1. Introduction

Bookeeper (“we”, “us”, “our”) provides fixed-fee bookkeeping services to Australian small businesses. By engaging our services, you (“the client”, “you”, “your”) agree to these Terms & Conditions.

These Terms outline:

  • What we provide
  • What is excluded
  • Billing and fee rules
  • Confidentiality obligations
  • Legal protections for both parties

2. Scope of Services (What We Do)

Bookeeper provides non-assurance bookkeeping services, including:

  • Monthly bookkeeping
  • Bank feed reconciliation
  • Transaction categorisation
  • Chart of accounts maintenance
  • Monthly financial reports
  • Receipt and document management
  • Cash-flow visibility
  • File organisation and bookkeeping structure
  • Preparation of financials for accountants or BAS agents
  • General bookkeeping guidance

Our role is to ensure your books are balanced, accurate, and ready for BAS or tax lodgement by your accountant or BAS agent.

3. Scope Exclusions (What We Do NOT Do)

Bookeeper does not provide:

  • BAS lodgement
  • Tax agent services
  • GST reviews
  • Tax advice
  • ATO representation
  • Superannuation calculations or payments
  • Payroll compliance advice
  • Financial planning
  • Legal advice
  • Audit or assurance services

All ATO and compliance lodgements remain the responsibility of your accountant or BAS agent.

If BAS lodgement is required, Bookeeper can coordinate this through our partnered Sydney-based registered BAS firm for an additional fee.

4. Client Responsibilities

You agree to:

  • Provide accurate, complete, and timely information
  • Maintain business records and receipts
  • Respond to queries and approve categorisation decisions
  • Ensure all ATO lodgements are handled by a registered BAS or tax agent
  • Maintain adequate business insurance
  • Seek professional advice when required

Bookeeper is not responsible for any errors arising from incomplete, inaccurate, or late information provided by the client.

5. Fees, Billing & Payments

5.1 Fixed Fee Structure

  • Bookkeeping fee: *$109 per month (incl. GST)
  • Includes up to 100 transactions per month
  • Monthly reporting included

5.2 Payroll

  • Payroll for more than 2 staff (up to 5 staff): *$50 per month

5.3 Additional Fees

Additional charges may apply for:

  • Manual receipting
  • Historical catch-up work
  • File clean-ups
  • Excess transaction volume
  • Additional payroll needs (beyond 5 staff)
  • Work outside the agreed scope

All additional fees will be discussed and agreed upon beforehand.

5.4 When Billing Begins

Your monthly fee begins from the month we commence bookkeeping work,
not the month you engage us.

You only pay once active bookkeeping work has started.

5.5 Payment Terms

  • Fees are billed monthly in advance
  • Payments are processed via Stripe or direct debit
  • Overdue invoices may result in service suspension

6. Confidentiality

Bookeeper and its employees, directors, and contractors treat all client information as strictly confidential.

We will not:

  • Share or disclose your business information with anyone outside your business directors
  • Use your data for any purpose outside the scope of this engagement

Confidentiality remains in effect after our engagement ends.

7. Ownership of Records

  • Your original business records remain your property
  • Working papers, notes, reconciliations, and internal documents remain the property of Bookeeper
  • Copies can be provided upon request

8. Software Costs

All software subscriptions (Xero, Hubdoc, Dext, Stripe, Google Workspace) remain at the client’s expense.

9. Service Limitations

Bookeeper provides non-assurance bookkeeping. This means:

  • We do not audit or verify documents
  • We do not detect fraud or irregularities
  • We do not guarantee compliance outside the bookkeeping scope
  • Compliance responsibility remains with the business owner and their registered BAS/tax agent

10. Liability

Bookeeper is not responsible for:

  • ATO penalties or interest
  • Errors caused by late or incomplete client information
  • Errors made by third-party software providers
  • Delays caused by the client

To the extent permitted by law, Bookeeper ’s liability is limited to the fees paid for the month in which an issue occurred.

11. Cancellation, Refunds & Ending the Agreement

11.1 Cancellation by the Client

You may cancel your service at any time by providing written notice.

Cancellations take effect at:

  • The end of the current month, or
  • The end of the current BAS quarter,
    whichever is more appropriate for reporting continuity.

11.2 Billing During Cancellation

Bookkeeping is delivered monthly and often in arrears.
Therefore:

  • Fees already paid are non-refundable
  • The final month is billed in full
  • Any catch-up or clean-up work in progress must be fully paid

11.3 Refund Policy

As bookkeeping is a service delivered with time already invested:

  • No refunds are provided for work completed
  • No refunds for partially completed months
  • No refunds where delays are caused by the client

11.4 Cancellation by Bookeeper

Bookeeper may suspend or terminate services if:

  • Invoices remain unpaid
  • Required information is not supplied
  • There is misuse or inappropriate conduct
  • Continuing the engagement poses a compliance risk

We will provide reasonable written notice before termination.

11.5 Final Handover

Upon termination:

  • All outstanding invoices must be settled
  • Final reconciliations (if agreed) will be delivered
  • Access to financial files will be returned to the client

No financial history is altered or deleted.

12. Governing Law

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of New South Wales.

13. Acceptance

By engaging Bookeeper ’s services, you confirm you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms & Conditions.