Bookkeeper Fees in Townsville (2026)
Keeping the books for a Townsville business costs $40–$110 per hour if you buy time as you need it. Ongoing arrangements are commonly set as a monthly fee, and our table splits them by the size of the job: $230–$690 per month at the small end, $690–$1,400 per month for a settled small business, and $920–$2,300 per month for a package that takes in wages and activity statements. A file that has been left to pile up is brought back to current through a one-off catch-up at $460–$2,750. Before you compare offers, work out your monthly transaction count, the number of people on your payroll and whether you lodge BAS monthly or quarterly.
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 Townsville 2026
| Tier | Typical fee (ex GST) | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly bookkeeping | $40–$110 per hour | Per hour |
| Monthly package, micro business | $230–$690 per month | Per month |
| Monthly package, established small business | $690–$1,400 per month | Per month |
| Monthly package with payroll and BAS | $920–$2,300 per month | Per month |
| Catch-up or rescue bookkeeping | $460–$2,750 | Per one-off |
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- Rental property ledgers. Townsville has a high share of renting households, 38.3% against 33.1% across Queensland, at a median rent of $310 a week (ABS 2021 Census). Business owners who are also landlords should say so when asking for a price. Rent, agent statements, rates and repairs are another ledger to keep, and keeping them in their own account stops them tangling with the business file.
- Records through cyclone season. Cyclone season here is November to April (BOM), and business.gov.au says records in any format must be kept safe from change or damage. It also notes digital records are easy to back up and keep safe from fire or theft. A bookkeeper working in cloud software with regular back-ups protects more than the ledger, so ask where your data sits and how often it is copied.
- Paying staff. Run wages for a fee and you are in BAS-service territory: the Tax Practitioners Board lists payroll that interprets tax law, STP reporting and leave and withholding sums among BAS services. A BAS agent may also deal with superannuation guarantee shortfall reporting. That is why wages come bundled with BAS at $920–$2,300 per month; confirm the headcount and pay cycle in the price.
- Lodgement frequency. Monthly BAS applies at $20 million or more in GST turnover or when the ATO directs it; under that line, quarterly reporting is the default and monthly is a choice. The due date appears on the BAS itself, and lodging through a registered agent may give extra time. Ask whether each lodgement is covered by the monthly fee or billed separately.
- Bringing the file current. Months of unmatched bank lines and missing bills are rebuilt at $460–$2,750. Most business records carry a 5-year retention rule from the ATO, and companies have a 7-year requirement from ASIC, so the rescue is about compliance as well as tidy accounts. Supply statements for every account and the full gap in invoices, and ask for the scope and an hourly rate for extras in writing.
- Registered or not. The TPB does not class data entry or bank reconciliations as tax agent services, so anyone may be paid for them. Producing the numbers for an activity statement is another matter and requires registration. A wrong BAS lodged by an unregistered preparer can bring ATO penalties down on the business owner, without the safe harbour a registered practitioner may offer.
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 Townsville
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 — Bookkeeper Cost in Townsville
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 →