Business services
Business tax and accounting, for a fixed monthly fee
One monthly fee covers everything the ATO and ASIC expect of your business, plus a planning meeting every year so decisions get made before 30 June rather than discovered in October. The same accountant every year, phone support included, no surprise bills. Packages from $80 + GST a month for sole traders and $330 + GST a month for companies and trusts, all published below.
What’s included
Annual financial statements and tax returns
Company, trust, partnership and sole-trader returns, prepared from your Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file and lodged by a registered tax agent. Lodgement deadlines are extended for clients of a tax agent, which usually means May rather than October.
Activity statements
Quarterly or monthly BAS and IAS, prepared and lodged, with GST and PAYG withholding reconciled to your software so the numbers match what the ATO sees.
Payroll and Single Touch Payroll
Year-end STP finalisation is included in the Compliance, On Track and Growth packages. Payroll processing (pay runs, payslips, super and STP lodgements through the year) is a separate service, quoted on the number of employees and pay frequency. Superannuation guarantee, payroll tax thresholds and award changes are flagged before they become a problem.
ASIC administration
Annual review, company statement, registered office and changes to officeholders or shares, with the ASIC annual fee included in the On Track and Growth packages.
Tax planning meeting
Every package includes a meeting before 30 June. We model the year’s result, look at timing of income and expenses, superannuation contributions, asset purchases, trust distributions and dividends, and give you a written plan.
Software
A Xero Grow subscription is included in the Compliance, On Track and Growth packages, or bring your own. We’re a Xero Platinum Partner and will set up, convert or clean up your file.
Advisory, when you want it
Quarterly or monthly management reports, KPI tracking, budgets and advisor meetings are built into the On Track and Growth packages, for businesses that want an accountant who looks forward, not only back.
Packages
| Inclusion | Sole Trader $80/month + GST | Compliance $330/month + GST | On Track · most popular $690/month + GST | Growth $1,180/month + GST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income tax return | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Annual financial statements | P&L reports | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tax planning meeting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Xero Grow subscription (RRP $78) | — | Included | Included | Included |
| Activity statement lodgement | — | — | Quarterly | Monthly |
| Management reports and advisor meetings | — | — | Quarterly | Monthly |
| KPI development, annual budget, business strategy meeting | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| STP finalisation | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ASIC administration incl. annual fee ($343) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Financial modelling and complete business review | — | — | — | Yes |
| Telephone support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Compliance, On Track and Growth are the same price whether your business runs through a company or a trust. Family and investment trusts that hold property or investments rather than a business are priced separately, at $140 + GST and $170 + GST a month. Most of our clients are on Compliance or On Track, and you can move between packages as the business changes. Bookkeeping is priced separately, from $90 + GST a week. Bookkeeping →
Where you might be right now
Starting a business
The two questions everyone asks are what it costs to set up and whether you need a company. The honest answer is “it depends on your profit, your risk and your plans”, and we work through it with you in the first meeting. Setup (ABN, TFN, GST, company or trust if needed) is a fixed fee quoted upfront, and the Sole Trader package at $80 + GST a month covers you from day one.
A new business with a Xero file that isn’t reconciled
You bought the software, you’re not sure what it’s doing, and the BAS is due. We reconcile it, fix the chart of accounts, set up payroll properly, and then either train you to keep it clean or do the bookkeeping for you from $90 + GST a week. Tax, ASIC and payroll compliance stop being a mystery because we explain what each one is for.
Buying a business
How much should you pay, is it a smart decision, and what’s the risk? Before you sign we go through the vendor’s figures, check what’s really being sold (the entity, the assets, the lease, the staff entitlements) and tell you plainly whether the price stacks up.
Unhappy with your current accountant
The things we hear most: they don’t call back, there’s no advice, you explain your situation to a different staff member every time, the bill is a surprise, and there’s an ATO debt nobody told you about. Switching is free. We lodge the agent nomination, pull your ATO accounts on day one so you know exactly where you stand, and you’re assigned one accountant you keep.
Ready to grow
The business works and you want to know what to do next. The On Track package puts a quarterly meeting with an advisor in your diary with management reports and KPIs to talk about; Growth makes it monthly and adds financial modelling and a full business review.
The industries we know well
Trades and construction (sole trader to company, TPAR, vehicles and tools), healthcare and allied health (service entities, and NSW payroll tax on contractor practitioners), transport and logistics (fuel tax credits, award compliance), hospitality and retail (cash flow, rostering costs, GST), and family businesses (trusts, Division 7A, succession).
How we work
- Free consultation, up to an hour. We look at your current setup, last return and software, and tell you which package fits and why.
- Fixed-fee engagement. One letter, one monthly amount, no hourly billing.
- Onboarding. We lodge the ATO agent nomination, take over your software file and set a lodgement calendar.
- Through the year. Activity statements on time, a tax planning meeting before 30 June, financials and returns after it, and a phone call whenever you need one.
Why Judge
Our job is to help you get where you’re going, not just to lodge the return. That means prices you can see before you call, a real tax planning meeting every year, an accountant who takes the time to explain your tax, your financials and your business, and lending and financial planning in the same office when you need them. Chartered accountants with CA ANZ, a Xero Platinum Partner, fees published since 2014, 101 Google reviews, and a Penrith firm since 1982 with a second office in Richmond.
Frequently asked questions
What does a small business accountant cost in Penrith?
Our packages are published: $80 + GST a month for a sole trader, $330 + GST for a company or trust compliance package, $690 + GST for On Track with quarterly reporting and advisory, and $1,180 + GST for Growth with monthly reporting.
Is bookkeeping included?
No. Bookkeeping is a separate weekly service from $90 + GST a week, because the amount of work depends on your transaction volume, and payroll processing is quoted separately again based on your number of employees. Many clients combine all three.
Do I have to use Xero?
No. We work with Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online. Xero is included in the price if you want it, and we’ll convert your file if you’re switching.
When should a sole trader become a company?
Usually when profit is consistently above what you need to live on and the tax saved by leaving profit in the company outweighs the extra cost, or when you need the liability protection or want to bring in a partner. We model this in the tax planning meeting. Read the full article →
What’s the difference between Compliance and On Track?
Compliance keeps you lodged and legal. On Track adds quarterly management reports, quarterly meetings with an advisor, KPIs, a budget and the activity statements, for businesses that want to manage by the numbers.
Can you fix a backlog of overdue returns?
Yes. We quote the catch-up as a one-off fixed fee, deal with the ATO on penalties and payment plans, and then move you onto a package.
I think I owe the ATO money and I don’t know how much.
We’ll find out in the first meeting. With your authority we pull your integrated client account and income tax account, show you every balance and due date, and if there’s a debt we set up a payment plan with the ATO on your behalf.
Can you set up Xero and get it reconciled?
Yes. Setup, conversion from MYOB or a spreadsheet, chart of accounts, bank feeds, payroll and a full reconciliation to date are a fixed-fee job, and the Xero Grow subscription is included in the Compliance, On Track and Growth packages.
Ready to talk?
Book a free consultation of up to an hour, in the office or by video, or just call.