Start your business
Start your business
Run your business
Run your business
Grow your business
Grow your business
Accountants and Bookkeepers
Accountants and Bookkeepers
- Accountants and Bookkeepers
  Learn how accountants and bookkeepers can be productive in these articles & guides
- Learning and Development
  A range of informative content to enhance your QuickBooks experience.
Updates
Updates
- Product Updates
  Watch this space for monthly product updates.
- Intuit News
  Latest news, articles & guides

Need help choosing a plan?

1800 917 771 Schedule a call

Schedule call

Increasing workflow efficiency for tax advisors

August 2, 2022

With the new financial year well on its way, ensuring your business is compliant with all tax regulations can feel a little daunting. New legislation, new compliance processes, and macroeconomic changes all make being a tax advisor, accountant, or agent especially challenging today. As a seasoned millennial tax accountant–turned–business owner, with a knack for stacking apps, I believe that more – not less - automation is the key to happier clients and a more productive staff. QuickBooks has helped to organise finances for myself and for my clients.

Stop putting off getting your finances in order, it’s easy with QuickBooks!

Our first stop: QuickBooks Online. A simple-to-use but powerful cloud accounting platform built for small businesses, bookkeepers, and accountants alike. My team and I at DKM Accounting have been raving fans of the software ever since their launch in the early 2010s. With growing features now catering towards advisors, QuickBooks Online is definitely beginning to show its teeth amongst its competitors. From reporting functions including advanced cash flow analysis, to BAS and tax preparation tools, its suite of features are a welcomed support to our practice.

Work smarter, rather than harder

There was a time when I used to look at a cabinet of workpapers and client files and thought, “Wow, I have to get through all that.” Though there was something disciplined about holding a stack of manila folders or flipping through hardcovers of tax legislation, it was, more than anything else, simply time consuming.

Today, I much prefer to work smarter rather than harder. So when trade shows, expos, ads, and billboards started showcasing wave after wave of cloud-based apps meant to increase efficiency and firm productivity, I jumped into the water.

QuickBooks Online has succeeded in building tools meant to assist bookkeepers, BAS agents, and tax agents in their ongoing obligations with their clients. Both the Prep for Taxes, and BAS prep present great workflow and reconciliation tools for the filing of activity statements and tax returns. QuickBooks also has an intuitive inbuilt communication system that allows you to request any and all documents directly from your client so they can instantly upload anything you need.

Take the stress out of managing your firm

Free sign-up

Product training

State of tax compliance work, and moving forward into the year

With the phase two of Single Touch Payroll (STP) well in effect, along with the government’s commitment to harnessing technology surrounding accounting software developers; the role of the advisor, accountant, and BAS/Tax agent has become much more granular and compliance-oriented.

This means accountants and advisors may be expected to improve their cloud accounting abilities with particular focus on the creation, implementation, and management of an accounting ecosystem to ensure that the flow of data accurately represents their client’s business operations.

Luckily, QuickBooks Online operates as a powerful hub for a plethora of external payment systems, inventory management, and asset register integrations, that provide for accurate reporting and the consolidation of data. With many QuickBooks partners offering easy to connect APIs, advisors will find it easy to connect and manage the web of apps needed to service their clients.

In light of these changes, it’s becoming even more crucial that accountants and advisors take advantage of software solutions that remove the burden of tax filing. QuickBooks makes all stages of finances and taxes easier, allowing for more efficient service and better communication between advisors and clients. The QuickBooks workflow and reconciliation tools for the filing of activity statements and tax returns, plus the inbuilt communication system, simplify and quicken the process.

As a financial advisor, my job is to help my clients organise their finances and build for a better future. The QuickBooks tools minimise the paperwork and busywork, and help me stay organised and focused on my clients. QuickBooks makes my life, and the life of my clients easier —and that’s a win-win for all parties!

Running a business

The 50 best small business apps organized by what you want to accomplish

February 11, 2020

Running a business

The 2021 small business owner’s guide to bookkeeping

February 2, 2021

Payroll

Add a personal message to employee payslips

November 17, 2020

Looking for something else?

Get QuickBooks

Smart features made for your business. We've got you covered.

See how it works

Help Me Choose

Use our product selector to find the best accounting software for you.

Choose your product

QuickBooks Support

Get help with QuickBooks. Find articles, video tutorials, and more.

Start learning

Stay up-to-date with the latest small business insights and trends!

Want more? Visit our tools and templates!

First Name*

Email*

What best describes you?*

By signing up you are agreeing to our terms and privacy policy.

- - QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time. Prices are in AUD and include GST. See our Terms of Service for further information.
  - Pricing: All prices are in AUD and include GST.
  - ProAdvisor Program: Please find the terms of our ProAdvisor program here.
  - 75% off for 6 months: For new subscribers, enjoy a 75% discount off the current monthly retail price for QuickBooks Self-Employed, QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 6 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will applied from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 6 months. From month 7, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 50% off for 12 months: For new subscribers, enjoy a 50% discount off the current monthly retail price for QuickBooks Self-Employed, QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 12 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will applied from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 12 months. From month 13, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 30% off for 3 months (Advanced): For new subscribers to QuickBooks Online Advanced, enjoy a 30% discount off the current monthly retail price for the first 3 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will apply from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 3 months. From month 4, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 30% off for 12 months (Advanced): For new subscribers to QuickBooks Online Advanced, enjoy a 30% discount off the current monthly retail price for the first 12 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will apply from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 12 months. From month 13, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 30% off for 3 months (existing subscribers): For existing QuickBooks subscribers who upgrade to QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus or Advanced, enjoy a 30% discount off the current monthly retail price for 3 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will be applied from the date you upgrade in-product and will continue for 3 months. From month 4, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time services and prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - Free Trial: First thirty (30) days of subscription to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll (including QuickBooks Advanced Payroll), starting from the date of enrolment, is free. During the free trial, you may pay any number of employees using QuickBooks Payroll free of charge. To continue using QuickBooks after your 30-day trial, you'll be asked to present a valid credit card for authorisation and you'll be charged monthly at the then-current fee for the service(s) you've selected.
  - QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero: Payroll services are offered by a third party, Employment Hero. QuickBooks Payroll is only accessible via QuickBooks Online subscriptions. You will be charged $5.00 (incl. GST) per month for each ‘active employee’ paid using QuickBooks Payroll. An ‘active employee’ is one who has been paid at least once in the billing month. For Advanced Payroll, there is an additional monthly subscription fee of $10 (incl GST). Pricing, terms and conditions, including service options, are subject to change.
  * Employment Hero was voted the leading payroll solution for SMBs <50 employees (Australian Payroll Association 2021 Payroll Benchmarking Study)
  - Customer support: Call or chat to an expert for QuickBooks Online Accountant, QuickBooks Simple Start, Essential, Plus, and Advanced or use in-product QB Assistant and chat for QuickBooks Self-Employed. You'll also find useful resources in the QuickBooks Community.
  - Compatible Devices: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll require a computer with Internet Explorer 10, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari 6 and an Internet connection (a high-speed connection is recommended). The QuickBooks Online mobile app works with iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll are accessible on mobile browsers on iOS, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices. Devices sold separately; data plan required. QuickBooks Payroll cannot be used on the mobile apps. Not all features are available on the mobile apps and mobile browser. QuickBooks Online mobile access is included with your QuickBooks Online subscription at no additional cost. Data access is subject to cellular/internet provider network availability and occasional downtime due to system and server maintenance and events beyond your control. Product registration required.
  - Get paid faster: Get paid 2.5x faster invoicing with PayPal
  * PayPal and QuickBooks customers get paid on average in less than 5 days, which is over 7 days faster than the average for invoices that get paid with other payment methods. Data is for paid invoices that were created in QuickBooks in Australia between 23.05.22 and 23.11.22
  - Tax deductions: Tax deductions not guaranteed due to being subject to user data entry errors. Mileage calculation provided by the Australia Taxation Office - 85 cents per kilometre for the 2023-2024 income year. To a maximum of 5,000 business kilometres per car (Deductions are only applicable to cars)
  - Customer Service Awards: Excellence in Customer Service Award at the CX Australia Awards 2022
  - Multiple file discount: Multiple file discount applies to QuickBooks Australia customers only and valid when signing up for more than one QuickBooks Online subscription in one order. Further terms and conditions available here. Not applicable to QuickBooks Self Employed.
  - Reviews: GetApp, Capterra, Google Play Store, Apple App Store reviews as at date 08/01/24.
  - Cost per day claim: Based on a QuickBooks Simple Start Plan at its regular retail price of $25 per month and a 31 day month.
  - Cost per day claim (annual): Based on a QuickBooks Simple Start Plan at its regular retail price of $270 per year and a 365 day year.
  - Annual Billing: You may pay for your QuickBooks Online subscription on an annual, upfront basis to enjoy a discount on the current fees. If you use QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero, your payroll costs will still be charged monthly to your nominated payment method in accordance with your usage as set out here. If you cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription within the pre-paid 12 month period, you will not be eligible for a refund, but will retain full access to your QuickBooks Online subscription for the remainder of the 12-month period. Unless cancelled by you prior, your annual subscription will auto-renew on the 12 month anniversary of your sign-up date using the billing details you have given us. Discounts, prices, terms and conditions are subject to change.
  - Over 7 million customers: Based on number of global QB customers (ecosystem) (7.1m) worldwide as of October 2022.
  - Free Onboarding: Applicable to Buy Now subscriptions on QuickBooks Simple Start, Essentials and Plus plans. Not available for QuickBooks Self-Employed.
  - Save Hours: Save up to an average of 29 hours per month with QuickBooks.
  - * Based on a survey conducted by Intuit Australia Pty Ltd in September 2022. Time saving is in comparison to previous accounting method, based on 184 responses from customers that saw time savings.
  - Get access to QuickBooks Tax: ***Access QuickBooks Tax, powered by LodgeiT, by becoming a member of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program (it’s free to join). Find out more about the ProAdvisor Program here, including the terms of the QuickBooks Tax offer in the Program here.
  - QuickBooks Time Disclaimers & Offers for Australia: For Important pricing offers and disclaimers with further information, please see here.
  - *Full terms and conditions for access to QuickBooks Tax, powered by LodgeiT as part of the the Proadvisor Program can be found here. QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time.
  - **Intuit conducted a study involving 56 interviews with accountants and bookkeepers who used Books Review for BAS preparation between March to December 2021 and found that when using Books Review, participants reduced the time spent preparing their clients BAS Reports by around 40%.
  - Our Terms of Service apply to all QuickBooks Online subscriptions. Please review them carefully.