Australian Capital Territory · Your finance function

Dedicated Accountant in the ACT

Canberra firms sell expertise by the hour — but most can't say which engagements actually made money. A dedicated offshore accountant delivers engagement profitability, utilisation reporting and month-end close from $999/month part-time.

Scoped for contract-heavy businesses, delivered on AEST hours, reviewed monthly by a CA-track accountant.

Free Xero health check

Why Canberra firms choose a FinanceDesk accountant

Profitability per engagement

Revenue, labour, subcontractors and expenses tracked per engagement in Xero — with margin reporting that shows which contracts to chase and which to reprice. The number most Canberra firms have never seen.

Utilisation meets finance

Your monthly pack combines the financial close with delivery metrics — utilisation, realisation, WIP — so partners see the business whole, not in two disconnected reports.

Fits your existing advisers

Keep your Canberra firm for tax and strategy. Your dedicated accountant runs the monthly engine and hands over BAS-ready ledgers — your advisers bill fewer cleanup hours.

Where it pays for itself in Canberra

Government contractors

Multi-engagement IT, engineering and professional services firms need margin visibility per contract and clean subcontractor economics. An L02 full-time ($2,650/mo) owns engagement reporting end to end.

Growing consultancies

Boutique firms scaling from founders to teams need to know if growth is profitable. A part-time L02 ($1,449/mo) delivers the monthly pack — utilisation, margins, cash — that answers it.

Professional services partnerships

Legal, advisory and specialist partnerships across Civic and Barton: partner-level reporting, trust-adjacent discipline in the books, and board-ready packs. An L03 ($3,750/mo full-time) leads the function.

Seats — monthly only, no hourly rates

L01 · Accountant

Part-time $999/mo · Full-time $1,850/mo

  • Transaction review & reconciliations
  • Month-end journals & close checklist
  • Engagement-coded P&L preparation
Scope my role

L02 · Senior Accountant

Part-time $1,449/mo · Full-time $2,650/mo

  • Everything in L01
  • Engagement profitability reporting
  • Utilisation & WIP reporting
  • Budget-vs-actuals & commentary
Scope my role

L03 · Finance Lead

Part-time $2,049/mo · Full-time $3,750/mo

  • Everything in L02
  • Partner/board-ready packs
  • Multi-entity consolidation
  • Finance process leadership
Scope my role

BAS-ready ledgers Ledgers are prepared BAS-ready for your BAS agent or accountant. We never promise BAS or GST lodgement.

How it works

  1. Commercial diagnostic. Free Xero health check plus a scoping call: your engagements, your time data, and the profitability questions your current reports can't answer.
  2. Shortlist & interview. Meet vetted accountants with professional-services and contractor experience and choose your person.
  3. Onboarding. Engagement-tracking setup, reporting pack template, close calendar and KPIs agreed in week one.
  4. Monthly rhythm. Close, engagement margins, utilisation reporting — with a standing partner-level review call and CA-track oversight behind the scenes.

ACT dedicated accountant FAQs

Can an offshore accountant report profitability per engagement?

Yes — it's the core value of an L02 or L03 seat for Canberra firms. Revenue, labour, subcontractors and expenses tracked per engagement in Xero, with margin reporting that shows which contracts and clients actually make money.

We track utilisation and billable hours — can that feed the reporting?

Yes. Your accountant builds the monthly pack around your time data: utilisation, realisation and WIP by engagement, alongside the financial close. One pack, finance and delivery metrics together.

How do you handle confidentiality for government-adjacent work?

Least-privilege Xero access, confidentiality terms, and you hold master access. Your accountant works on financial records only — no access to client government systems — and sensitive engagements can be ring-fenced.

Do you lodge BAS?

No. Ledgers are prepared BAS-ready for your BAS agent or accountant to lodge. We never promise BAS or GST lodgement.

Can our Canberra accounting firm stay as our adviser?

Yes — that's the standard model. Your dedicated accountant runs the monthly close and management reporting; your local firm keeps the advisory, tax and compliance relationship, receiving clean BAS-ready ledgers instead of cleanup work.

Find out which engagements actually make money

Start with a free Xero health check — then scope a part-time seat from $999/mo around your reporting gaps.

Free Xero health check

Prefer to talk? [PHONE] · hello@financedesk.com.au