Bookkeeping Cost Calculator Australia
Free Australian bookkeeping cost calculator. Enter your monthly transaction volume, number of employees on payroll, BAS frequency, and your bookkeeper's hourly rate to estimate the monthly and yearly cost of hiring a bookkeeper, then compare it to the cost of DIY accounting software. The tool derives likely monthly hours from a transparent, industry-benchmarked heuristic (transaction processing, payroll runs, and BAS preparation) so you can see exactly what drives the price before requesting quotes.
Your business
EstimateBank, sale & purchase lines to reconcile each month.
People you run pay & super for. Enter 0 if none.
AU bookkeepers typically charge $40 to $80/hr.
What you'd pay for accounting software to do it yourself.
- Bookkeeper / month
- $227.50
- 3.5 hrs × $65.00/hr
- DIY software / month
- $39.00
- $468.00 per year
Estimated monthly hours
Cost comparison
- Monthly hours
- 3.5 hrs
- Bookkeeper / year
- $2,730.00
- DIY / year
- $468.00
Estimate only. The hours benchmarks (transactions/hour, payroll and BAS time) are industry planning figures, not legislated rates, and real quotes vary with software, business complexity, and your bookkeeper's experience. Compare a few fixed-fee quotes against this hourly baseline.
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How much does a bookkeeper cost in Australia?
Most Australian bookkeepers charge an hourly rate between $40 and $80, with experienced registered BAS agents typically around $50 to $70 per hour. What you actually pay each month depends far more on how much work there is than on the rate alone: the three biggest drivers are your transaction volume, whether you run payroll, and how often you lodge a Business Activity Statement.
How this calculator estimates the cost
Rather than guess a flat figure, this tool builds up the likely monthly hours and multiplies by your rate:
- Base admin: ~1 hour per month for file management, queries, and month-end housekeeping.
- Transactions: ~1 hour per 22 transactions to code and reconcile (an experienced bookkeeper clears roughly 20 to 25 per hour with bank feeds connected).
- Payroll: ~0.5 hours per employee each month for pay runs, super, and STP.
- BAS: preparation time spread to a monthly figure, ~2.5 hrs/month for quarterly lodgers, ~3 hrs/month for monthly, ~0.5 hrs/month for annual, and nil if you are not registered for GST.
Monthly cost = total estimated hours × your bookkeeper's hourly rate. The yearly figure is simply the monthly cost × 12. These hours rates are planning benchmarks, not legislated values, so use the result as a starting point when comparing quotes.
Worked example
A cafe processes ~150 transactions a month, has 3 staff on payroll, lodges BAS quarterly, and a bookkeeper at $65/hr:
- Base 1.0 hr + transactions (150 ÷ 22 = ~6.8 hrs) + payroll (3 × 0.5 = 1.5 hrs) + BAS (2.5 hrs) = ~11.8 hrs/month.
- 11.8 hrs × $65 = ~$767/month, or about $9,200/year.
- Doing the same in software costs what the software costs, and this example needs two pieces of it: $29/mo for the Starter plan, plus $29/mo for Rostering & Payroll, because three staff on payroll is a separate add-on rather than part of a plan. That is $58/mo a month, or about $696 a year. The gap is the value of your time and the reduced risk of an error.
Bookkeeper vs DIY software
DIY bookkeeping is much cheaper in dollars, but a bookkeeper buys back your time and reduces the risk of GST, payroll, and BAS errors. Many businesses run a hybrid: software like OneBookPlus bookkeeping software for the day-to-day, with a bookkeeper reviewing the books before each BAS. If GST and BAS are your concern, the BAS calculator helps you estimate what you will owe each quarter.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bookkeeper cost in Australia?
Most Australian bookkeepers charge between $40 and $80 per hour, with a typical experienced BAS agent around $50 to $70 per hour. A small business with low transaction volume and no payroll might spend $150 to $400 per month, while a busier business with several employees and quarterly BAS commonly pays $500 to $1,500+ per month. Many bookkeepers also offer fixed monthly packages instead of hourly billing.
Is it cheaper to do my own bookkeeping?
DIY bookkeeping with software like OneBookPlus typically costs $20 to $80 per month versus several hundred dollars for a bookkeeper, so on paper it is far cheaper. The trade-off is your time and the risk of errors in GST coding, payroll, and BAS. Many sole traders and micro businesses start DIY and bring in a bookkeeper once payroll or transaction volume grows. This calculator shows both figures side by side so you can weigh the cost against the hours you would spend.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper's hourly rate and a fixed monthly fee?
Hourly billing charges for the actual time worked each period, so your cost moves with transaction volume and payroll. A fixed monthly fee bundles an agreed scope (for example, reconciliations, payroll for X staff, and quarterly BAS) into one predictable price. Fixed fees suit businesses that want budgeting certainty; hourly suits seasonal or low-volume businesses. This tool estimates the hourly-equivalent cost, which is a good baseline for comparing fixed-fee quotes.
Do bookkeepers charge to lodge my BAS?
Only a registered BAS agent or tax agent can lodge a BAS on your behalf for a fee. Registered BAS agents usually fold BAS preparation and lodgement into their hourly rate or monthly package, expect a few hours of work per quarterly lodgement to review GST coding, reconcile accounts, and prepare the statement. Always check your bookkeeper is registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) before they lodge for you.
How many hours does bookkeeping take per month?
It depends mainly on transaction volume, payroll, and BAS frequency. As a rough guide, a micro business with a handful of transactions and no staff might need 1 to 3 hours a month, while a business processing hundreds of transactions with several employees and quarterly BAS can easily need 8 to 20+ hours. This calculator estimates monthly hours from your inputs so you can see what is driving the cost.
Should I hire a bookkeeper or an accountant?
They do different jobs. A bookkeeper handles the day-to-day, recording transactions, reconciling bank feeds, running payroll, and preparing BAS. An accountant focuses on year-end financial statements, the income tax return, and strategic and tax-planning advice. Many small businesses use both: a bookkeeper monthly or quarterly, and an accountant once a year. Good bookkeeping all year makes the accountant's work cheaper.
Sources & methodology
How we calculate this
This calculator estimates a bookkeeper's monthly cost by deriving the likely monthly hours from your inputs, a fixed admin base, plus time for transaction processing (about one hour per 22 transactions coded and reconciled), payroll (about half an hour per employee each month), and BAS preparation spread to a monthly figure, then multiplying total hours by your bookkeeper's hourly rate. The hours rates are industry planning benchmarks (Institute of Certified Bookkeepers AU and Australian bookkeeping-pricing surveys, 2025), not legislated figures, so treat the output as an estimate. DIY software cost is taken straight from your input. Everything is computed in your browser, nothing you enter is stored or sent to a server.
Authoritative sources
Reviewed by Bishal Shrestha, Founder of OneBookPlus, 10+ years building tools with Australian tax-agent and BAS-agent practices. Page last reviewed and updated: .
Disclaimer: This tool provides estimates only and is not professional advice. For decisions that affect your tax, finances, or compliance position, consult a registered professional.
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