Five accountants, five quotes, and not one of them is quoting for the same thing. If that sounds familiar, you’re in good company. Choosing from the top accounting firms Australia has on offer is harder than it looks. Accounting firm covers everything from a one-person online service to a global name with thousands of staff. A founder with a Shopify store and a listed company with five subsidiaries need completely different help. So we’ve grouped the top 10 accounting firms in Australia by business stage, instead of pretending they compete head to head. Read on to find where you fit, who deserves a spot on your shortlist and what to ask on the first call.
How We Chose These Firms
We didn’t score anyone. Each firm below is described using what it says about itself, so headcount and client numbers are their claims, not ours. The order follows business size, smallest first, and that’s all it means.
What Each Stage Actually Needs
Day one needs are modest. You want tidy books, a BAS you don’t dread and someone who answers email. The first real deadline shows up when turnover nears $75,000. That’s the point where registering for GST stops being optional, and the ATO expects you to do it within 21 days. Plenty of owners miss it simply because nobody mentioned it. Take on your first employee and payroll and super arrive. Grow further and you’ll want forecasts, proper tax planning and, eventually, audited accounts. Enterprise groups pile statutory reporting and several legal entities on top.
Top 10 Accounting Firms in Australia at a Glance
| Sr no. | Firm | Suits | Type |
| 1 | Hnry | Sole traders | Online service |
| 2 | Bean Ninjas | Ecommerce brands | Ecommerce specialist |
| 3 | Aone Outsourcing | Small businesses | Outsourced team |
| 4 | Accountsly | Online and SaaS businesses | Online, remote |
| 5 | Findex | Small to mid-sized businesses | Large independent |
| 6 | BDO | Mid-sized businesses | Mid-tier |
| 7 | Pitcher Partners | Middle market businesses | Mid-tier |
| 8 | Deloitte | Large corporates | Big 4 |
| 9 | PwC | Listed companies | Big 4 |
| 10 | KPMG | Large corporates | Big 4 |
Accounting Firms for Startups in Australia
When you’re small, nobody cares about a firm’s reputation. What counts is how fast someone replies and whether the bank feed balances. Plenty of founders pass the daily bookkeeping to an outsourced bookkeeping provider and check in once a month. These four online accounting firms in Australia suit that style.
1. Hnry
Hnry is aimed squarely at people who work for themselves. Your clients pay into an account it sets up for you. Hnry quietly takes out your tax, handles GST and BAS, then sends the rest to your bank. There’s nothing to reconcile. The fee is a flat 1% of your self-employed earnings plus GST, with a yearly ceiling of $1,500 plus GST. By its own count it’s the biggest service of its kind for Australian sole traders. The catch is simple. Once you take on staff or bring in a business partner, the model stops fitting.
Best for: freelancers and contractors who want tax handled for them.
2. Bean Ninjas
Bean Ninjas only works with online sellers, and that focus is its main selling point. Stores on Shopify, WooCommerce or Amazon FBA get bookkeeping, tax work and virtual CFO input from people who already know how marketplace fees and payouts behave. It runs on Xero or QuickBooks and uses add-ons like A2X and Dext to sort out settlement reports. Teams in Australia, the US and the UK mean cross-border sellers don’t have to explain themselves twice. One warning: the firm says it targets brands already turning over seven or eight figures, so a very young store might feel like the smallest client in the room.
Best for: established online stores selling on Shopify, WooCommerce or Amazon.
3. Aone Outsourcing
Aone Outsourcing works like a finance team you don’t have to hire. Bookkeeping and payroll are covered, along with BAS and GST reconciliation, self-managed super fund work, tax returns and CFO support. Its website claims more than 2,500 Australian clients, CPA Australia membership and ISO 27001 certification, which matters if you care where your data goes. It also does back-office work for other accounting practices, so ask who will actually touch your file.
Best for: small businesses that want a full outsourced finance team.
4. Accountsly
Accountsly is an online firm that looks after businesses in eight or more countries, Australian owners included, entirely remotely. The team handles bookkeeping, tax filing, payroll and CFO advisory inside Xero, QuickBooks or NetSuite, so you can see your numbers whenever you log in. It also runs dedicated services for ecommerce sellers and SaaS companies, where marketplace payouts and recurring revenue tend to muddy the books. Everything happens online, so it suits owners who are happy with email and video calls, and less so anyone who wants regular face-to-face meetings.
Best for: startups, ecommerce sellers and SaaS companies that run online.
Mid-Tier Accounting Firms in Australia
Somewhere around your tenth hire, things change. An investor asks for reviewed accounts, you need forecasts, or you realise you want part-time finance leadership (this is where CFO services usually come in). Mid-tier firms bundle audit, tax and advice in one place, usually without the scale of the Big 4.
5. Findex
Findex dates back to 1987 and, by its own figures, now has more than 2,500 staff across over 90 offices in Australia and New Zealand. Clients range from individuals to large corporates, and the services go well past accounting into lending, insurance and wealth. That spread is handy if you like meeting someone locally. Quality can vary by office though, so ask who will run your file.
Best for: small and mid-sized businesses that want an office nearby.
6. BDO
BDO Australia does audit, tax and advisory work, and it’s one of the independent member firms in the global BDO network. Mid-sized businesses that want one team for both audit and tax often shortlist it. Everyday bookkeeping isn’t what it’s known for, so check whether that’s covered before you commit.
Best for: mid-sized businesses that want audit and tax from one team.
7. Pitcher Partners
Pitcher Partners started in Melbourne in 1991 and is now six independent practices operating as one association, with offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney. It reports more than 145 partners and 1,400 staff, and it concentrates on the middle market. On top of audit and tax, it handles deals, business recovery and wealth planning, so owners can sort business and personal finances with the same group.
Best for: middle market businesses and owner-managed groups.
Large and Enterprise Accounting Firms in Australia
Then there are the Big 4. They’re built for listed companies, large private groups and anything spread across several entities or countries. If all you need is monthly books, you’d probably get lost. EY completes the group alongside the three below.
8. Deloitte
Deloitte says around 11,000 people work for it in Australia. Its teams cover audit, tax and legal, risk, deals and technology, and its clients range from Global 500 names to private companies and government. It’s the kind of firm you call for complicated reporting or a major transaction.
Best for: large corporates with complex reporting or deals.
9. PwC
PwC reports more than 6,700 people in Australia, working across assurance, consulting, tax and legal, and deals. It’s strong in sectors like financial services, energy, technology and health, so listed companies with industry-specific questions tend to end up here.
Best for: listed companies and large groups that need specialist teams.
10. KPMG
KPMG has roughly 10,000 people in Australia, including more than 600 partners. Its work runs from audit and assurance to consulting, deal advisory and infrastructure, and tax and legal. Mid-sized private companies can also try its Mid-Market and Private arm.
Best for: large corporates and mid-sized private companies.
Online Accounting Firms in Australia vs Traditional Practices
Online firms work through software. You connect your bank feed, snap receipts on your phone and talk over video, which suits owners who already run everything from a laptop. They’re usually quick at routine jobs like reconciliations and BAS. Traditional practices earn their fees when something needs a person in the room, such as an audit, a tricky tax position or the sale of a business. Plenty of owners use both, with an online team for the monthly grind and a bigger firm for the once-a-year heavy lifting. Not sure which suits you? This guide to online accounting services for small businesses is worth a read.
How to Choose the Best Accountants for Small Business in Australia
Before you compare anyone, write down what you need. Monthly bookkeeping, tax planning, an audit? A firm that’s brilliant at one can be average at another. Then run each shortlisted firm through these five checks.
Registration. Ask whether their tax agents are registered with the Tax Practitioners Board, then confirm it on the TPB public register.
Credentials. Membership of CPA Australia or Chartered Accountants ANZ is reassuring.
Software. They should already work in Xero, QuickBooks or whatever you use. You shouldn’t pay for their learning curve.
Scope and price. Get a written list of what the monthly fee covers, including BAS and GST.
Communication. Ask who your contact will be and how quickly they reply.
Walk away if a firm dodges fee questions, can’t name who will do the work or promises tax savings before it has seen your records. A list of questions to ask before hiring an accountant makes that first call much easier.
Conclusion
There’s no single best firm here, only the best fit for where you are now. Sole traders and early-stage businesses often do well online. Growing companies tend to move to a mid-tier practice, and listed or multi-entity groups lean on the Big 4. Treat this as a shortlist of top accounting firms in Australia, talk to two or three, and pick the one that explains your numbers in plain English. If you’d like a second opinion on where you fit, book a discovery call with the Accountsly team.
FAQs
How to choose an accounting firm in Australia?
Start with your stage and what you need done. Then check that the firm’s tax agents are registered, confirm it uses your software and get the fees in writing. Chat to at least two firms. The ones who explain things clearly are usually the ones worth hiring.
How much do accountants charge in Australia?
It varies with the work involved. Tax returns and BAS are often quoted as one-off jobs, while bookkeeping is typically a monthly fee, so ask for a written quote. Payroll, tax planning and CFO advice push the cost up, and the more you outsource, the bigger the monthly figure.
Accounting firm vs bookkeeper: which do you need?
A bookkeeper records and reconciles your transactions. An accountant uses those records for tax returns, advice and planning. Most businesses end up needing both, and many firms offer them together. This breakdown of bookkeeping vs accounting shows where one ends and the other begins.
What is the best accounting firm for ecommerce business in Australia?
Pick a team that understands marketplace payouts, GST on online sales and stock, and that connects to Shopify, Amazon and A2X. On this list, Bean Ninjas and Accountsly both focus on online sellers, and Accountsly offers a dedicated ecommerce accounting service.
