Monthly accounting.
Clear from the start.

Updated 13 September 2026. This guide explains Lodgements, Stay on Top and Books Taken Care Of. Your accepted engagement sets out your exact entity, periods, inclusions and fee. Existing engagements keep their agreed terms unless a change is separately agreed.

The $149 + GST/month sole-trader Stay on Top starting scope is for an Australian resident sole trader providing straightforward services: annual business turnover below $200,000, up to 50 bank transaction lines per month across one business bank account and one card, current Xero records and no inventory. Up to 5 employees can fit where you maintain complete payroll records and process payroll, STP and super yourself. One bank statement entry counts as one line; splitting or matching it does not reduce the count.

The standard personal return can include ordinary Australian salary and bank interest. Rental property, capital gains, crypto, foreign income, complex investments, partnerships, trusts and companies need a separate scope. These are service eligibility limits, not tax thresholds.

Higher-activity sole traders: Stay on Top starts at $249 + GST/month for annual revenue of $200,000 or more, with up to 150 bank transaction lines per month across one business bank account and one card. Lower-revenue businesses may also choose this allowance. The same straightforward tax, records and client-maintained payroll conditions apply. Annual work includes the sole-trader return, business schedule and profit and loss.

Company Stay on Top: one straightforward Australian company with turnover below $500,000, current Xero records, up to 50 bank transaction lines per month across one bank account and one card, no inventory, and no complex shareholder, loan or overseas transactions. Up to 5 employees can fit if you maintain and process the payroll yourself. Includes the company tax return, annual financial statements, up to four quarterly BAS and one standard owner/director personal return for the agreed year, plus the monthly support described above. ASIC administration and government fees are separate unless included in the proposal.

Company Stay on Top, higher activity: $349 + GST/month for annual revenue of $500,000 to under $2 million; $499 + GST/month for revenue of $2 million or more. Both include up to 150 bank transaction lines per month across one bank account and one card, the company return, annual financial statements, one standard director personal return, up to four quarterly BAS, routine PAYG withholding IAS and the monthly support above. A company below $500,000 can choose the $349 allowance if it has more than 50 lines. No inventory, foreign activity, complex loans, complex shareholder transactions, tax consolidation or statutory audit. Up to 5 employees can fit where you maintain and process payroll, STP and super. Monthly GST BAS and additional work are separately quoted.

Lodgements: sole-trader BAS from $150 + GST ($165 incl.) at either revenue band, up to 450 bank transaction lines per BAS period. Company BAS: below $500,000 revenue, from $150 + GST ($165 incl.) and up to 300 lines per period; $500,000 to under $2 million, from $200 + GST ($220 incl.) and up to 450 lines; $2 million or more, from $250 + GST ($275 incl.) and up to 450 lines. Each starting scope covers one bank account and one card. A lower-revenue company with 301–450 lines can use the $200 scope. Complete, reconciled Xero records and supporting documents are required. Standard GST and PAYG reporting is included. Cleanup, missing-record reconstruction, complex GST, fuel tax credits, instalment variations, payroll processing and amendments are quoted separately. We review the figures, make appropriate enquiries, explain the result and obtain your approval before lodgement.

Annual jobs: a straightforward sole-trader return, business schedule and profit and loss starts at $450 + GST ($495 incl.). Four BAS plus annual work starts at $1,050 + GST/year ($1,155 incl.). A straightforward company below $500,000 annual revenue: annual financial statements, company return and one standard director return from $1,350 + GST ($1,485 incl.); four BAS plus annual work from $1,950 + GST ($2,145 incl.). Annual work for higher-revenue companies is quoted separately. Complete, reconciled year-end records are required. These are defined jobs, with phone and email questions about the engagement included; ongoing monitoring, a Pulse, quarterly check-ins and bookkeeping are excluded. Monthly setup and initial-term charges do not apply. Other one-off service fees ↗

Trusts, partnerships, groups and higher-complexity work: individually scoped around the entities, records, obligations and support required. Ordinary access about the agreed work is included.

All amounts below are starting professional fees in Australian dollars. Monthly plans have a 12-month initial term and standard setup of $250 + GST ($275 including GST). Xero and separately agreed extras are excluded. The first-year figures include this setup fee.

Standard setup covers access and handover coordination, an initial records health check and your work calendar. For a payroll bundle it also includes reviewing the existing Xero payroll configuration and employee opening balances. Migration, incorrect historical balances and non-standard setup are separately quoted. Standalone bookkeeping excludes BAS/IAS, tax returns, annual financial statements and the quarterly accounting check-in.

Monthly accounting plans include ongoing support and the annual compliance work named in the proposal. Monthly billing does not mean that a return or BAS is prepared every month, or that one instalment purchases the full annual work. No paid work begins until you accept the written engagement.

Before engagement we name the covered financial year and BAS periods, identify work already completed by another adviser, and agree any catch-up or early annual-work fee. No service is billed twice.

We contact you before the initial term ends to agree continuation, scope and any fee change. The website does not authorise automatic renewal or an automatic price increase.

If you need to leave early, notify us in writing. We reconcile fees paid against completed work and non-cancellable costs under the engagement, explain any balance or refund, and agree an orderly handover. Cancellation treatment and any work-in-progress charge are disclosed in your proposal; there is no automatic demand through this website for all remaining monthly fees. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law are not excluded.

Essentials: monthly reconciliation and bookkeeping for up to 100 bank transaction lines per month across one bank account and one card. Payroll processing is excluded.

Small Team: the same 100-line bookkeeping allowance, plus payroll for up to 5 employees.

Growing Team: up to 300 bank transaction lines per month across four bank/card accounts in total, fortnightly bookkeeping with monthly reconciliation, and payroll for up to 20 employees.

Combined Essentials and Small Team plans suit service sole traders below $200,000 or companies below $500,000 annual revenue. Growing Team suits service sole traders below $1 million or companies below $2 million. Current Xero records, straightforward Australian operations and no inventory or complex investment, shareholder, loan or foreign transactions are assumed. These are service limits, not tax thresholds. Companies with annual revenue of $500,000 to under $2 million can choose the published $200 BAS or $349 Stay on Top starting scope, or Growing Team where eligible. At $2 million or more, BAS starts at $250 and Stay on Top at $499; bookkeeping and standalone annual work are quoted upfront. All fees are plus GST. Standalone bookkeeping uses the same transaction, payroll and complexity conditions; tax work is excluded.

One bank statement entry is one line, including each side of a transfer. Splitting or matching does not reduce the count. You provide receipts, invoices and timely answers. Repeated overruns, additional accounts or complex transactions are discussed and priced before chargeable extra work; there are no automatic upgrades. The routine covers coding and reconciliation of supplied records. Bill payments, customer invoicing, debt collection, stock and project costing need a separate scope.

Payroll in Small Team and Growing Team: One regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly pay schedule, with payslips, STP reporting, annual STP finalisation and super calculation and payment preparation. You approve timesheets, employee details and pay runs, and authorise and fund wages and super.

Standard Xero payroll with approved pay rates and complete employee records. Employee limits count everyone paid in a calendar month, including paid directors. Multiple pay schedules, complex award interpretation, backpay, redundancy or termination calculations and historical corrections are quoted separately. Routine starter and leaver administration is included; we correct our own processing errors without an extra fee.

All scheduled pay runs in the agreed cycle are included, including five-payday months. Extra off-cycle runs, multiple pay schedules, payroll tax, workers compensation declarations and FBT are separately quoted. Employee entitlements and approved rates must be confirmed during onboarding; specialist award or legal advice is additional. We do not take over the employer’s obligations to supply accurate inputs or pay wages and super on time.

Super is calculated and prepared for payment with each pay run. Approval, payment release and funding responsibilities are recorded during onboarding to support the current payday-super deadlines. We do not assume a quarterly super cycle. You authorise and fund payments; no money is released without your authority.

Stay on Top includes guidance on the records you maintain. It excludes payroll processing and annual STP finalisation. Combined monthly plans include up to four quarterly BAS and routine monthly PAYG withholding reporting from ready records where required: up to 8 separate IAS between quarterly BAS, or up to 12 IAS where no BAS is required. Monthly GST BAS, instalment variations and other activity-statement work are separately quoted. The same withholding is reported once. Standard BAS and annual-job prices exclude payroll processing and STP finalisation.

Provide month-end records by the 7th business day, with any missing information identified. We aim to send a Pulse or recovery update by the 15th business day. Missing information may affect timing and lodgement readiness; we will explain the next step.

Phone and email support for routine questions is included in every engagement. Call during business hours or arrange a callback. If a question needs substantial additional work, we explain the scope and fee before starting. We aim to acknowledge routine queries within two business days. You can call, email your accountant or use Ask Target. Availability means business-hours contact and callbacks, rather than immediate or emergency advice.

A quarterly check-in of up to 30 minutes is included in both monthly accounting plans. We’ll invite you to book each quarter. Prefer an email update? We can do that too. Routine questions between check-ins are welcome. The check-in covers routine upkeep, your update, outstanding questions and next steps, with preparation from the records available. Forecast builds, detailed tax planning, transaction analysis and other substantial projects are quoted separately. Calls can be rescheduled by agreement.

Target Checked means your accountant reviews the figures and commentary, considers outstanding issues and signs off the update before release. A Pulse is a short update based on supported records, with the period and important limitations identified. It is not a forecast, full management pack, audit, assurance opinion or confirmation of solvency. Client approval is obtained before returns or BAS are lodged.

Where records are unsuitable we provide a recovery update, assess remediation and agree any fee before work. We do not lodge unreliable figures just to meet a deadline.

Engagement, identity checks, required agent nominations and appropriate access come before client-file work. Use the secure records-sharing process agreed with your accountant. Do not share passwords or place tax information in a public enquiry form.

Automation supports routine work and drafts; an accountant handles judgement and review. Third-party disclosure of client information is subject to the required authority and appropriate safeguards. Read our privacy policy and ask for details of the providers relevant to your engagement.