What Bench changed

• Added a mandatory 12-month commitment for monthly tax filing plans.
• Added a requirement to purchase tax services at least 3 months before filing deadlines to get monthly pricing.
• Clarified that "Bring Your Own Bookkeeping" (BYOB) clients are subject to a review and may be charged for cleanup.
• Specified that catch-up bookkeeping is billed at a discounted bundle rate when paired with annual packages.

Bench is tightening its terms to prevent customers from signing up only for tax season. By requiring a 12-month commitment and a 3-month lead time before deadlines, they are ensuring more predictable, year-round revenue and avoiding last-minute rushes.

• Added a "Fractional bookkeeper" service at $55/hr for QuickBooks users.
• Introduced "Bookkeeping Light" for micro-businesses under $250k revenue at $199/mo.
• Updated standard pricing to $399/mo for Bookkeeping and $649/mo for Bookkeeping + Tax.
• Added a 20% discount for customers who choose annual billing.
• Launched a 90-second interactive demo that does not require a signup or sales call.
• Simplified the homepage by removing long service descriptions and replacing them with a step-by-step "Getting started" guide.

Bench is shifting from a fixed-price software platform to a flexible service model. By offering hourly support inside a customer's own QuickBooks account, they are directly competing with traditional local accounting firms and freelance bookkeepers.

• Replaced the heading "Bench Accounting Consultation" with a more conversational prompt: "Let’s chat about your business and build the ideal setup to take bookkeeping off your plate for good."
• Removed the sub-text "See if Bench is right for your business. With Bench, you get both: A dedicated bookkeeper and the powerful software to back them up."
• Added a direct instruction for users to "Choose a time below to get started."

The company is moving away from generic "consultation" language toward a more benefit-driven approach. They are focusing on the outcome of "taking bookkeeping off your plate" to increase conversion rates for their sales calls.