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    How Much Does a GAAP Conversion Actually Cost? Here’s How I Price It

    April 3, 2026

    I price every GAAP conversion as a fixed fee, agreed before any work starts. The fee depends on how many entities and accounting frameworks are in scope, how many technical memos your auditors will need, how many years we cover, the deadline, and how much of the preparation your finance team can do itself. It covers the first phase of a conversion, in which we identify and document the differences between your current GAAP and US GAAP. Calculating the adjustments, preparing US GAAP financial statements and working with your auditors is a second phase. Some finance teams do that part themselves; others ask me to scope it separately.

    This post sets out how I price that work and which variables move the fee. For a current estimate based on your own inputs, use the GAAP conversion cost calculator. For anonymized engagements taken from signed contracts, see GAAP conversion cost examples.

    Key takeaways

    • GAAP conversion cost is a fixed fee agreed before the work starts, paid in monthly installments.
    • Three packages (Essential, Premium and Elite) set the level of service; entities, frameworks and memos set where a project falls within them.
    • Technical accounting memos add to the fee, and they are usually needed for PCAOB audit or SEC filing readiness.
    • Your finance team’s preparation is the largest cost driver you control.
    • The fee covers Phase 1, assessing the differences; Phase 2, converting the numbers, is scoped separately.

    How GAAP conversion cost is structured: three fixed-fee packages

    My engagements are built around three packages: Essential, Premium and Elite. Each tier reflects a different level of service, scope and deliverables. Within each package, the mix of work, the number of entities and GAAP frameworks, the need for technical memos and the timeline set the final fee.

    Each package covers a different scope:

    • Essential. Typically a GAAP Summit workshop with preliminary US GAAP policy recommendations. The client’s finance team does the pre-work (chart of accounts mapping, current policy documentation), and I analyze the differences, run the workshop and provide a structured set of next steps. No memos and no financial statement preparation.
    • Premium. A more comprehensive engagement where I handle both the documentation and the analysis, including a GAAP conversion matrix, a half-day GAAP Summit and often one or two technical accounting memos. Suited to single-entity conversions where the finance team needs a specialist to run the process.
    • Elite. The full service, typically covering multiple entities or multiple GAAP frameworks, a complete conversion matrix, the workshop and two to three technical memos. Some Elite engagements also include preparation of US GAAP trial balances or financial statements and active auditor liaison.

    The fees are fixed, not hourly, so you know the cost upfront. Payments are spread over monthly installments (typically three to six), so there is no single large invoice at the start. The fee covers the defined scope, and any material additions are agreed separately.

    Five factors that move the fee within a tier

    Number of entities and GAAP frameworks

    A single-entity conversion from one local GAAP to US GAAP is the baseline. Each additional entity or GAAP framework adds scope: the analysis is not simply repeated, because the interplay between frameworks, the consolidation logic and entity-specific differences also have to be managed. For groups, see how to manage GAAP conversions for multiple subsidiaries across Europe.

    Internal preparation

    The largest variable across every engagement is how much pre-work your finance team can do. An Essential engagement assumes your team will map the chart of accounts, document current GAAP policies and come to the workshop prepared. A Premium or Elite engagement includes that documentation work on my side. Companies that invest in internal preparation consistently come in at the lower end of the range.

    Technical accounting memos

    These are formal written analyses of a specific accounting area under your target GAAP: revenue recognition, lease accounting, share-based compensation, R&D capitalization, financial instruments and similar areas. Each memo is a substantive piece of work that your auditors will rely on. Each memo adds to the fee, and memos are almost always needed for PCAOB audit or SEC filing readiness.

    Number of periods covered

    Most conversions cover one or two years of historical financials. Some, particularly those driven by a transaction, require three or more years. Each additional period adds scope, especially if trial balances need to be reconstructed from source data.

    Timeline

    Standard timelines run three to five months for most engagements. Expedited delivery carries a surcharge, which reflects the cost of reprioritizing other commitments for your project.

    Why GAAP conversion cost varies so widely

    The range is wide because the underlying work varies that much. A US agri-SaaS company bringing its UK subsidiary (FRS 102) and its US tax-basis books onto US GAAP is a different project from a streaming and entertainment group converting five jurisdictions to US GAAP with three technical memos and an audit timeline driving the schedule.

    Both are real engagements. The first was an Essential engagement; the second was an Elite engagement. In both cases the fee followed the scope: the number of entities, the frameworks involved and the number of memos. For how these fees compare with a Big 4 firm, an in-house hire or a controller-led conversion, see why a GAAP conversion specialist costs less than the alternatives.

    How to estimate your GAAP conversion cost

    For a current estimate based on your own entities, frameworks, periods and memos, use the GAAP conversion cost calculator. It takes about two minutes.