Most bookkeeping is still sold by the hour, which means you never know what it will cost until the invoice lands, and the bookkeeper profits from taking longer. We do it the other way around: one fixed monthly price, agreed before we start, that covers the work your business needs. This piece explains how the Packs work, how the price is set, and why fixed beats hourly for almost every business with staff.

Published: July 2026

You can see the current options on The Packs page. Here is how the model works and why it exists.

The problem with hourly bookkeeping

Hourly billing has a built-in conflict: the slower and less efficient your bookkeeper is, the more they earn. Every email you send has a meter attached, every reconciliation question is billable, and your bill spikes in exactly the months your business is most complex. Worse, you cannot budget, because you do not know the number until it arrives. We have written about the absurd end of this in the $147 email and reading a Barry invoice, but the core problem is simple: hourly pricing puts your bookkeeper’s incentive against yours.

How fixed pricing works instead

With a Pack, we look at your business, its transaction volume, payroll, number of channels or entities, and complexity, and we set one fixed monthly price that covers the agreed scope. That price does not move because you sent an extra email or asked a question or had a busy month. It is the same every month, so you can budget it like rent. Because the price is fixed, our incentive flips: we only do well by being efficient and keeping your books clean, not by dragging the work out. You get predictability, and we get a reason to be truly good at our job.

How the price is set

The price is scoped to your business, so a simple operation pays less than a complex one, which is exactly fair. The things that move the price are the real drivers of the work: how many transactions flow through your accounts, whether you run payroll and for how many people, how many bank accounts, sales channels or entities you have, whether you carry inventory, and how much cleanup your file needs to get current. We work all of this out up front, usually starting with a Free Xero Roast so we can see your actual file, and then we quote one number. No hourly rates, no estimates that blow out, no surprises. If your business grows and the scope truly changes, we talk about it openly rather than quietly inflating an invoice.

What the Packs include

While the exact inclusions scale with your Pack, proper fixed-price bookkeeping should cover the things a business with staff actually needs: regular reconciliation so your file stays current, payroll run correctly with Single Touch Payroll and super handled, BAS prepared and lodged on time by a registered BAS Agent, a monthly report you can actually read, and your questions answered without a meter running. The whole point is that the important things are included, so you are never weighing up whether a question is worth the fee. See The Packs for the current structure, or read monthly bookkeeping for what the ongoing service covers.

Why no lock-in matters

We do not lock you into long contracts, because we would rather earn your business every month by doing good work than trap you with a clause. If we are not delivering, you should be able to leave, and knowing that keeps us honest. It also means switching to us is low-risk: you are not signing your life away, you are trying a better way of doing your books, and our how to change bookkeepers guide shows how simple the switch is.

What happens when your business changes

A fair question about fixed pricing is what happens when your business grows or changes. The answer is that we talk about it, openly, rather than quietly letting an hourly bill creep up. If you take on staff, add a sales channel, acquire another entity or your volume jumps, the scope truly changes, and we agree a revised fixed price that reflects the new reality, before the work changes, not after. What we never do is the hourly trick of letting the number drift upward invisibly and hoping you do not notice. Fixed pricing is a commitment to transparency as much as to a number: you always know what you are paying and why, and any change is a conversation, not a surprise on an invoice. That is the whole point of the model, and it is why it suits a growing business, because the pricing grows with you deliberately rather than sneaking up on you. See monthly bookkeeping for what the ongoing scope covers as you grow.

Numbers worth knowing (illustrative, not a quote)

Australian SME finance cost sits in wide ranges: simple bookkeeping often lands around $500-$1,500 per month for low-volume files, while growing businesses with payroll, inventory or multi-channel sales commonly sit $1,500-$4,000+ per month once the work is real. Hourly engagements that look cheaper at $70-$120/hour frequently cost more across a year once BAS crises, cleanup and silent errors are counted. Superannuation guarantee is 12% of ordinary time earnings under the current SG rate settings, and late payment under Payday Super attracts shortfall interest mechanics that start from the payday, which is why “we will catch super up later” is no longer a casual plan. Use these as planning anchors; your fixed quote should still come from scope, not from a blog average.

FAQ

What is fixed-price bookkeeping?
It is bookkeeping sold as one agreed monthly price that covers your scope, rather than billed by the hour. The price is set up front based on your business and does not change because you asked a question or had a busy month, so you can budget it reliably.

How is my fixed price calculated?
It is scoped to your business: transaction volume, payroll, number of accounts, channels or entities, whether you hold inventory, and how much cleanup your file needs. We work this out up front, usually via a Free Xero Roast, and quote one number.

Does the price change if I ask lots of questions?
No. Your questions are part of the service, not billable events. That is a core reason fixed pricing is better: you can ask freely without a meter running, unlike hourly billing where every email has a cost.

What is included in a Pack?
Inclusions scale with your Pack, but proper fixed-price bookkeeping covers regular reconciliation, payroll with STP and super, BAS lodged on time by a registered BAS Agent, a readable monthly report, and your questions answered. See The Packs page for the current structure.

Is there a lock-in contract?
No. The service is rolling and month-to-month, because we would rather earn your business by doing good work than hold you with a contract. It also makes switching to us low-risk.

How do I find out my price?
Start with a Free Xero Roast. It lets us see your actual file and quote a fixed monthly price for your specific business, rather than a generic figure that might not fit.

About Sydney Bookkeeper

Sydney Bookkeeper is the modern, fixed-price Sydney bookkeeper for businesses with staff that are tired of slow, hourly, jargon-spouting incumbents. We work with professional services firms, construction and property businesses, agencies, tech and ecommerce companies, hospitality groups, and health practices across Sydney. Monthly bookkeeping, BAS lodgement, payroll, and Xero file cleanups, all on fixed monthly pricing, no lock-in.

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This content is general information only, written for Australian small and mid-market businesses. It does not constitute tax, financial product, or legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Any pricing mentioned is an illustrative market estimate to show how costs compare, not a quote; your fixed price depends on your business and is confirmed before any work begins. The team uses a registered BAS Agent for all BAS and IAS lodgement services; registration particulars are available on request. For advice specific to your situation, contact the team directly or consult a registered tax agent or licensed financial adviser. Sydney Bookkeeper is not a licensed tax agent or licensed financial adviser. Information was current at the time of publication and may change without notice.