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All industries Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Consulting & Professional Services

Advisory and professional services billed by project or retainer, with professional indemnity exposure.

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ACT · staff yes

State

National onlyNSWVICQLDWASATASNTACT

Employing staff

Not sureYesNo

Bundle spec

Recommended software & services

Ranked on merit for this trade, not on what pays us most. Core items are pre-selected at checkout.

Manifest

12 items · 3 pre-selected

  • Xero Accounting

    COREAccounting Software

    Project invoicing, expense tracking and GST.

    $59/mo$70

  • BizCover Business Insurance

    COREInsurance

    Professional indemnity is usually a condition of client contracts.

    $75/mo$85

  • Turnkey Business Website

    COREWebsite

    Credibility check for prospective clients and referrers.

    $25/mo$39

  • Lawpath Legal Plan

    RECOMMENDEDLegal

    Consulting agreements, IP ownership clauses and terms of engagement.

    $39/mo$49

  • Domain Registration & DNS

    RECOMMENDEDDigital Presence

    A professional domain rather than a free email address.

    $19/mo$29

  • Google Workspace

    RECOMMENDEDDigital Presence

    Client-facing email and document collaboration.

    $19/mo$24

  • Annature e-Signatures

    RECOMMENDEDDigital Presence

    Engagement letters and SOWs signed quickly.

    $39/mo$49

  • Sprintlaw Fixed-Fee Legal

    OPTIONALLegal

    Fixed-fee legal work when a specific contract needs drafting properly.

    No monthly fee

  • Google Business Profile Setup & Management

    OPTIONALDigital Presence

    Useful if you serve a local market rather than nationally.

    $35/mo$49

  • Partner Accountant

    OPTIONALAccounting & Tax

    Structure advice as income grows.

    $199/mo$250

  • Financial Advisory

    OPTIONALFinancial Planning

    Super and wealth planning for owner-operators.

    $99/mo$150

  • Stripe Online Payments

    OPTIONALPayments

    Take deposits and retainers online.

    $39/mo$49
Bundle readout

Core bundle: 3 services

Retail

$194/mo

Bundle

$159/mo

Save $35/mo
Build this bundle

Workforce

Modern Awards that typically apply

  • MA000002

    Clerks Award

    Primary

    Commonly applies to administrative and support employees. Professional staff may be award-free.

    9 entitlement rules modelledFair Work summary

Pay rates — deliberately not published

We deliberately don't publish pay rates. They change (usually each 1 July) and stale figures risk underpaying staff. Use the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool for current rates.

Compliance matrix

Licensing & compliance — ACT

TAX REGISTRATION

5

  • Australian Business Number (ABN)

    NATIONAL

    Every business operating in Australia needs an ABN. It is free to apply for and is required before you can register for GST, issue compliant tax invoices, or avoid having 47% withheld from payments by other businesses.

    Australian Business RegisterCheck with the regulator

  • GST registration

    NATIONAL

    Registration is compulsory once your GST turnover reaches the registration threshold in a rolling 12-month period, and you must register within 21 days of crossing it. Registration is optional below the threshold. Ride-sourcing drivers must register regardless of turnover.

    Australian Taxation OfficeCheck with the regulator

  • PAYG withholding registration

    NATIONAL

    Required before you first pay an employee. You must withhold tax from wages and report it to the ATO.

    Australian Taxation OfficeCheck with the regulator

  • Single Touch Payroll (Phase 2) reporting

    NATIONAL

    Employers must report salary, wages, PAYG withholding and superannuation liability to the ATO each pay run through STP-enabled software. Phase 2 requires income components to be reported disaggregated rather than as a single gross figure.

    Australian Taxation OfficeCheck with the regulator

  • Superannuation guarantee

    NATIONAL

    Employers must pay superannuation contributions for eligible employees by the quarterly due dates, through a SuperStream-compliant channel. Rates and eligibility rules change — confirm the current rate with the ATO.

    Australian Taxation OfficeCheck with the regulator

WORKPLACE SAFETY

1

  • Work health and safety duties

    NATIONAL

    As a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) you owe a primary duty of care to workers and others. WHS law is implemented by each state and territory regulator.

    Safe Work Australia and state regulatorsCheck with the regulator

INSURANCE

3

  • Workers compensation insurance

    NATIONAL

    Compulsory in every state and territory once you employ staff. The scheme, insurer and registration process differ by jurisdiction (WorkSafe Victoria, icare NSW, WorkCover Queensland, WorkCover WA).

    State and territory workers compensation authoritiesCheck with the regulator

  • Public liability insurance

    NATIONAL

    Not legally compulsory for most businesses, but effectively mandatory in practice — most commercial clients, councils, landlords and head contractors require evidence of cover before you can work.

    Not government-mandated for most businessesCheck with the regulator

  • Professional indemnity insurance

    NATIONAL

    A registration condition for most registered health professions and a standard contractual requirement for consultants and advisers.

    Profession-specific registration boardsCheck with the regulator

May also apply — we need one more answer

  • Director Identification Number

    What is your business structure?

  • Coverage gap

    State and territory requirements for ACT are not yet modelled. Only national obligations are shown — check the ACT regulator directly for licensing.

Payroll codes

Payroll allowances to expect (STP Phase 2)

Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 requires allowances to be itemised by type. These are the ones this trade commonly reports.

  • CD

    Cents per kilometre

    Car allowance paid on a per-kilometre basis for business travel in the employee's own vehicle.

  • RD

    Domestic or overseas travel

    Travel allowance covering accommodation, meals and incidentals away from home.

Free tools

Free government tools worth using

Some of what businesses pay for is already published free. Start here.

  • Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS)

    Answer questions about what your business does and where it operates, and get back the licences, permits and registrations that apply across federal, state and local government. The single best starting point for the licensing question.

    Australian Government

  • Work out your business registrations

    Walks through which registrations you need — ABN, business name, GST, TFN, PAYG withholding — based on your structure and situation.

    business.gov.au

  • ABN Lookup

    Free public register for checking an ABN, its GST registration status and entity name. Worth running over any new commercial customer before you extend credit.

    Australian Business Register

  • Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR)

    Register a security interest over goods you supply on credit, or search whether equipment you are buying is encumbered. Low cost per registration and the difference between being a secured and unsecured creditor if a customer folds.

    Australian Financial Security Authority

  • IP Australia — TM Headstart

    A pre-application assessment service for trade marks — an examiner reviews your mark before you formally apply, so you find problems before paying the full application fee.

    IP Australia

  • Cash flow statement template

    A spreadsheet for projecting money in and out month by month.

    business.gov.au

  • Profit and loss statement template

    Standard income statement layout for businesses not yet on accounting software.

    business.gov.au

  • Balance sheet template

    Assets, liabilities and equity in a single standard layout.

    business.gov.au

  • Budget template

    Plan expected income and expenses across a financial year.

    business.gov.au

  • Start-up costs sheet

    Itemise what it will actually cost to open — the exercise that tells you how much runway you need before the first invoice is paid.

    business.gov.au

Government tools and templates referenced are © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU.

Disclaimer

General information only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Licence classes, thresholds and exemptions change; confirm every requirement with the named regulator before relying on it.