Bookkeeper Fees in Melbourne (2026)
Bookkeeper rates in Melbourne come in two shapes: an hourly charge, $50–$130 per hour in our table, or a set monthly fee. The monthly bands step up with the business: $270–$810 per month for a sole trader or small operator, $810–$1,600 per month for a firm with more accounts, customers and suppliers, and $1,100–$2,700 per month once you have employees and want your activity statements handled too. Rebuilding neglected books is a separate project, $540–$3,250. Where you land depends less on your sales figure than on how much paperwork the bookkeeper has to touch each month.
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 Melbourne 2026
| Tier | Typical fee (ex GST) | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly bookkeeping | $50–$130 per hour | Per hour |
| Monthly package, micro business | $270–$810 per month | Per month |
| Monthly package, established small business | $810–$1,600 per month | Per month |
| Monthly package with payroll and BAS | $1,100–$2,700 per month | Per month |
| Catch-up or rescue bookkeeping | $540–$3,250 | Per one-off |
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- Paperwork, not turnover. Two Melbourne businesses with the same sales can pay very different fees. One with one bank account and invoices raised in software is quick to reconcile; one with three accounts, two cards and paper dockets takes hours. Bank matching, and keying data that calls for no tax judgement, are outside the Tax Practitioners Board list of tax agent services, but the time they take is still what you pay for.
- Investors with a business. Tenants head 30.2% of Greater Melbourne households, above the Victorian figure of 28.5%, and 37.1% of households carry a mortgage (ABS 2021 Census). An owner with a rental alongside a business may want one bookkeeper for both. Ask whether property records are inside the package, and give the property its own bank account so shared transactions never need splitting.
- What registration brings. A registered BAS agent is bound by the Tax Practitioners Board Code of Professional Conduct: they must act honestly and with integrity, act lawfully in your best interests, keep your information private unless a legal duty says otherwise, work competently and carry the professional indemnity cover the Board sets. The TPB may impose sanctions for breaches. Ask to see the insurance details along with the registration number.
- How often you lodge. The ATO sets your BAS cycle. Under the $20 million GST turnover line you lodge quarterly unless the ATO tells you to report monthly; at or above it, monthly is compulsory, and annual lodgement is open only in limited cases to businesses voluntarily registered for GST. Four statements a year and twelve are different workloads, so tell the bookkeeper which cycle you are on.
- Payroll and STP reporting. Adding payroll puts you in the $1,100–$2,700 per month band. Working out withholding, preparing income statements for employees and lodging pay data through STP-enabled software are all BAS services on the TPB list. Each pay run, each new starter and each change to an employee's hours is something the bookkeeper has to process and report.
- A backlog to clear. If tax time arrives and the books are months out of date, the clean-up is its own job, $540–$3,250 in our table. A bookkeeper will want bank statements for every missing month, your sales records and any ATO letters before quoting. The ATO points out that catching up on lodgment can spare you interest building on tax debts, along with late lodgment penalties.
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 Melbourne
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.