Not for profit bookkeeping, AustraliaA dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper keeps your organisation’s books current every week: grants tracked, donations receipted, GST coded and the figures for your ACNC Annual Information Statement ready when the treasurer and auditor need them. No lock-in contract and no setup fee.
The short answer
Checked against the ACNC and the ATO on 2 October 2026. The size bands, reporting rules and GST threshold below link to their official pages.
Not for profit bookkeeping is the weekly record keeping of a charity, club or association: income from grants, donations, memberships and events, every payment, payroll for any staff, and reconciled bank accounts. Not for profit accounting uses those records for the annual financial report, the audit or review, and the reports to the ACNC and the ATO.
Most registered charities must lodge an Annual Information Statement with the ACNC every year, due six months after the end of the reporting period (ACNC, Annual Information Statement). A non-profit organisation must register for GST once its GST turnover reaches $150,000 a year (ATO, registering for GST).
ACNC reporting
Charity size is set by total annual revenue, including donations, government grants and sales of goods or services (ACNC, charity size).
| Small | Medium | Large | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual revenue | Under $500,000 | $500,000 or more, under $3 million | $3 million or more |
| Annual Information Statement | Required | Required | Required |
| Annual financial report | Optional | Required | Required |
| Basis of accounting | Cash or accrual | Accrual | Accrual |
| Review or audit | Not required by the ACNC | Reviewed or audited | Audited |
Source: ACNC, reporting annually to the ACNC, read 2 October 2026. Size bands apply from the 2022 Annual Information Statement. A one-off bequest can change a charity’s size for one year; the ACNC lets a charity apply to keep its usual size.
Scope
One person, working in your organisation’s software and following your committee’s approval process.
Each grant coded to its own account or tracking category, so spending can be acquitted against the funding agreement.
Bank, card and payment platform accounts reconciled on a set schedule.
Donations recorded and receipts prepared in the form your treasurer approves.
Membership fees, event income and fundraising recorded and followed up.
Pay runs, Single Touch Payroll reports and super payments prepared for approval.
Monthly reports for the committee and the year-end figures for the Annual Information Statement and the auditor.
Also available: catch-up work for books that have fallen behind, software setup, and BAS figures prepared for your registered agent.
Get in touch
Tell us a little about your business and what you need looked after. We reply within one business day, Australia-wide, and fifteen minutes on the phone is enough to say whether a dedicated bookkeeper suits you and what it would cost.
Prefer to talk? 1300 66 88 14
Grants
| The funder asks | What makes it easy |
|---|---|
| How the money was spent | Every payment from the grant coded to that grant from day one |
| Whether spending matched the budget | A report of actual against the budget lines in the funding agreement |
| What is left over | Unspent funds shown separately, not mixed with general income |
| Proof of payment | Invoices and receipts attached to each transaction in the software |
Keep the records for at least 5 years (ATO, record-keeping rules). Some funding agreements ask for longer.
Software
Most Australian charities, clubs and associations use Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or Reckon. The software matters less than how it is set up: a chart of accounts that separates grants, donations, memberships and fundraising, and tracking for each program or grant.
| Need | What to set up |
|---|---|
| Several grants at once | A tracking category or job for each grant |
| Several programs or branches | A tracking category for each one |
| Donation receipts | An income account for gifts kept apart from fees and sales |
| A volunteer treasurer | User access set by role, so the treasurer approves and the bookkeeper prepares |
| Cash or accrual reporting | Reports run on the basis your charity size requires |
FreeMyCloud bookkeepers are able to work in Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and Reckon. See Xero bookkeeping and MYOB bookkeeping.
Continuity
Volunteer treasurers change, often at the annual general meeting. When the books live in one person's spreadsheet, the handover is where records go missing.
With a dedicated bookkeeper the records stay in the organisation's own accounting file and the same person keeps them current. The new treasurer gets a login, the month-end reports and a bookkeeper who already knows the organisation.
Tax concessions, deductible gift recipient status and fundraising rules are set out by the ATO (ATO, not-for-profit organisations; ATO, gifts and fundraising). Your registered agent or auditor advises on them; your bookkeeper keeps the records they rely on.
Nothing lives in a volunteer's personal spreadsheet.
Continuity across committee changes.
Your bookkeeper prepares; your treasurer approves payments.
Reconciled accounts and a file of supporting documents.
Your bookkeeper is a university-qualified graduate accountant with Australian experience, employed by FreeMyCloud and based in our Manila office. The same person works on your organisation's file every day.
FreeMyCloud is Australian owned and was founded in 2010. It is not a registered tax or BAS agent and does not lodge: your registered agent or auditor signs off and lodges.
A dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper costs about 50% less than employing a bookkeeper locally, from 10 hours a week, with no setup fee and no lock-in contract. The bookkeeper cost page sets out the figures and the savings calculator gives an estimate.
Getting started
Most organisations are running within three business days of the first call.
You describe the organisation, its grants, the software and the work that needs doing.
We match a graduate accountant to your software and workload.
The NDA is signed and the treasurer invites your bookkeeper into the file.
Your bookkeeper follows the committee's approval process from the first day.
Read next
FreeMyCloud has kept books for Australian organisations since 2010. Because the work is done inside your cloud accounting file, it makes no difference whether the organisation is in a capital city or a regional town.
For sporting clubs, societies and member associations see our clubs, societies and charities page, and for the tax side read our guide to income tax, GST, FBT and grants for clubs and charities.
Frequently asked questions
Not for profit accounting is the accounting of an organisation that does not distribute profit to members: charities, clubs, associations and churches. It covers the annual financial report, the audit or review, and reporting to the ACNC and the ATO, built on the weekly bookkeeping records.
Every registered charity lodges an Annual Information Statement each year. Medium charities (revenue $500,000 to under $3 million) also lodge a financial report that is reviewed or audited, and large charities ($3 million or more) lodge an audited financial report. Small charities may choose to lodge a financial report.
Six months after the end of the charity's reporting period. For a charity with a 1 July to 30 June year, that is 31 December. A charity can apply to the ACNC for an extension.
A non-profit organisation must register for GST when its GST turnover reaches $150,000 a year, compared with $75,000 for a business. It can register voluntarily below that.
Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and Reckon all work for Australian not for profits. Choose the one your treasurer and auditor can use, and set it up with separate accounts for grants, donations and memberships and a tracking category for each grant or program.
A small charity (revenue under $500,000) can use cash or accrual accounting for ACNC reporting. Medium and large charities must use accrual accounting.
No. FreeMyCloud is not a registered tax or BAS agent and does not lodge. Your bookkeeper prepares the figures; your treasurer, registered agent or auditor reviews and lodges (Tax Practitioners Board, BAS services).
A dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper costs about 50% less than employing a bookkeeper locally, from 10 hours a week, with no setup fee and no lock-in contract. The hours depend on the number of grants, transactions and staff.
This page is general information about bookkeeping for Australian not-for-profit organisations, current as at 2 October 2026. It is not tax, financial or legal advice. FreeMyCloud is not a registered tax or BAS agent and does not lodge. Thresholds and rules change. Confirm your organisation's position with your registered agent or auditor.
A 30-minute call is enough to tell you whether a dedicated bookkeeper suits your charity, club or association and what it would cost.
