Australia has always been a great place for business, but much of the economic success of the country can be attributed to small businesses. About half of all productive, working Australians are employed by small businesses and money spent by local businesses circulates within the community, generating income and jobs. This shows small businesses make a substantial contribution in tax towards the prosperity of our country.
An important part of an Adelaide bookkeeper's role is to understand the area of tax specifically around BAS services to ensure that clients are compliant with tax legislation and spend the correct amount of tax and not a dollar more than required. let's take a look at what typical Adelaide bookkeeping rates are and what you should be paying to get the service that your business needs.
At present, bookkeeping rates will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the volume and kind of work to be done and the qualifications, skill and experience of the bookkeeper. A simple bookkeeping task such as data entry for instance would cost much less than a service that is inclusive of BAS preparation and lodgement.
Bookkeepers may be hired on an hourly basis, at a fixed monthly price or on a project basis. Southern Australia, including Adelaide, has some of the highest bookkeeping rates in the country which is typical of a state's capital city. The average range of rates in Australia is $30 - $80 per hour.
The target range rate recommended by the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers is between $45 and $65 per hour. Depending upon the kind of business you operate this can be a cause of major expense especially if your accounting tasks are tedious and time-consuming.
One of Australia's larger bookkeeping firms, Darcy Bookkeeping provides a service which is identical to all the top tier bookkeeping firms in the country but with an Adelaide bookkeeping rate range of between $31 - $49 per hour making the service as affordable as possible for small businesses.
A large portion of what is considered bookkeeping services now fall under the guidelines of what the Tax practitioners Board in Australia considers BAS Services. This legislation established in 2009 was formed to protect small businesses from rogue operators who were self-proclaimed bookkeepers but did not have the qualifications or experience to adequately perform the services for which they were charging.
Make sure that if you engage an Adelaide bookkeeper who is not an employee, that they are listed on the TPB register as a Registered BAS Agent. This will provide a layer of confidence that you are dealing with a professional who has been vetted and capable of providing the services your business is being charged for.
As is the same with most products or services you get what you pay for. A good bookkeeper is an important part of any successful business so take the time to choose a bookkeeper you are comfortable with that has the skill, knowledge, industry experience and software prowess to get the job done right the first time. It is not always about the Adelaide bookkeeping rate you pay as the right bookkeeper will save you stress and can save your business thousands in the long run.