Fees & Pricing
Clear pricing. Practical advice. No surprises.
Good advice begins with clarity, including clarity about fees.
Before work starts, we will explain the proposed scope and provide either a fixed fee, an agreed package price or a fee estimate appropriate to the engagement.
The figures below are indicative starting points. They are intended to help you understand the likely level of investment and do not replace a written proposal or engagement letter.
Individual Tax Returns
Starting fees depend on the income, investments, deductions and other matters included in the return.
Simple Individual Tax Return
From $195 + GST
For straightforward salary and wage returns prepared using available pre-fill information.
Additional income, investments, capital gains, rental properties, business schedules or more complex deductions are quoted separately.
Standard Individual Tax Return
From $295 + GST
Suitable for individuals with additional income, deductions or investments requiring more detailed preparation and review.
Investor or More Complex Individual Return
From $495 + GST
May include rental properties, capital gains, managed investments, foreign income or other more complex taxation matters.
Business & Entity Compliance
Annual compliance fees depend on the entities involved, record quality, transaction volume and the level of year-end work required.
Sole Trader or Partnership Accounts and Tax
From $1,250 + GST
For relatively straightforward businesses with complete and substantially reconciled records.
The final fee may be affected by transaction volume, GST and payroll obligations, record quality and the number of individuals or partners involved.
Company or Trust Accounts and Tax
From $2,250 + GST
May include annual financial statements, income tax returns and routine year-end compliance.
The final fee depends on entity activity, transaction volume, record quality, trust distribution requirements, Division 7A matters and other complexity.
Self-Managed Super Fund Annual Compliance
From $2,000 + GST
Includes annual financial statements and preparation of the SMSF annual return for a straightforward, audit-ready fund.
Independent audit fees, actuarial certificates, valuations and specialist work are additional unless expressly included.
Activity Statements & Record Support
Activity-statement starting fees assume the underlying information is complete and the accounting records are substantially reconciled.
Business Activity Statements
From $250 + GST
Preparation and lodgement based on complete and substantially reconciled accounting records.
Additional reconciliation, correction or bookkeeping work is quoted separately. Instalment Activity Statements and other recurring lodgements may be included within an agreed quarterly compliance package or quoted according to scope.
Accounting Records, Bookkeeping & Payroll
From $180 per hour + GST
Review, reconciliation and correction of incomplete or inaccurate accounting records.
Where the extent of the work can be identified in advance, a fixed-fee proposal may be provided.
Advisory, Systems & Setup
Advisory work may be billed at an agreed hourly rate or quoted as a fixed-fee project where the scope can be clearly defined.
Advisory & Consulting
From $295 per hour + GST
May include tax planning, business and entity reviews, structuring discussions, property and investment considerations, cash-flow advice and implementation planning.
Fixed-fee proposals are available for clearly defined projects.
Complex, Urgent or Specialist Matters
Quoted to scope
Matters requiring substantial technical research, accelerated delivery, specialist review, detailed modelling or coordination with other advisers will be scoped and quoted separately.
Quarterly Business Compliance Packages
Fixed quarterly packages may be available for owner-managed businesses and family groups requiring a combination of:
- annual financial statements and income tax returns;
- BAS or IAS preparation and lodgement;
- routine accounting-record review;
- company and related individual compliance;
- year-end or tax-planning discussions; and
- ongoing compliance support.
Package fees depend on the entities and individuals included, transaction volume, reporting frequency, record quality and the level of review, planning and support required.
Substantial bookkeeping correction, detailed advisory work and specialist projects are quoted separately.
What Affects the Final Fee?
Every client and engagement is different. Factors affecting the final fee may include:
- the number and complexity of entities, investments and transactions;
- the quality, completeness and timeliness of the records supplied;
- whether accounting records are reconciled and ready for review;
- capital gains, Division 7A, trust distributions, payroll or GST matters;
- rental properties, foreign income or unusual transactions;
- the level of advice, correspondence, meetings and follow-up required;
- missed deadlines, urgent work or historical correction requirements; and
- work falling outside the originally agreed scope.
Where material additional work becomes necessary, we will ordinarily discuss the revised scope and fee before proceeding.
Fixed Fees and Ongoing Packages
Where the scope can be reasonably defined in advance, Compact Accounting generally prefers fixed fees or clearly structured ongoing packages.
Packages may cover:
- annual compliance;
- quarterly reporting and activity statements;
- accounting-record review;
- tax-planning support; or
- broader business and family-group requirements.
The inclusions, timing, billing arrangements and responsibilities of each party will be confirmed in writing before the engagement begins.
Fixed fees assume that records are complete, substantially reconciled and supplied by the agreed dates.
GST, Disbursements and Third-Party Costs
Unless stated otherwise, the prices shown on this page are exclusive of GST.
Government charges, ASIC fees, searches, independent audit fees, actuarial certificates, legal and valuation fees, software subscriptions, travel and other third-party costs or disbursements are additional unless expressly included in writing.
Where significant external costs are expected, we will ordinarily identify them before the work proceeds.
A Fee That Fits the Work
Every client is different.
After a short initial discussion, we can confirm the likely scope and provide a fixed fee, package proposal or fee estimate before proceeding.
Talk to Compact Accounting About Your Requirements