Ledgers Franchise Cost, Revenue and Closure Rate (2026 FDD)
Ledgers is one of the franchises we compare in our bookkeeping services guide. Here is what it costs to open, what it charges every month, what its franchisees report taking in, and how many outlets closed in a year.
Where these numbers come from
The figures come from Ledgers's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), the document every franchisor must give buyers before they sign. Revenue figures are sales as the brand reports them, before royalties and costs. They are not profit, and not a promise of what you would earn.
Preview: figures awaiting verification
Some numbers on this page haven't been checked against their sources yet.
What it costs
- Initial investment (FDD Item 7, includes the franchise fee)
- $48,200 – $89,700Pending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026FDD Item 7. Includes $35,000 paid to the franchisor. The low end is for a remote, home-based office or a converted existing business.
- Franchise fee
- $35,000Pending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026FDD Item 5. 10% discount for active-duty service members and veterans. The franchisor may finance up to 100% of the fee at 12% interest over 48 months (Item 7, note 1).
- Royalty
- 10% of revenuePending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026FDD Item 6: 10% of gross revenues.
- Marketing fund
- 3% of revenuePending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026FDD Item 6: advertising fee, 3% of the previous month's gross revenues.
Compared with starting your own
- Ledgers initial investment
- $48,200 – $89,700Pending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026FDD Item 7. Includes $35,000 paid to the franchisor. The low end is for a remote, home-based office or a converted existing business.
- Independent bookkeeping services startup cost
- $90 – $1,589*Pending verificationSourcesApple Store — Buy 13-inch MacBook Air(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Intuit QuickBooks — QuickBooks Online Accountant / Intuit Accountant Suite page(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Xero — Partner program (US)(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026California Secretary of State — Business entities fee schedule (Rev. 06/2018)(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 30, 2026Last verified October 30, 2026Computed from 3 startup budget line items: lean plan low to professional plan high. Some lines are not sourced yet and are excluded.
The independent figure is our startup budget from the guide, lean plan low to professional plan high, with no franchise fee and no royalties afterwards. * Some startup lines aren't sourced yet and are left out, so the real figure is higher.
What franchisees report taking in (FDD Item 19)
Item 19 reports 2025 gross revenue for just the 2 Ledgers outlets open three or more years; all 16 outlets that opened in 2025 were left out.
- Average 2025 gross revenue (2 franchised outlets open 3+ years; gross sales, not profit)$294,192 a yearPending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026The FDD also gives this as the median, since there are only two outlets. FDD Item 19. Based on only 2 outlets open 3+ years (one storefront, one virtual); 16 outlets that opened in 2025 were excluded. Gross revenue before royalties and all expenses — not profit. Some outlets have earned this amount; your results may differ.
- Highest 2025 gross revenue of those 2 outlets (gross sales, not profit)$364,474 a yearPending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026FDD Item 19. Based on only 2 outlets open 3+ years (one storefront, one virtual); 16 outlets that opened in 2025 were excluded. Gross revenue before royalties and all expenses — not profit. Some outlets have earned this amount; your results may differ.
- Lowest 2025 gross revenue of those 2 outlets (gross sales, not profit)$223,911 a yearPending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026FDD Item 19. Based on only 2 outlets open 3+ years (one storefront, one virtual); 16 outlets that opened in 2025 were excluded. Gross revenue before royalties and all expenses — not profit. Some outlets have earned this amount; your results may differ.
Copied exactly from the brand's disclosure. These are sales before royalties, wages and other costs, not profit.
Outlets and closures (FDD Item 20)
- Franchised outlets at the start of 2025
- 2Pending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026Closures = terminations + non-renewals + outlets that stopped operating in 2025 (FDD Item 20, Table 3). Too small to mean much: the brand started 2025 with only 2 franchised outlets. Earlier years were worse: 3 of 8 outlets ceased operations in 2023 and 3 of 4 in 2024.
- Franchised outlets at the end of 2025
- 16Pending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026Closures = terminations + non-renewals + outlets that stopped operating in 2025 (FDD Item 20, Table 3). Too small to mean much: the brand started 2025 with only 2 franchised outlets. Earlier years were worse: 3 of 8 outlets ceased operations in 2023 and 3 of 4 in 2024.
- Closed during the year (terminated, not renewed, or stopped operating)
- 0Pending verificationSourceLedgers (unit) 2026 FDD (Minnesota CARDS), issued April 29, 2026(opens in a new tab)Tier 1 · Primary source · Accessed October 31, 2026Last verified October 31, 2026Closures = terminations + non-renewals + outlets that stopped operating in 2025 (FDD Item 20, Table 3). Too small to mean much: the brand started 2025 with only 2 franchised outlets. Earlier years were worse: 3 of 8 outlets ceased operations in 2023 and 3 of 4 in 2024.
- Closure rate (our calculation)
- Too small to rate
The closure rate is closures divided by franchised outlets at the start of the year. We don't rate brands that started the year with fewer than 10 outlets: a single closure would swing the rate too far. Outlets sold to a new owner aren't counted as closures. Closure rates for every brand.
Risk Meter for bookkeeping services
1.7 out of 5 (Low risk)
The score covers the kind of business, not this brand alone, from 6 factors with data (1 is the lowest risk). See every factor · How we score risk
What the franchise gives you
- Combined bookkeeping, payroll, tax preparation and advisory brand
- Initial training
- Optional central processing: the franchisor can prepare some returns and books for your clients for a fee
- Franchisor financing available for the initial fee
- A network of other owners to learn from
The Bookkeeping Services guide · Bookkeeping Services franchise vs. independent · All franchise brands