How to find a good accountant in 2026: the one register to check, the 12 questions to ask before you sign, the fees to expect, and how to move if your current one is not working out.
Last reviewed October 2026 by Megan Birot, Content Editor, OurTop10. Figures checked against the sources named in the article.
What changed (29 September 2026): new guide. Fee figures match our September 2026 accountant cost guide; the checklist of questions was reviewed against what the firms on our Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane shortlists say they ask new clients.
- Only a registered tax agent can legally charge to prepare your return. Check the name on the Tax Practitioners Board register before you pay anyone; the search takes 30 seconds.
- A good accountant for a wage earner costs $150 to $300 a year. For a small business, expect $2,000 to $15,000 depending on size, so choosing well is a four-figure decision.
- The best predictor of a good fit is whether they already act for ten or more clients like you: same trade, same structure, same problems.
- Changing accountants takes one email. Your new accountant requests your file from the old one; you do not have to have the awkward conversation.
Jump to: Check the register · What kind of accountant you need · 12 questions to ask · Red flags · What it should cost · How to change accountants · FAQs
Part of our accountants guides, alongside what accountants charge in 2026 and the OurTop10 shortlists of the best accountants in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
A good accountant is a registered tax agent who already looks after people in your situation, quotes a fixed fee for routine work, and answers the phone in April, not just in July. Anyone can call themselves an accountant. The word is not protected in Australia, which is why the first step is a register check and the second is a set of questions that sort the specialists from the generalists.
Step one: check the Tax Practitioners Board register
The Tax Practitioners Board keeps a public list of every registered tax agent and BAS agent in Australia. Registration means the person has passed education and experience checks, holds professional indemnity insurance, and can be disciplined or struck off. Search the person’s name or the firm’s, and check the registration is current and has no conditions or sanctions listed. If they are not on it, they cannot lawfully charge you to lodge a return, and the ATO will not treat them as your agent.
| Credential | Who issues it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Registered tax agent | Tax Practitioners Board | Legally allowed to prepare and lodge returns for a fee. The minimum. |
| Registered BAS agent | Tax Practitioners Board | Can prepare and lodge activity statements, not income tax returns. |
| CA (Chartered Accountant) | Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand | Degree plus a three-year professional programme and ongoing training. |
| CPA | CPA Australia | Degree plus the CPA programme; equivalent standing to CA. |
| IPA / FIPA | Institute of Public Accountants | Practising body common among small suburban firms. |
Sources: tpb.gov.au public register and registration requirements; charteredaccountantsanz.com; cpaaustralia.com.au; publicaccountants.org.au (all checked 29 September 2026).
Step two: work out what kind of accountant you need
Match the accountant to the job. A wage earner with a rental property needs someone who does hundreds of rental schedules a year. A tradie who has just gone Pty Ltd needs a firm that runs payroll and BAS for other tradies. A doctor with a service trust needs a medical specialist firm. Ask how many clients they have like you; if the honest answer is “a few”, keep looking.
- Individual with simple affairs: a franchise or online agent is fine; you are paying for lodgement, not advice.
- Individual with investments or overseas income: a suburban CA or CPA firm that names property or expat tax as a specialty.
- Sole trader or small company: a firm that offers a fixed monthly package with BAS, bookkeeping review and a year-end meeting.
- Company with staff, trusts or an SMSF: a mid-sized firm with separate tax, audit and advisory people, and a partner you can reach.
The 12 questions to ask before you sign
Ask these in the first meeting. A good accountant will have crisp answers to all of them; a bad fit will fudge three or four.
- Are you a registered tax agent, and what is your registration number?
- How many clients do you have in my situation (same structure, same industry)?
- Who will actually do my work, you or a junior, and who checks it?
- Is the fee fixed or hourly, and what exactly is included?
- What is not included, and what does each extra cost?
- How quickly do you return calls and emails outside tax season?
- Which accounting software do you work in, and will you set it up for me?
- Will you contact me before 30 June with tax planning ideas, or only after?
- What is your process if the ATO audits me or sends a letter?
- Do you charge to answer a quick question during the year?
- Can you give me two current clients I can speak to?
- If I leave, how do you hand over my file and what does it cost?
“A good accountant is your business mentor; they should make you money not cost you money! Once we understand your job we provide a fixed fee for the expected work with variations for the extra’s. The extras are value added advice and services that make you money or that horrendous situation where the client has a shoe box of receipts and does not return emails or calls! We advise clients of any fee changes as soon as we can see the need so they know in advance and do not discover it on the invoice.”
Adrian Chaudhary, Lead Adviser, VJC, Sydney
Red flags that should end the conversation
- Not on the Tax Practitioners Board register, or registered under a different name from the one on the door.
- Promises a refund size before seeing your documents.
- Suggests deductions you know you did not incur, or “everyone claims that”.
- Wants to be paid in cash or through fee-from-refund only, with no invoice.
- Will not say who does the work or refuses a fixed quote for a plain return.
- Takes weeks to reply in the off-season. It will not improve in July.
The ATO’s data matching catches inflated claims, and the penalty lands on you, not the agent who suggested them. An agent with a sanction on the register has usually been caught doing exactly this.
What a good accountant should cost
| Your situation | Typical yearly cost | What you should get |
|---|---|---|
| Wage earner, simple return | $150 to $300 | Return lodged, deductions checked, lodgement deadline extended to May |
| Wage earner with a rental property | $350 to $600 | Rental schedule, depreciation, interest split, a planning call before June |
| Sole trader, GST registered | $1,500 to $2,500 | Four BAS, business return, one planning meeting |
| Company with a few staff | $3,000 to $9,000 | Financial statements, company return, ASIC review, payroll support, quarterly check-ins |
Source: OurTop10 accountant cost guide, built from published 2026 price lists (H&R Block, Arbour Advisory, Lawpath, Coleman Financial Group, Scale Suite), September 2026.
Cheapest is rarely best, but most expensive is not either. The right price is a fixed fee you understood before the work started, from someone whose other clients look like you.
How to change accountants
Switching is easier than most people expect, because the new accountant does the work. Once you have chosen the new firm, they send a short professional courtesy letter to your old accountant asking whether there is any reason they should not act for you, and requesting your file. The old firm has to hand over your records; they can hold work they prepared until their invoices are paid, but not your own documents. Your new agent then links to you in the ATO’s online services, which takes a few days. The best time is right after a return is lodged, so nothing is half-finished.
- Pay any outstanding invoices with the old firm.
- Sign the new firm’s engagement letter.
- The new firm sends the courtesy letter and file request.
- The new firm adds you as a client in ATO online services; you confirm in myGov.
- Send the new firm your prior two years’ returns and your software login.
What to do next
Shortlist two or three firms, run the 12 questions past each, and pick the one with the clearest fee answer. The OurTop10 shortlists of vetted Sydney accountants, Melbourne accountants and Brisbane accountants each name ten firms we have assessed and what they specialise in. If you are deciding on structure first, read sole trader vs company in 2026.
FAQs
How do I know if an accountant is registered?
Search their name on the Tax Practitioners Board public register. It shows whether they are a registered tax agent or BAS agent, their registration number, and any conditions or sanctions. A registered agent will also print the number on their engagement letter.
What is the difference between an accountant and a tax agent?
A tax agent is registered with the Tax Practitioners Board and can charge to lodge returns. An accountant is a qualification, usually CA or CPA. Most accountants in public practice are also registered tax agents, but a bookkeeper or an unregistered adviser is neither.
Should I use a local accountant or an online one?
For a simple return it makes no difference; the return is the same. For a business, local still helps because a face-to-face planning meeting each May tends to find more than an email exchange does. Many suburban firms now do both.
Can an accountant refuse to give me my documents?
They cannot withhold your own records, such as bank statements, receipts and prior returns you supplied. They can hold back work they prepared but have not been paid for. Pay the invoice and the file must follow.
Is it rude to change accountants?
No. Firms lose and gain clients every month and the handover letter is standard practice. You do not need to explain why.
How much should I pay an accountant for a small business?
Between about $1,500 a year for a simple sole trader and $9,000 for a company with staff, based on published 2026 fee guides. Most firms will quote a fixed monthly package once they have seen your last return.
Sources
- Tax Practitioners Board, Public register: tpb.gov.au
- Tax Practitioners Board, Registration requirements for tax agents: tpb.gov.au
- Australian Taxation Office, Choosing a tax agent: ato.gov.au
- Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Become a CA: charteredaccountantsanz.com
- CPA Australia, The CPA program: cpaaustralia.com.au
- OurTop10, How much does an accountant cost in 2026?: ourtop10.com.au
Megan Birot is OurTop10’s Content Editor. She holds a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking (FNS40821) and a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management (FNS50322), and checks every guide on the site against current lender policy, government scheme rules and state revenue office thresholds before it goes live. She also runs the editorial reviews on OurTop10’s broker, accountant, conveyancer and buyer’s agent shortlists, and writes all the media releases for the OurTop10 Reports.