Accounting costs

Please note that the price information in this article was based on data from 2010 and may now be outdated.

Many small businesses don’t see the value of an accountant until tax time rolls around, and they’re scurrying around frantically trying to get everything in order. Before everything goes pear-shaped, it’s worth engaging the services of an accountant.

An accountant can even help you during the start-up phase with advice on registering your business and other fiddly tasks. On ServiceSeeking.com.au, accounting costs anywhere from $25 to $154 per hour for standard business accounting & advice, with an average of $60.50 per hour. For this price, accountants can look after your company structure, tax strategy and planning, budget forecasting and audits.

Preparation and lodgement of tax returns cost an average of $528 per job, while larger GST and indirect tax jobs cost a little more, with an average job clocking in at $1,291. Any basic accounting needs can normally be looked after by a bookkeeper for almost half the cost of an accountant. 

Charging an average of $38.17 per hour, bookkeepers can handle basic payroll administration and BAS statements, however, for more complex tax matters you should defer to a qualified accountant. Some bookkeeping businesses even offer training for an additional fee so businesses have a better understanding of the financial side of things.

This data was derived from more than 70,000 quotes submitted on the site between 1 October 2007 and 31 March 2010.