Deliverables guide
What does outsourced bookkeeping actually include?
The monthly checklist — week by week. Plus what's extra and what's never in scope.
Quick answer
The short version
Outsourced bookkeeping typically includes bank reconciliation, transaction coding, invoice processing, AP/AR, payroll, month-end close, and monthly P&L and balance sheet reports. Higher tiers add management reporting, cash-flow forecasts, and review calls. It never includes BAS lodgement (that needs a registered BAS agent), tax advice, or audits.
Week 1
Bank feeds, coding, receipts
The month starts with the raw material: bank and credit-card feeds flowing into Xero or MYOB, every line coded to the right account. Receipts and invoices get matched — snapped via Dext or emailed in — so nothing sits unexplained. This is the unglamorous core of bookkeeping, and it's where cheap providers cut corners: auto-coded "ask my accountant" lines that pile up for months. Ask any provider how they handle uncodable transactions. "We ask you" is fine. Silence is not.
Week 2
AP, AR, and payroll
Accounts payable: supplier invoices entered, matched to purchase orders where they exist, and queued for your approval. You keep the payment button — a good provider never pays your suppliers without your sign-off.
Accounts receivable: customer invoices issued, statements sent, and first reminders chased on overdue accounts. This is quietly one of the highest-ROI parts of bookkeeping: systematic follow-up shortens debtor days without you lifting a finger.
Payroll: pay runs processed, STP reported to the ATO, super calculated, leave balances tracked. Usually included or priced per employee — confirm which before you sign.
Weeks 3–4
Reconciliation, close, reports
Everything gets reconciled — bank, cards, clearing accounts, inter-entity loans. Then month-end close: journals posted, the P&L and balance sheet finalised, and the file left clean enough that your accountant could pick it up cold.
What you receive depends on your tier. The floor is a monthly P&L and balance sheet. Above that: a management report with variance notes explaining why numbers moved, a 13-week cash-flow forecast, and a review call where someone walks you through it. Our three tiers spell out exactly which of these you get at $299, $499, and $899 — no "contact us for inclusions".
Close speed matters more than people think. A 7-working-day close is standard; 3-day close costs more because it needs dedicated capacity. If your numbers arrive on the 25th, they're history, not management information.
Scope honesty
What's never included (and why that matters)
BAS lodgement. Requires a registered BAS agent — full stop. Any bookkeeping provider promising lodgement without TPB registration is creating a compliance problem you'll own. The honest scope is BAS-ready ledgers prepared for your BAS agent.
Tax advice and returns. That's your accountant's job. Your bookkeeper's job is to hand them a clean file so the tax work is fast and cheap.
Historical cleanup. Fixing 18 months of neglected books is a project, not monthly bookkeeping. It should be scoped and quoted separately — before monthly work starts, not buried inside it.
If a quote seems too good to be true, check it against this list. The missing items are usually where the real cost — or the real risk — is hiding.
Related reading
Keep going
- How much does a bookkeeper cost in Adelaide? — real price ranges.
- Fixed-fee vs hourly: which saves you more? — the break-even maths.
- Bookkeeping packages — $299/$499/$899, inclusions published.
- Accounting services — reporting, AP/AR, payroll add-ons.
FAQ
Inclusions questions
What is included in outsourced bookkeeping?
Bank and credit-card reconciliation, transaction coding, invoice processing, AP/AR management, payroll processing, month-end close, and monthly P&L and balance sheet. Higher tiers add management reporting, cash-flow forecasts, and review calls.
Does outsourced bookkeeping include BAS lodgement?
No — BAS lodgement requires a registered BAS agent. Reputable providers prepare BAS-ready ledgers for your BAS agent or accountant to lodge, and say so plainly.
Does outsourced bookkeeping include payroll?
Usually yes: pay runs, STP reporting, super calculations, and leave tracking. Confirm whether it's in your tier or priced per employee before you sign.
How long does month-end close take?
Typically 3–10 working days depending on tier. Faster close costs more because it needs dedicated capacity. Numbers arriving on the 25th are history, not management information.
What is NOT included in outsourced bookkeeping?
BAS lodgement (registered BAS agent only), tax advice and returns (your accountant), audits, and historical cleanup — normally scoped and quoted separately before monthly work begins.
See your inclusions in writing.
Every FinanceDesk package lists exactly what's included. No vague promises — compare us line by line.
Response within 1 business day.