05 Fixed fees
One number for the year, agreed before we open a file
We do not bill by the six-minute unit. Almost everything here is a fixed annual fee, quoted in writing after the free first meeting, and it does not move unless the scope does and you have agreed to it.
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Sole Trader Fixed Fee
Tradespeople, contractors and single-operator businesses who want one number for the year
Where most sole traders start- Individual and sole trader tax return
- Four quarterly BAS lodgements
- A quarterly review of your bookkeeping file
- One planning call before 30 June
- All ATO correspondence handled, no charge for phone calls
$1,690 a year, fixed -
Small Company Fixed Fee
Owner-operated companies turning over roughly $300,000 to $2 million
- Company tax return and financial statements
- One director individual return
- Four quarterly BAS lodgements
- ASIC annual review support
- A tax planning session in April or May
- Cash flow forecast reviewed each quarter
$4,980 a year, fixed -
Company and Trust Fixed Fee
Family businesses and farming enterprises running more than one entity
- Company and trust returns with financial statements
- Up to two individual returns
- Trust distribution resolutions prepared before 30 June
- Division 7A loan accounts maintained
- Two advisory sessions a year
- Quarterly cash flow review
$7,400 a year, fixed -
SMSF Annual Administration
Two-member funds with straightforward holdings, priced per fund
- Fund financial statements and member statements
- SMSF annual return prepared and lodged
- Investment strategy review documented and minuted
- Independent audit arranged, audit fee charged at cost
- One annual meeting on the fund's costs and strategy
$2,200 a year, fixed -
Lodgement Catch-Up
Anyone who has been avoiding the letters and wants one fixed number to fix it
- Up to three years of outstanding returns or activity statements
- Records reconstructed from bank and card statements
- Penalty remission requested where there are grounds
- Payment arrangement negotiated with the ATO
$1,250 one fixed fee
Fees are quoted in writing after the free first meeting and do not move unless the scope does and you have agreed to it. Phone calls and short emails are not charged on a fixed-fee package. ASIC, audit and government fees are passed on at cost.
One-off work
Ranges, not estimates. Every one of these is quoted as a single number before we start, and the range tells you honestly what moves it.
- ATO liaison and lodgement catch-up set by how many years are outstanding and how much has to be rebuilt from bank statements rather than existing books $390 to $1,900
- Bookkeeping and payroll a monthly fee set by transaction volume, number of bank accounts and employees on payroll; a one-off historical clean-up is quoted separately after the free file review $260 to $850
- BAS and GST lodgement per quarter, set by transaction volume and whether we also do your bookkeeping; statements we have to correct before lodging cost more the first quarter $180 to $420
- Cash flow forecasting the initial build; the range covers a single sole trader through to a company and trust group with several income streams, and quarterly updates are included in the fixed-fee packages $850 to $2,200
- Tax planning the range covers a sole trader through to a company, trust and fund group; included in the small company and company and trust packages $550 to $1,650
- Business advisory and structuring the range runs from a straightforward sole trader to company change through to a company and family trust set-up; ASIC and government fees are charged at cost on top $690 to $2,900
- Tax returns and financial statements a sole trader return sits at the lower end, a company with financial statements and a director return at the upper; most clients take the fixed annual fee instead $320 to $2,400
- Farm and primary production accounting an annual fee set by the number of entities, whether there is a trust or partnership structure, and how many livestock and cropping enterprises run under it $1,450 to $3,800
- SMSF review and administration per fund per year plus the independent audit fee at cost; the range is set by the number of members and how many investments and property holdings the fund carries $1,650 to $2,950
01Honest ranges
What moves the number
A range that never resolves into a fixed number is just an hourly rate wearing a disguise. Ours resolves at the first meeting, and these are the four things that decide where in it you land.
- 01
How many entities there are
One sole trader is one return. A company with a family trust and two individual returns is four sets of numbers that have to agree with each other.
- 02
How much has to be rebuilt
A reconciled file costs less to work with than twelve months of bank statements. This is the single biggest thing you can change, and the monthly package is how you change it.
- 03
Transaction volume and payroll
Bookkeeping is priced on what actually moves through the accounts: bank accounts, transaction counts and how many people are on the payroll.
- 04
Whether anything is unusual
An asset sold, a property in a fund, a livestock election, a Division 7A loan. We name these at the quote stage rather than after the work.
02The client kit
The two things off the meeting table
Clients kept asking where the trays came from, so we started making them up for anyone who wants one. They are at cost, not a product line.
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Receipt sorting tray
The three-bay plywood tray we use in planning meetings: one bay for anything with GST on it, one for wages and super, one for everything we need to ask about. Given free to every fixed-fee client at their first meeting, and sold on its own for anyone who just wants the tray.
$28 each
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Cash flow block set
The plain timber block set from the forecasting session: twelve blocks, one per month, so you can stack a year on the kitchen table and see the tight month for yourself. Clients kept asking to take ours home, so now we keep spares.
$45 each
Questions about fees
What does the first meeting cost?
Nothing, and there is no obligation afterwards. Bring last year's return, a notice of assessment and a rough idea of what the business does. Forty-five minutes is usually enough for us to tell you what we would charge and whether we are the right fit.
How are your fees worked out?
Almost everything is a fixed annual fee, quoted in writing after the first meeting. We do not bill by the six-minute unit, and phone calls and short emails are not charged on a fixed-fee package. One-off work like a catch-up or a forecast build is quoted as a single number before we start.
How much notice do you need at tax time?
From complete records, most returns take one to three weeks. From July to October we are busier, so a return sent through in August will be back faster than one sent in April. Fixed-fee clients are scheduled ahead of time and do not have to think about it.
I am years behind. Will you take me on?
Yes, and it is more common than you would think. We list what is outstanding, quote one fixed fee for the whole catch-up, and deal with the ATO ourselves. Nobody here is going to lecture you about how it got to that point.
07The first meeting
Get the number first
Forty-five minutes, no charge, no obligation afterwards. Long enough for us to tell you what we would charge and whether we are the right fit. In the office, at your property or on the phone.
What to bring
- Last year's return and the notice of assessment
- Access to whatever bookkeeping file you already have
- Bank statements for any account the business uses
- A rough idea of what the business does and where it is going
- Anything you have been putting off opening
Or skip the form
(07) 5550 0080- Mon to Thu 8:30am to 5:00pm
- Fri 8:30am to 4:30pm
- Sat Closed, except by appointment from July to October
- Sun Closed
Leave a message and we return it the next business morning. Fixed-fee clients can book an evening or early-morning call through the client portal, which suits people who are on a job site or in a paddock during office hours.
Thanks, that is everything we need
Demonstration only. Nothing was sent and nothing was stored. On a live site this would reach hello@tabletopaccounting.com.au and a booking would be confirmed by phone.