How much does an accountant or tax agent cost in Australia?

There is no fixed national fee schedule for accounting or tax work in Australia — every practice sets its own pricing, and it varies a fair amount depending on what you need done, where you are, and who at the firm is doing the work. That said, cost guides published across the industry in 2026 point to consistent enough patterns to give a rough sense of what to expect before you start collecting quotes of your own.

For a straightforward individual tax return, fees commonly sit somewhere between $100 and $300, with the average job reported around the $300 mark. Simple usually means employment income, standard deductions and organised records. Once records are disorganised, or there are multiple income sources, rental property, foreign income or capital gains to work through, the fee for what still looks like "just a tax return" can climb well beyond $400, largely because of the extra time needed to sort and reconcile everything before the return itself can even be prepared.

Business structures generally cost more, and the range widens considerably with complexity. A sole trader return is commonly priced somewhere around $150 to $300, reflecting the extra schedules involved compared with a simple employee return. Company and trust returns commonly start from around $300 and can run into the thousands depending on turnover, the number of related entities, and how much bookkeeping tidy-up is needed before the accountant can start on the actual return.

Who at the firm does the work matters too. Fees are often described in terms of the seniority of the person handling the job — graduate or junior staff time commonly costs less, while a partner or senior accountant at an established firm commonly charges considerably more per hour. Larger or more complex jobs often involve a mix of both, with routine data entry handled by junior staff and the technical judgement calls reviewed by someone more senior, which is part of why total fees can vary so much between two firms quoting on what sounds like the same job.

Where you are based plays a role as well — practices in Sydney and Melbourne commonly charge more than regional firms, reflecting higher overheads and demand. Many firms have also moved toward quoting a fixed fee upfront for standard work rather than billing by the hour, which is generally worth asking about directly, since a fixed fee gives you certainty before any work begins rather than a running estimate that can move as the job unfolds.

One distinction worth understanding before comparing quotes: only someone registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) can legally charge a fee to prepare or lodge an income tax return, and a separate registration applies to BAS and GST work. Our article on the difference between accountants, tax agents and bookkeepers goes into this in more detail, and it is a reasonable thing to check before engaging anyone, alongside comparing the fee itself.

None of the figures above are a quote for your own situation, and actual pricing depends on the practice, your location and the complexity of the work involved. This article is general information, not financial or tax advice. The most reliable way to know what your job will cost is to contact a couple of registered practitioners directly, describe what you need, and ask what their fee does and does not include — our directory lists Australian accountants, tax agents and bookkeepers by area if you are ready to start comparing.

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