Everything founders ask before they hand over the books.
Straight answers on cost, timelines, software, security and who does the work. If your question is not here, ask a partner directly.
Still unclear?
A partner will answer directly, by email, without routing you through a sales sequence.
Ask a partnerWhat does outsourced bookkeeping cost?
Outsourced bookkeeping with AI Ledgerly costs $500 to $5,000 per month as a fixed fee. The figure is set by monthly transaction volume, the number of legal entities and currencies, and how many bank and payment accounts feed the ledger. Books plus management reporting runs $2,000 to $12,000 per month, and a full virtual CFO engagement runs $5,000 to $25,000 per month.
How fast can you take over our books?
Three weeks from signature to first close. Week zero is a partner review of your last two closes, weeks one and two cover chart of accounts cleanup, backlog clearance and process documentation, and your first month end close lands by the tenth working day of week three.
Do we have to change accounting software?
No. We work in QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books, NetSuite and Tally. If migrating would genuinely save you money we will say so and price it as a separate project. Otherwise we stay where you are.
Who will I actually be working with?
A named account manager for day to day work and a named chartered accountant partner who reviews and signs off everything that leaves our office. Both are introduced before you sign, and neither changes without notice.
Is our financial data secure?
Yes. Work is performed under a signed engagement letter and NDA, with role based access to your systems, least privilege by default, no client data stored on local machines, and completion of your own vendor security review before onboarding rather than after.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and a virtual CFO?
A bookkeeper records what already happened. A virtual CFO uses those records to decide what happens next: pricing, runway, hiring, funding and capital structure. AI Ledgerly provides both under one engagement, so the numbers behind the advice are the numbers in your ledger.
Is there a minimum term?
Three months, then thirty days notice. Onboarding takes about three weeks, so a shorter term would not be honest about how long it takes to see the benefit.
Do you work with US and UK accounting standards?
Yes. The team works to US GAAP, UK GAAP, IFRS and Ind AS, and our partners have delivered IFRS and US GAAP group reporting and convergence projects. Tax filings in your jurisdiction are handled with a licensed local partner.
Where does the technology come in?
In the parts of the work that should never have been manual: document capture, coding suggestions, reconciliation matching and exception flagging. It makes the close faster and cheaper. Every judgement, and every number that reaches you, is reviewed by a qualified accountant.
What happens if we want to bring finance back in house?
You take everything with you. The ledger is in your software under your licence, the standard operating procedures are written in your document store, and we will train your new hire during the handover at no additional cost.