Bookkeeper cost, AustraliaA full-time employed bookkeeper costs about $81,500 a year in pay and super before any other on-costs. A local contractor charges by the hour, a firm sells monthly packages, and a dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper typically costs about 50% less than a local equivalent. The figures below show where each number comes from.
The short answer
Checked against Jobs and Skills Australia and the ATO on 2 October 2026. The pay figures come from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, linked beside each one.
Employed full time: the median bookkeeper earns $1,400 a week before tax, which is $72,800 a year (Jobs and Skills Australia, Bookkeepers). Super at 12% adds $8,736 (ATO, super guarantee rate), so pay and super come to about $81,536 a year.
Hourly: the median bookkeeper is paid $37 an hour. A contractor or firm charges you more than that, because its rate also covers super, insurance, software, unbilled time and profit.
Outsourced to FreeMyCloud: a dedicated graduate accountant, at about 50% less than a local employee, from 10 hours a week. No setup fee and no lock-in contract.
Side by side
| Employed bookkeeper | Local contractor or firm | Dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the price is set | Salary plus super and on-costs | An hourly rate or a monthly package | An hourly rate, set by the hours you take each week |
| Typical figure | About $81,500 a year in pay and super for a full-time median earner | Quoted by each provider, by the hour or by the month | About 50% less than a local employee |
| Other costs to you | Workers compensation, payroll tax above your state threshold, a desk, a computer, software licences, recruitment, cover during leave | Usually none beyond the fee | None. No setup fee |
| Hours | About 41 a week for a full-time bookkeeper | Only the hours billed | The hours your business needs, by the same person |
| Commitment | Employment, with notice periods | Varies by provider | No lock-in contract |
Median figures from Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 5512 Bookkeepers, which reports the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025. Super guarantee at 12% from the ATO rate table. Payroll tax thresholds by state are on our payroll tax thresholds page.
Employed
The bookkeeper salary figures below are medians: half of full-time bookkeepers earn more and half earn less. Pay varies with experience, the size of the business and whether the role includes payroll and BAS preparation.
| Measure | Bookkeepers | All jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time earnings per week | $1,400 | $1,852 |
| Median full-time earnings per year (52 weeks) | $72,800 | $96,304 |
| Median hourly earnings | $37 | $47 |
| Average full-time hours per week | 41 | 44 |
| People employed as bookkeepers | 91,800, of whom 60% work part time |
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Bookkeepers (ANZSCO 5512). Yearly figures are the weekly median multiplied by 52.
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
Per hour
Two different numbers are both called a bookkeeper hourly rate. The bookkeeper pay rate is what an employed bookkeeper is paid. The bookkeeping rate is what a contractor or firm charges you. The charge-out rate is higher because it pays for everything an employer would otherwise pay for.
| Bookkeeper pay rate (wage) | Bookkeeping rates charged to you | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The hourly wage of an employed bookkeeper | The hourly price a contractor or firm quotes |
| Median or range | $37 an hour (median, May 2025) | Set by each provider. Ask for it in writing |
| What it includes | Wages only. Super, leave and on-costs come on top | The provider's own super, insurance, software, training, unbilled time and profit |
| Who registers | Not needed for bookkeeping. BAS services for a fee need a registered BAS or tax agent | The same rule applies |
Only a registered BAS agent or tax agent can provide BAS services for a fee (Tax Practitioners Board, BAS services). FreeMyCloud is not a registered agent: your bookkeeper prepares the figures and your registered agent lodges.
Monthly
Most firms sell bookkeeping packages priced by the month. The price usually depends on six things.
How many bank and card lines are coded and reconciled each month.
How many people are paid, and how often the pay run happens.
How many supplier bills are entered and how much debtor follow-up is needed.
Monthly or quarterly BAS figures prepared for your registered agent.
Whether you want monthly management reports with notes.
Books that are behind are priced separately before the monthly package starts.
Compare packages on what is included, who does the work and whether the same person stays on your file, not on the headline price alone.
A dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper typically costs about 50% less than a local equivalent, with no setup fee and no lock-in contract. The savings calculator gives an estimate for your business, and the bookkeeping cost check books a call to work out your figure.
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 file every day, in your own Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or Reckon file.
FreeMyCloud is Australian owned and was founded in 2010. We work with Australian businesses from sole traders to ASX-listed companies.
Getting started
Most clients are running within three business days of the first call.
You describe the business, the software and the work that needs doing.
We confirm the hours and the monthly fee in writing.
The NDA is signed and you invite your bookkeeper into your file.
Your bookkeeper follows your existing process from the first day.
Read next
Frequently asked questions
A full-time employed bookkeeper on the median wage costs about $81,536 a year in pay and super: $72,800 in pay plus 12% super. Workers compensation, payroll tax, equipment and software come on top. A dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper costs about 50% less than a local employee, from 10 hours a week.
Bookkeepers charge either an hourly rate or a fixed monthly package. Each provider sets its own price, so ask for it in writing with a list of what is included. The charge-out rate is always higher than a bookkeeper's wage, because it also pays for super, insurance, software and unbilled time.
The median employed bookkeeper is paid $37 an hour (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, reported by Jobs and Skills Australia). That is the bookkeeper pay rate. The bookkeeping rate a contractor or firm charges you is higher.
The median full-time bookkeeper earns $1,400 a week before tax, or $72,800 a year, plus 12% super. Bookkeepers work about 41 hours a week on average when full time, and 60% of the 91,800 people employed as bookkeepers work part time.
A typical bookkeeper salary in Australia is around the median of $72,800 a year for full-time work, before super. Experience, location and duties such as payroll and BAS preparation move it up or down.
Bookkeeping packages usually include transaction coding, bank reconciliation, bills and invoices, and a set number of pay runs, priced by the month. Check whether BAS figures, payroll, reports and catch-up work are in the package or charged on top.
Bookkeeping costs per month depend on transaction volume, employees, bills, BAS frequency and reporting. A full-time employee costs about $6,800 a month in pay and super at the median wage. A dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper costs about 50% less than a local employee, from 10 hours a week.
For most small businesses, yes. A dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper typically costs about 50% less than a local equivalent, because there is no recruitment, desk, equipment or on-cost, and no setup fee or lock-in contract.
This page is general information about bookkeeping costs in Australia, current as at 2 October 2026. It is not financial, tax or legal advice. Median pay figures change each year. FreeMyCloud is not a registered tax or BAS agent and does not lodge. Confirm your own position with your registered agent.
A 30-minute call is enough to work out the hours your business needs and the monthly fee.
