Bookkeeper Fees in Geelong (2026)
The hourly rate for a bookkeeper in Geelong runs $40–$110 per hour in our table, and where a provider sits in that range turns on experience, software skills and whether they hold BAS agent registration. Hourly billing suits occasional help. Regular clients more often agree a fixed monthly fee, starting at $240–$710 per month for a small operator and $710–$1,400 per month for a business with a longer supplier list. When staff wages and activity statements are handed over too, the package is $940–$2,350 per month. Untangling books that are months behind is a separate quote, $470–$2,800, and is often the first invoice a new client sees.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: How much does a bookkeeper cost in Australia?
Detailed Pricing — Bookkeeper Cost in Geelong 2026
| Tier | Typical fee (ex GST) | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly bookkeeping | $40–$110 per hour | Per hour |
| Monthly package, micro business | $240–$710 per month | Per month |
| Monthly package, established small business | $710–$1,400 per month | Per month |
| Monthly package with payroll and BAS | $940–$2,350 per month | Per month |
| Catch-up or rescue bookkeeping | $470–$2,800 | Per one-off |
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- Working from home. Separate houses make up 86.7% of Geelong dwellings, against 73.4% across Victoria, and 33.7% of dwellings offer four-plus bedrooms (ABS 2021 Census). Where a spare room doubles as the office, ask the bookkeeper to code shared costs such as power and internet to their own accounts. Your registered tax agent can then work out what part, if any, belongs to the business, which is not a call a bookkeeper should make.
- Hours or a package. Paying $40–$110 per hour makes sense when the work is irregular or you mainly need a tidy-up before the BAS is due. Once someone is in your file every week, a fixed fee such as $240–$710 per month is easier to budget for. Check whether the hourly rate covers phone calls and emails, and what minimum time is charged for a short job.
- Employees on the books. Taking on staff changes the job. Working out leave pay and the withholding on it, or running payroll in a way that applies tax law through STP software, counts as a BAS service on the TPB's list, so a provider charging for it must be registered. Merely sending data through that software, with no tax-law judgement involved, does not count. Our table prices wages plus BAS at $940–$2,350 per month.
- Your BAS cycle. Monthly BAS is compulsory at $20 million GST turnover and above, or on ATO direction, and below that line a business reports quarterly unless it opts for monthly. The due date is printed on the statement itself. Ask whether the package covers preparing and lodging each BAS, or only keeping the records your accountant uses to prepare it, because the two can be priced quite differently.
- Catching up. Catch-up work at $470–$2,800 covers months of missed reconciliations and lost paperwork. Before you ask for the quote, gather bank statements, sales records and supplier bills for the whole gap. Under ATO rules the 5-year keeping period applies to most business records, so rebuilding them is part of meeting the rule, and the cleaner the pile you hand over, the fewer hours you pay for.
- Who you are hiring. Any bookkeeper may reconcile your bank accounts or key in data. Turning that data into activity statement figures is, in the TPB's terms, a BAS service, and charging for it without registration exposes the provider to significant civil penalties. Confirm registration before you hand over activity statement work, not after the first lodgement has gone in.
Bookkeeper, accountant or do it yourself?
Engage a bookkeeper once you have GST registration, staff, or more than a few dozen transactions a month; a clean file also cuts your accountant's year-end fee.
A sole trader with a handful of monthly transactions can keep clean books in software and hand a reconciled file to an accountant at year end.
How to Keep the Bookkeeper Cost Sane in Geelong
This guide is general information, not advice. Figures are typical ranges compiled from published Australian sources in 2026 and are not a quote; confirm fees with the provider before engaging them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no provider can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →