Bookkeeping Services

Question:

Dear Rabbi,

Hi, if someone would like to open a bookkeeping business in which they charge 300 to 750 or more, depending on workload, would that be considered overcharging if the amount of work being done is only around 1-2 hrs hour per month for every client (using QuickBooks). The salary for a bookkeeper is usually around 40k so 3,000 monthly, but when outsourcing it would cost significantly lower for the client which is why this is a good business model since it is beneficial for both the client and the person. On the other hand, would it be considered undercharging? Although I don't think it would violate those rules because it is industry standard I nevertheless wanted to check because of the two opposing reasons stated above.

Answer:

You are correct to double-check things, and what you are writing is correct. It depends on industry standards. If this is the going rate and you are doing a satisfactory job, even though it is outsourced, as long as you are following industry practices, it is not considered onaah.

Thank you.