Finance
Human Resources
Technology
Australian business

Multi-State Consultancy Cuts Finance Costs by 88% and Reclaims 15 Hours Per Week | Scale Suite

Professional services team reviewing financial reports in modern office environment

Case Study: National Workplace Safety Consultancy

Executive Summary

A national workplace safety consultancy with employees across four Australian states replaced their $250,000 internal finance team with Scale Suite's outsourced finance function for $30,000 annually (88% saving). The engagement delivered complete multi-state payroll tax compliance, weekly bank reconciliations, daily operational support, and monthly management reporting. The CEO reclaimed 10-15 hours per week previously spent on administrative tasks and refocused on client relationships and business development.

Industry: Professional Services – Work Health and Safety Consulting

Location: Australia-wide (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA)

Team Size: 20 employees

The Challenge

This workplace safety consultancy had grown over more than a decade into a national operation serving major property groups, government bodies, and infrastructure projects. When the internal finance team departed, the CEO inherited a $250,000 annual cost base and a significant operational gap.

He was set to process multi-state payroll at 10pm after full days on client sites, chase invoices between meetings, and reconcile bank accounts that had fallen months behind. Operations staff had nowhere to turn for daily finance queries, creating frustration and delays across the business.

Core problems included:

  • Employees across four states with different payroll tax thresholds and lodgement requirements
  • Cash flow pressure from timing gaps between work completed and payments received
  • Bank reconciliations months behind, obscuring the true financial position
  • BAS lodgements becoming last-minute scrambles with risk of errors
  • Poor visibility on project profitability or consultant utilisation
  • Staff leave balances not tracked accurately, creating uncertainty for both management and employees
  • Complex historical leave calculations left unresolved
  • Previous finance function costing $250,000 annually including salaries, super, leave, and overhead

The Solution

We implemented a complete outsourced finance function with daily embedded support, not periodic compliance work.

Daily Operational Support

Staff receive same-day responses on expense approvals, supplier payments, and leave queries through our shared communication platform. Finance operates as part of the business rather than a separate administrative function, eliminating the frustration that had built up under the previous arrangement.

Multi-State Payroll Management

Complete payroll processing across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia, including calculating and lodging payroll tax in each jurisdiction. Big 4-trained oversight ensures accurate calculations across different thresholds (NSW $1.2M, VIC $1M, QLD $1.3M, WA $1M) and group employer provisions.

During transition, we resolved complex backdated leave entitlements and provided clear visibility on staff leave days and balances across the team, giving both management and employees confidence in the accuracy of leave records.

Weekly Reconciliation and Reporting

All bank accounts are reconciled weekly, providing current financial data for decision-making. Monthly reporting includes profit and loss by project and state, utilisation metrics, and cash flow forecasts.

Cost Control and Credit Card Management

We helped establish a credit card programme with proper controls, providing a culture of cost accountability across the team. Expenses are tracked, categorised, and reconciled systematically.

BAS Compliance and Year-End Support

As a registered BAS agent, we prepare and lodge quarterly Business Activity Statements two weeks before deadline, with full reconciliation of GST, PAYG withholding, and instalments. We also work closely with the company's tax accountants to ensure a smooth end of year process and finalisation of annual accounts.

The Outcome

  1. Cost reduction: $250,000 annually to $30,000 for a complete finance function (88% saving)
  2. Time saved: CEO reclaimed 10-15 hours per week previously spent on payroll, reconciliations, and chasing payments
  3. Compliance: Payroll tax lodged accurately across all four states, BAS completed ahead of deadline every quarter
  4. Operations: Bank reconciliations current within one week, staff leave balances accurate and visible, operations team frustration dropped dramatically with same-day query resolution
  5. Cost control: Credit card programme established with proper tracking and accountability
  6. Leadership impact: CEO refocused on client relationships and business development

Key Takeaways and Ideal Fit

Professional services firms with distributed operations face unique finance challenges. Multi-state payroll compliance requires specialist knowledge difficult to maintain in a small internal team. An embedded outsourced model delivers senior-level financial management and daily operational support at a fraction of the cost of building an internal team.

This engagement suits: Multi-state professional services firms scaling past 10-15 staff who need specialist payroll tax compliance and daily operational finance support without the cost and management burden of an internal team.

Scale Suite provides outsourced finance and HR services for Australian SMEs, combining Chartered Accountant oversight with daily embedded support and Big 4-trained team members.

All engagements include a 30-day money-back guarantee with no lock-in contracts.

Ready to stop multi-state compliance headaches?

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www.scalesuite.com.au

About Scale Suite

Scale Suite delivers embedded finance and human resource services for ambitious Australian businesses.Our Sydney-based team integrates with your daily operations through a shared platform, working like part of your internal staff but with senior-level expertise. From complete bookkeeping to strategic CFO insights, we deliver better outcomes than a single hire - without the recruitment risk, training time, or full-time salary commitment.

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