Comparison · Denpasar, Bali
Hourly work is right for a defined question. It is a poor fit for a repeating process, because the process itself — collecting, matching and explaining — is the cost.
The short answer
An hourly accountant suits a one-off task: a specific question, a single reconciliation, a short review. A monthly package suits a repeating cycle, because the fee is fixed, the deliverables are named and the schedule is agreed in advance.
At an illustrative Rp 450,000 per hour, our Starter fee of Rp 2,900,000 equals about 6.4 hours of ad-hoc work a month. If your records need more than six hours of attention, the package is the cheaper structure; if they need less, hourly may be.
Who this applies to
Owners and operators deciding between an ad-hoc accountant, a freelance bookkeeper paid by the hour, and a fixed monthly package with a stated reporting deadline.
Why it matters
The wrong model does not announce itself. It shows up as a month that cannot be explained, a payout nobody chased, or a filing pack assembled in a hurry from three sources.
Side by side
| Dimension | Hourly or ad-hoc accountant | Fixed monthly package |
|---|---|---|
| Price certainty | Varies with the work each month | Fixed monthly fee for an agreed scope |
| What is included | The task you asked for | Named deliverables: reconciliation, report, document register |
| Reconciliation | Only if separately requested | Part of the monthly cycle |
| Document chasing | Billed as it happens | Within the agreed cycle, listed in the document register |
| Reporting date | When the work is done | Target the 15th after complete documents |
| Year-end handover | Assembled on request | Maintained as the year proceeds |
| Scope creep | Absorbed into the hourly bill | Discussed and scoped before more work starts |
The honest test is your own document count: if assembling and matching takes you more than six hours a month, the fixed structure is usually cheaper and certainly more predictable.
How to decide
Each step below is something you can check against your own records today, without sending documents to anyone.
Hourly billing charges for the reconstruction of context: opening the file, working out which records are missing, asking for them, then doing the task. In a repeating cycle that context is re-built every month. In a package, it is built once and then maintained.
This is not an argument against hourly work. It is an argument against using it for a process that never ends, without agreeing what the process produces.
A fixed fee only holds if the scope defines the inputs: how many properties, how many bank accounts, which platforms, which suppliers and what happens when a document is missing. Out-of-scope work should be named before it is done, not billed after.
Ask any provider for the boundary in writing: what is included, what is quoted separately, and which tasks belong to a licensed adviser rather than the bookkeeper.
Example figures on this page are illustrative, prepared for a planning comparison, and are not a quote for your property.
Illustrative figures
| Hours needed each month | Hourly equivalent | Package comparison |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | Rp 900,000 | Below Starter; hourly is cheaper |
| 4 hours | Rp 1,800,000 | Below Starter; hourly is cheaper |
| 6 hours | Rp 2,700,000 | Close to Starter |
| 7 hours | Rp 3,150,000 | Above Starter |
| 10 hours | Rp 4,500,000 | Above Starter; Professional may fit |
Illustrative hourly equivalents at an assumed Rp 450,000 per hour (arithmetic, not a quote) The hourly rate is an illustrative planning assumption for comparison only. Our published fees are Starter Rp 2,900,000, Professional Rp 4,900,000 and Premium Rp 6,900,000 per month.
Published package prices: Starter Rp 2,900,000, Professional Rp 4,900,000, Premium Rp 6,900,000 per month; cleanup from Rp 7,900,000.
What owners get wrong
An hourly rate and a package fee are not the same unit. Compare what is produced at month end, not the price of an hour.
Coding transactions without tying the bank is a partial job. The difference surfaces later, usually at the worst time.
A fixed fee covers a defined scope. Records for extra properties, new platforms or two years of backlog change the scope and should change the conversation, not the invoice.
Practical checklist
None of these questions asks for a competitor's name. Each one can be answered in a sentence, and a vague answer is information too.
Questions are general. They are not legal, tax or immigration advice, and they do not create an engagement — see terms.
Questions
Straight answers, including the ones that end in "ask a licensed adviser".
It depends on the hours your records need. At an illustrative Rp 450,000 an hour, Starter equals about 6.4 hours; above that the package structure is usually cheaper, below it hourly may be.
Yes, and it is a sensible sequence: an initial review establishes the document state, then a monthly scope can be priced against real volumes instead of guesses.
Tax advice, tax filings, payroll execution, company formation, licensing and visa work. Those are separately scoped, and tax matters involve a licensed adviser.
Within an agreed monthly scope, ordinary questions about your own report are part of the engagement. Substantial additional work, such as a new property or a restatement, is scoped before it starts.
As a monthly report with a document register listing what is missing or unresolved, plus the working file on request. The sample report on this site shows the structure with fictional figures.
Or call +62 812-3740-2292. Do not send bank statements through the public form.
Services
This page compares service models and explains how to assess them. It is general information, not tax, legal or immigration advice, and it does not describe or rank any named provider. Prices shown for Bali Accounting are our published package prices; other figures are illustrative planning numbers. Tax treatment, filing obligations and licensing questions belong with a licensed adviser.
Last reviewed 2026-10-31. Contact details: WhatsApp +62 812-3740-2292, Panjer, Denpasar Selatan.
Client Advisory
Describe the documents you hold and what is currently unmatched. We will say whether the work is a monthly scope, a cleanup, or neither.