Direct answer: In 2026, monthly accounting services in China typically cost RMB 1,500–8,000 for a small WFOE or trading company, RMB 4,000–15,000 for a mid-size manufacturer or service company with more transactions, and RMB 8,000–30,000+ for a multi-platform e-commerce or multi-entity group. The final price depends on transaction volume, number of entities, platforms, inventory, currencies and reporting requirements, not just revenue size.
1. Why accounting service pricing in China is rarely uniform
The monthly fee for accounting services in China is not a standard SKU. A trading WFOE with twenty invoices a month and a consumer brand selling on Tmall, JD, Douyin and cross-border stores may pay very different fees even if their reported revenue is similar.
What moves the price is the work behind the numbers: number of transactions, source-document quality, bank accounts, payment providers, platform settlements, refunds, inventory movements, intercompany flows, foreign-currency conversions and the number of management reports.
2. 2026 monthly price ranges by company type
| Company type | Monthly accounting range | Typical scope | What usually increases the fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small WFOE / trading company | RMB 1,500 – 4,000 | Bookkeeping, VAT filing, CIT prepayment, basic bank reconciliation, monthly report | Multiple banks, cross-border receipts, export invoices, related-party transactions |
| Mid-size manufacturer / service company | RMB 4,000 – 10,000 | Full bookkeeping, VAT/CIT/IIT filings, bank and AP reconciliation, inventory interface, standard reports | More entities, cost-center reporting, inventory complexity, export or import documentation |
| E-commerce seller (multi-platform) | RMB 6,000 – 20,000 | Platform reconciliation, refund tracking, commission handling, multi-store reporting, tax filing | Number of stores, monthly order volume, SKU count, advertising cost allocation, cross-border flows |
| Group / holding structure | RMB 15,000 – 40,000+ | Consolidation support, intercompany reconciliations, group reporting packs, transfer-pricing documentation, audit support | Number of entities, jurisdictions, materiality, reporting deadlines, audit readiness |
Note: These are market ranges based on quotes commonly seen in tier-1 and tier-2 cities. Actual quotes vary by city, firm brand, service depth and historical record quality. The table is a planning guide, not a fixed price list.
3. What is normally included in the monthly fee
- Bookkeeping: recording invoices, receipts, bank transactions and vouchers in the accounting system.
- Statutory tax filing support: preparing VAT, CIT prepayment and related schedules within the agreed scope.
- Bank reconciliation: matching cash movements to the ledger and listing open items.
- Basic reporting: profit and loss, balance sheet and cash-movement summary.
- Document organisation: indexing fapiao, bank slips and supporting files for retrieval.
- Compliance calendar tracking: monitoring filing deadlines and notifying the client of missing documents.
4. What is usually quoted separately
- Annual audit: performed by a licensed Chinese CPA firm, not the monthly bookkeeping provider.
- Annual CIT reconciliation: deeper review and adjustment work at year-end.
- Tax clearance / tax deregistration: one-off projects for closure or major restructuring.
- Historical clean-up: bringing messy prior-year books into shape.
- Management reporting and HQ packs: group bridges, store-level profit, forecasts and variance analysis.
- Platform or ERP integration: building automated reconciliations from Tmall, JD, Douyin, Shopify or ERP systems.
- Legal, payroll, HR or customs advice: these are separate specialist services.
5. How to compare accounting quotes without buying the wrong scope
- Compare deliverables, not only the headline price. Ask each firm to list the monthly reports, reconciliations, filing support, response time and document-handling steps.
- State your transaction reality. Disclose number of banks, platforms, stores, currencies, warehouses, intercompany flows and monthly transactions. A quote without this context is unreliable.
- Ask for the exception process. How are missing documents, unidentified bank receipts, refund disputes or platform reconciliation gaps handled?
- Confirm reporting language. Chinese statutory reports are standard; English management packs, group bridges and variance explanations are usually extra.
- Check audit and year-end handover. Will the monthly provider prepare clean year-end files for the statutory auditor, or will that be a separate bill?
6. Where Caigeek fits
Caigeek provides accounting and finance operations support for foreign companies and e-commerce businesses operating in China. Pricing is scoped after mapping the transaction volume, platforms, entities, inventory, reporting needs and historical record state. Caigeek is not a statutory audit firm; audit services are provided by licensed CPA firms.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is the average monthly cost of accounting services in China?
For a small WFOE or trading company, RMB 1,500–4,000 per month is common. Mid-size manufacturers and service companies often fall in the RMB 4,000–10,000 range. Multi-platform e-commerce sellers and groups usually start higher and scale with transaction volume.
2. Do accounting firms in China charge by revenue or by transaction volume?
Most quote by workload: number of transactions, invoices, bank accounts, platforms, entities and reporting complexity. Revenue alone is not a reliable price driver.
3. Is annual audit included in the monthly accounting fee?
No. Annual audit must be performed by a licensed Chinese CPA firm and is normally quoted separately. A good monthly provider should prepare clean handover files, but the audit fee is separate.
4. What makes accounting more expensive for e-commerce companies?
Platform settlements, refunds, commissions, advertising accruals, multiple stores, SKU-level inventory, cross-border receipts and reconciliation with payment providers all increase the workload.
5. Can I negotiate a fixed annual fee?
Yes, but only after the provider has processed at least one representative month. A fixed fee before understanding the transaction profile often leads to scope disputes later.
6. What should be in a China accounting services quote?
Deliverables, excluded items, response time, filing responsibilities, document-handling rules, reporting language, exception process, archive custody and year-end audit handover terms.
7. Are cheaper accounting services in China risky?
A low headline price is acceptable if the scope is genuinely limited. Risk rises when the price does not cover reconciliation, exception handling or year-end readiness, leaving the company to discover problems at audit or tax review time.
Important notes
This article provides general procurement and finance-management information for foreign companies operating in China. It is not accounting, tax, legal, audit or investment advice for a specific company. Rules and deadlines should be confirmed with the local tax bureau, market regulation department and a licensed professional adviser.