bank that wants regular management accounts mean monthly.
- How tight is cash? If a slow-paying customer could make next month difficult, you want to see it coming — monthly.
- Do you invoice from your books? Sending invoices that are booked as they go out and matched when paid works best with books that are kept current.
- How much does the year end cost you in time? If finding receipts and answering questions for a year-end write-up takes days of your time, monthly spreads that out to minutes.
What it costs
Certanta publishes both price lists. Monthly bookkeeping is priced by the average number of transactions a month, from HK$2,000 a month for up to 50; the annual package by the number in the year, from HK$4,800 for up to 120 (HK$2,800 for a dormant company). For a full year, side by side:
| Activity | Transactions a year | Monthly bookkeeping | Annual package |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very quiet — about 8 a month | ~96 | HK$24,00012 × HK$2,000 | HK$7,600HK$4,800 + Profits Tax Return HK$2,800 |
| Quiet — about 25 a month | ~300 | HK$24,00012 × HK$2,000 | HK$7,800return included |
| Steady — about 55 a month | ~660 | HK$36,00012 × HK$3,000 | HK$12,800return included |
| Busy — about 80 a month | ~960 | HK$36,00012 × HK$3,000 | Not offeredannual packages go up to 720 a year |
On fees alone, annual is clearly cheaper — and for a quiet company that needs nothing during the year, it is the right choice. Monthly costs more because it is more work done more often, and it buys current numbers, earlier questions, a year end that is already mostly done, and the reports and invoicing that depend on books being up to date. The first two accounts are included in both; each extra bank or payment account is HK$150 a month or HK$900 a year. Full details on the pricing section.
How Certanta does both
- The same books either way — true double-entry, every entry checked by a bookkeeper, source documents on every line, audit-ready at the year end.
- Monthly: daily feeds from connected accounts such as Airwallex, monthly statement upload for traditional banks, and each month closed off — with the management pack and cash-flow forecast built from current books.
- Annual: the year written up together, for companies with up to 720 transactions a year.
- The invoicing add-on (HK$300 a month for up to 30 invoices) is available on monthly plans, and on annual packages with an Airwallex bank feed or monthly statement upload.
Frequently asked questions
Is annual bookkeeping enough for a Hong Kong company?
It can be. The legal requirement is to keep proper records, have the annual financial statements audited and file the profits tax return — books written up once a year can meet that. Monthly bookkeeping is a choice for companies that need current figures during the year, or that have too many transactions to leave to the year end.
How much does monthly bookkeeping cost compared with annual?
At Certanta, monthly bookkeeping starts at HK$2,000 a month for up to 50 transactions a month (HK$24,000 a year); the annual package starts at HK$4,800 for up to 120 transactions a year, or HK$2,800 for a dormant company. The Profits Tax Return is included on monthly plans and on annual packages from 121 transactions a year.
How many transactions is too many for annual bookkeeping?
Certanta's annual packages go up to 720 transactions a year. Above that — roughly 60 a month — monthly bookkeeping is the option.
Can I switch from annual to monthly later?
Yes. Companies often start annual and move to monthly when activity grows, investors come in or a bank asks for management accounts; a company whose activity drops can move the other way.
What counts as a transaction?
One line on a bank or payment-platform statement — each deposit, payment, transfer or charge.
Not sure which one fits?
Tell us roughly how many transactions go through your accounts and who needs your numbers, and we will tell you which plan fits — and what it costs.
Open the demo See pricingPrices are Certanta's published fees as at 26 October 2026, in Hong Kong dollars. This article is general information, not advice for your company.