The first question most people ask when they’re thinking about hiring an accountant is simple: how much is this going to cost me? And yet it’s a question most accounting websites deliberately avoid answering.
We’re going to answer it properly — because we’re based in Epping, Victoria, and we work with real people in Melbourne’s northern suburbs who want straight answers before they pick up the phone.
Why Pricing Varies So Much Between Accountants
Before the numbers, the honest explanation: accounting fees vary enormously because situations vary enormously. A wage-and-salary worker with one employer, no investment income and a handful of straightforward deductions is a genuinely different job to a self-employed contractor with a home office, two rental properties, a share portfolio and a spouse on a part-time salary.
Why Pricing Varies So Much Between Accountant
Before the numbers, the honest explanation: accounting fees vary enormously because situations vary enormously. A wage-and-salary worker with one employer, no investment income and a handful of straightforward deductions is a genuinely different job to a self-employed contractor with a home office, two rental properties, a share portfolio and a spouse on a part-time salary.
Charging the same fee for both would be unfair to one client or the other. Good accounting practices price based on the actual work involved — and they should tell you that price upfront
Individual Tax Return Costs: What to Expect in Melbourne
For a straightforward individual tax return in Melbourne, here’s a realistic fee range:
Basic wage-and-salary return (one employer, PAYG income statement, simple deductions like work clothing or union fees): $150–$300 Intermediate return (one or two employers, work-related expenses requiring documentation, private health insurance, possibly a small side income): $250–$450
Rental property return (one property with interest, depreciation, repairs, management fees): add $150–$300 per property on top of the base return fee
Sole trader or ABN holder return (business income and expenses, possible GST considerations): $500–$1,200 depending on complexity
These are Melbourne market figures. Fees in regional areas are sometimes lower. Fees at large CBD firms for identical work are often higher — you’re paying for the address.
When the Accountant’s Fee Pays for Itself
A question worth asking before you focus on the fee: what am I missing by doing this myself?
In our experience working with clients across Epping, Thomastown, Bundoora and the surrounding suburbs, the most common situation is a person who’s been lodging their own return on myGov for several years and then discovers — when they finally see a professional — that they’ve been consistently missing deductions.
Some examples of what we find regularly:
- Tradie not claiming the full value of vehicle use because they didn’t keep a logbook
- Teachers missing claims for classroom supplies, professional development and union fees
- Nurses and healthcare workers at Melbourne’s northern hospitals not claiming professional registration fees, uniform costs and continuing education
- Rental property owners not having a depreciation schedule — meaning they’re missing the single largest deduction available to investment property owners
- Work-from-home earners using the fixed rate method when the actual cost method would save them more
In many of these cases, the missed deductions from a single prior year exceed the cost of professional tax preparation. And once you’re with a registered agent, you also benefit from an extended lodgement deadline and someone who’ll represent you if the ATO has a question.
Small Business and Company Tax Return Costs
For business entities, fees rise because complexity rises.
- Sole trader tax return (with financials): $600–$1,500
- Partnership return: $800–$2,000
- Trust tax return: $1,000–$2,500
- Small Pty Ltd company return: $1,000–$3,000
The lower end of each range applies when your books are well-maintained, reconciled and provided to us in a usable format. The upper end applies when we need to reconstruct records, resolve discrepancies, or deal with complex transactions.
This is why we consistently encourage business clients to keep their bookkeeping current throughout the year. Good books reduce your accounting fee at year-end — often by more than the monthly bookkeeping cost.
What Drives Fees Up — and How to Reduce Them
Things that increase your fee:
- Bringing in a shoebox of receipts instead of categorised records
- Unreconciled bank accounts
- Multiple bank accounts and credit cards that need to be matched
- Prior year issues that need to be resolved before the current return can be lodged
- Director loans, related party transactions or Division 7A issues (company clients)
- Multiple income streams that haven’t been tracked separately
Things that reduce your fee:
- Providing reconciled, accurate Xero or MYOB accounts
- Responding promptly to our questions
- Providing documents in digital form rather than physical copies
- Lodging your tax return before peak season (July is the busiest month — returns lodged in August or September are often done faster and sometimes at a lower fee)
Are Accountant Fees Tax Deductible?
Yes. The cost of preparing your tax return is tax-deductible in the year it’s paid — and so is the cost of tax advice more broadly. If you pay us $400 to prepare your return, you claim $400 as a deduction in your next return. The net after-tax cost is lower than the sticker price. [STAT — Please confirm current ATO guidance on deductibility of tax agent fees.]
How We Approach Pricing at RPS Accountants
We quote before we start. Every time. You’ll know what the job costs before you hand us anything.
We don’t do hourly billing where the final number is a surprise. We agree a fixed fee for a defined scope of work — and if anything changes mid-job that affects the scope, we discuss it with you before we proceed.
If your situation is straightforward, we’ll tell you. If it’s complex, we’ll explain why and what the options are.
To get a clear quote for your tax return, call 1300 110 120 or email admin@rpsaccountants.com.au. Our office is at 136 Gateway Boulevard, Epping — five minutes from the Ring Road.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to do my tax return myself?
The fee cost is lower, yes. The question is whether you’re leaving money on the table in missed deductions, and whether the time cost is worth it. For simple returns, self-lodgement via myGov is completely reasonable. For returns with investment properties, business income, or any complexity, the professional usually finds more than they cost.
Can I claim my accountant’s fee on this year’s return?
Tax agent fees are deductible in the year they are paid — not the year the return relates to. So if you pay our invoice in August 2025 for your 2024–25 return, you deduct it in your 2025–26 return.
Do you charge extra for an ATO audit?
If you’re audited on a return we prepared, we represent you at our standard rate. Some practices offer audit insurance — a fixed annual premium that covers unlimited professional time in the event of an audit. We can discuss whether this makes sense for your situation.
How do I know if I’m paying too much for my current accountant?
If your accountant can’t tell you before starting work what the job will cost — or if you never get a clear explanation of what was done and why — those are reasonable reasons to look around. A second opinion costs nothing and sometimes reveals significant differences.
