BAS agent fees: compare quotes and first-year costs

First check whether both agents have priced the same job. One may assume your accounts are reconciled. Another may have allowed time to investigate the transactions you've left unmatched since March.

Start with our BAS-agent enquiry checklist, then send the same brief to each provider. Say what is finished, what is behind and what you want them to take responsibility for.

What can sit outside the headline price?

Ask for the work to be split into a few recognisable jobs. Regular bookkeeping covers a different workload from catching up a neglected file. Payroll brings its own questions about employee numbers, pay runs and corrections. Software subscriptions may be yours to pay or part of the agent's package.

For BAS work, ask whether the quote covers preparation, review, queries, your approval and lodgement. Also ask what happens when an earlier period needs investigation. A label such as “BAS support” doesn't answer those questions by itself.

The TPB's engagement-letter guidance covers scope, fees, responsibilities and arrangements for documents. Use the provider's engagement terms to resolve gaps in the quote before you accept it.

Compare two fictional quotes over a year

Suppose both providers have quoted for the same bookkeeping and quarterly BAS workload, without payroll. These are fictional prices, not a survey or a recommended fee. All amounts use the same GST-inclusive basis, and the software is paid separately at the same price under either option.

Quote A has the lower monthly price, but Quote B costs $110 less in the first year under these assumptions. In a later year without cleanup, A is $40 lower. Neither calculation tells you which agent communicates well, understands your software or has correctly estimated the cleanup.

For your own comparison, add software, payroll, setup, transaction-volume charges and anything else that differs. Don't add a quarterly charge again if it is already included in the monthly package. If one quote excludes GST and another includes it, ask for figures on the same basis before comparing them.

How do hourly and fixed fees change the decision?

An hourly arrangement can suit work whose size is hard to establish in advance. Ask for an initial estimate and a spending limit that triggers a conversation. “We'll let you know if it gets complicated” is less useful than an agreed review point after the first file inspection.

A fixed fee helps you budget when the included work is clear. Check the number of bank accounts, transactions, employees and included pay runs. Ask what changes the fee and how much notice you'll receive. A fixed price for a defined job is different from unlimited support.

For either arrangement, write down how often you'll be billed and what happens if the records arrive late. Request written approval of additional work rather than finding it in the next invoice.

What should you ask about the cleanup estimate?

Ask the provider to describe the starting problem and the expected finished state. For example: reconcile two bank accounts to an agreed date, list unresolved transactions and produce a handover report. That is easier to assess than a single line reading “bring books up to date”.

Ask which documents they need from you and which missing records could change the estimate. If the provider can only quote after a paid diagnostic, clarify the diagnostic price and what you'll receive, even if you choose not to proceed.

Our guide to choosing a BAS agent covers registration, responsibilities and the wider engagement. Price is one part of that decision.

Check the first bill against the agreement

Keep the original quote, the accepted scope and any approved variations together. Compare the first invoice with those records. If something is unclear, ask which agreed service the charge covers and whether it will recur.

An unresolved billing question is easier to discuss when you can point to the line item and the agreed scope. Keep the conversation about the work and the evidence. If you're considering a move, use the BAS-agent handover checklist before cancelling access or changing subscriptions.

Key takeaways

• Compare the same work over the same period, on the same GST basis.
• Separate cleanup, recurring bookkeeping, BAS work, payroll and software.
• Ask what changes a fixed fee or triggers extra hourly work.
• Use current written quotes; the worked figures here are fictional.

Where to get help

Use the BAS-agent directory to build a shortlist, then check each official record. The TPB's client-verification and engagement-letter questions explain how service agreements can cover fees and scope.