Introduction
If you run a small business anywhere in Australia, you have almost certainly found yourself staring at your laptop late at night searching “bookkeeping service fees” and hoping for a straight answer. You just want to know what it really costs before you commit, because the last thing any of us need is another expense that spirals out of control.
The team at Numberfied talks to owners in exactly that position every single day. That is exactly why we have always believed in being completely upfront about bookkeeping service fees from the very first click. No vague ranges, no hidden extras, just clear pricing that lets you plan properly.
This guide gives you the full picture of how bookkeeping is priced across Australia right now, what drives the monthly figure, what is included, what is not, and how to spot the good providers from the ones still playing old-school games.
The Key Points Most Owners Want First
- Almost every reputable bookkeeper now uses fixed monthly fees instead of hourly billing
- Your price is driven mainly by transaction volume and whether you have payroll
- A proper package includes BAS/IAS lodgements, payroll, software subscription and unlimited Australian support
- You can see your exact price online in under a minute with no sales call required
- The entire fee is 100 % tax-deductible, so the real cost is even lower than it looks
Why Bookkeeping Service Fees Are Worth Every Cent
Before we get into the pricing details, let us talk about the real reason most businesses finally make the switch. Plenty of owners start out thinking “I’ll just keep doing it myself and save the money”. We all did. But once the business grows past the very early stage, the hidden costs start piling up fast:
- You lose 8–20 hours a month on data entry and receipt chasing
- Deductions get missed because receipts disappear or you forget to claim them
- A late BAS or payroll mistake can trigger penalties and interest from the ATO
- You have no clear view of cash flow or which jobs and customers are actually profitable
- Tax time becomes a nightmare instead of a quick handover
When you add up the lost time, missed deductions and occasional penalties, most businesses we take on have already cost themselves far more than a year of professional bookkeeping service fees before they even reach out. The monthly investment almost always pays for itself through better compliance, bigger tax refunds and hours of time returned to the owner.
How Bookkeeping Service Fees Are Structured Today
Fixed Monthly Pricing Is the Clear Winner
Every modern practice worth considering has moved to a set monthly fee. You pay the same amount every month no matter how busy things get. Fixed-fee bookkeeping service fees give you certainty, make budgeting simple and remove the worry of a surprise invoice after a crazy quarter.
Straightforward Tiered Packages That Fit Your Stage
Most providers offer three or four easy-to-understand levels:
- Sole Trader / Contractor, no staff, lower transaction volume
- Growing Business, a handful of employees, regular payroll, and quarterly BAS
- Established Business inventory, job costing, multiple bank accounts, or entities
- Custom / High Volume e-commerce, franchises, or thousands of transactions a month
You start on the package that matches where your business is right now and only move up when you genuinely outgrow it.
Transaction Volume Is Still the Biggest Driver
A tradie with 150–300 bank lines a month pays much less than a cafe or online store processing 1,500–3,000 lines. The relationship between volume and bookkeeping service fees is direct and fair.
Payroll Adds a Predictable Component
The moment you hire even one employee you add weekly or fortnightly compliance work (Single Touch Payroll, super guarantee, leave accruals, PAYG). Good providers include a fixed payroll amount in the monthly fee rather than charging per payslip.
What Must Be Included in Your Monthly Bookkeeping Service Fees
When you choose a professional service today, the following should always be part of the standard price with no extra invoices:
- Full reconciliations for bank accounts, credit cards, PayPal, Stripe, Afterpay and every payment gateway you use
- Complete payroll processing, super payments and Single Touch Payroll reporting
- BAS and IAS preparation and electronic lodgement
- Monthly profit-and-loss statement and balance sheet in plain English
- Year-end accounts package ready for your accountant
- Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks Online subscription
- Daily backups and bank-level security
- Unlimited phone and email support from an Australian team
- Secure client portal or app so you can check your numbers anytime
If any of those items are listed as “optional extras”, you are looking at yesterday’s pricing model.
Common Items Some Providers Still Try to Charge Separately
Believe it or not, a few firms still treat these as add-ons:
- Lodging your BAS or IAS (the core reason most people hire a bookkeeper!)
- Payroll processing per employee
- Phone or Zoom support
- Software subscription
- Year-end preparation handover
Walk away if you see any of those on a separate line marked “additional fee”.
How Numberfied Structures Bookkeeping Service Fees
We stripped everything back to three simple rules:
- Answer five quick questions on the website → see your exact monthly price instantly
- No lock-in contracts, no cancellation fees, 30 days notice is all we ever need
- Your price stays locked until your transaction volume permanently moves into the next band
- Everything in the “must be included” list above is standard in every package
Hundreds of businesses right across Australia now enjoy the certainty and simplicity this model delivers.
Real-Life Examples of How the Packages Work
Just to help you picture it:
- A freelance designer or consultant with one bank account and no staff → entry-level package
- A plumbing company with two apprentices, a business account, and a credit card → mid-tier package
- A busy cafe with daily banking, ten staff on payroll, and stock → established package
- An online store doing high six figures with Shopify integration → custom high-volume package (still fixed and all-inclusive)
Every one of those businesses pays the same predictable amount month after month unless they genuinely grow into the next tier.
Red Flags When Comparing Bookkeeping Service Fees
Run (do not walk) from any quote that includes:
- “From $99 per month” headlines that disappear once you give your real numbers
- Large setup or onboarding fees of $500–$2,000
- Separate charges for BAS lodgement, payroll, or software
- 12- or 24-month contracts
- Providers who refuse to show pricing until you sit through a long sales presentation
- Hourly billing as the main pricing method
Those practices are unnecessary in today’s market.
The Hidden Cost of Staying DIY Too Long
We see the same story every week. Owners who have tried to save on bookkeeping service fees by doing it themselves eventually hit one (or more) of these:
- A painful ATO penalty for late or incorrect lodgement
- Thousands in missed deductions because receipts were lost or never entered
- Payroll errors that trigger Fair Work complaints or underpayment claims
- Zero visibility of cash flow, profit margins or job profitability
- Entire weekends lost to spreadsheets instead of family or revenue work
When you add it all up, the monthly professional fee suddenly looks like the bargain of the year.
When You’ll Know It’s Time to Outsource
Most businesses finally reach out once one of these becomes true:
- Weekends disappear chasing receipts and reconciling accounts
- You no longer know whether the business is actually profitable this month
- Payroll and super obligations start causing serious stress
- You are about to hire your first employee and want everything compliant from day one
- You have received an ATO notice that made your heart stop
- Your accountant has started adding “clean-up” fees because the file is messy
Any single one of those is a green light to get proper help.
What the Onboarding Process Actually Looks Like
Good providers make the switch painless:
- Accept the instant quote online
- Grant secure access to your bank feeds and software
- Send through a short checklist (ABN, last BAS, payroll details)
- We connect everything and start reconciling from the first day of the next month
- Any historical clean-up is done in the background at no extra cost
- You receive your first clean set of reports within 4–6 weeks
Most clients tell us the handover is the easiest part of the whole experience.
How Payroll Changes Everything
The day you hire your first employee, the workload jumps. You now have:
- Weekly or fortnightly pay runs
- Super calculated and paid on time
- Leave balances tracked correctly
- Single Touch Payroll reporting every single pay
- PAYG withholding and payment summaries at year-end
Trying to manage that on spreadsheets or basic software is asking for trouble. That is why every decent bookkeeping service fees package includes payroll as standard rather than nickel-and-diming per employee.
Why Cloud Software Has Made Professional Bookkeeping More Affordable
Bank feeds, receipt-scanning apps and automation now do 70–80 % of the manual work that used to take hours. That efficiency flows straight through to lower bookkeeping service fees for you, even though ATO compliance requirements have actually increased over the years.
The Tax-Deductibility Bonus
Every dollar you spend on bookkeeping service fees is 100 % tax-deductible as a legitimate business expense. Depending on your tax bracket that knocks 19–45 % off the real cost. Many of our clients find the after-tax price is less than they spend on coffee and lunches each month.
How to Compare Quotes Apples-for-Apples
When you are looking at different providers, ask these questions side-by-side:
- Is BAS/IAS lodgement included?
- Is payroll included?
- Is the software subscription covered?
- Is unlimited support included?
- Are there setup fees or cancellation penalties?
- Is historical clean-up included?
Once you line those up the answers, the true ongoing cost becomes crystal clear.
Conclusion
Bookkeeping service fees only feel confusing when the information is hidden or complicated. Once everything is laid out clearly, the decision is straightforward and the benefits are immediate.
Hundreds of Australian businesses have already moved to a simple, all-inclusive monthly plan that gives them accurate numbers, full compliance and hours of time back every month. They sleep better, grow faster and never dread another ATO letter.
If you are ready to see your exact price with zero pressure, head to https://numberfied.com/au right now. Answer the five quick questions and your personalised monthly figure appears instantly. From there you can book a short call if you want to chat, or simply get started whenever you are ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are bookkeeping service fees usually calculated for small businesses in Australia?
The monthly amount is based mainly on your average transaction volume each month and whether you have payroll, which ensures the pricing stays fair and matches the actual work required.
Why do most modern bookkeepers now use fixed monthly fees instead of charging by the hour?
Fixed fees give you complete certainty for budgeting and remove any worry about unexpected bills after a busy month, while encouraging the bookkeeper to work efficiently rather than stretching out the hours.
Is payroll processing included in standard bookkeeping service fees or is it treated separately?
At reputable providers, full payroll, Single Touch Payroll reporting, super payments and leave tracking are always part of the regular monthly package rather than an additional charge.
Do I have to pay extra for BAS and IAS preparation and lodgement?
No, preparing and lodging your BAS and IAS statements is a core part of the service and should always be covered in the monthly fee with no separate invoices.
Will my bookkeeping service fees automatically increase every year?
Your fee only changes if your transaction volume permanently moves into a higher band; otherwise it stays exactly the same with no annual increases.
Is the accounting software subscription included in the monthly bookkeeping service fees?
Yes, the full software licence (whether Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks) is always included so you receive just one simple invoice each month.
What happens if I have one unusually busy month with lots of extra transactions?
A temporary spike never affects your price because adjustments only happen when the higher volume becomes your new normal over several months.
Are there usually setup fees or charges for cleaning up historical records?
Modern providers include all onboarding and catch-up work in the standard package with no additional setup fees or cleanup charges.
Is everything I pay for bookkeeping service fees one hundred percent tax-deductible?
Yes, the entire monthly amount is a legitimate business expense and fully tax-deductible, which reduces the real cost depending on your tax rate.
How can I compare different providers fairly when looking at bookkeeping service fees?
Always check whether BAS lodgement, payroll, software, unlimited support and historical cleanup are truly included, and confirm there are no lock-in contracts or hidden extras.Ready to see your exact all-inclusive price with no pressure? Visit https://numberfied.com/au now and answer the quick questions for an instant personalised quote.
Also Read: Save Hours and Cash When You Outsource Bookkeeping Services for Your Small Business in Australia!