The best outsourced finance team for a Melbourne business depends on what you are replacing. Replacing a bookkeeper means you need processing and compliance. Replacing a finance manager means you also need month-end close, reporting and cashflow. Replacing nothing, because the founder has been doing it, usually means the whole function. This guide compares ten providers available to Melbourne businesses across those three cases, with indicative pricing, credentials and who each one suits.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Disclosure. Scale Suite publishes this guide. Our entry appears first because this is a comparison of models available to Melbourne businesses, and we are one of them. We have said plainly where another provider is the better call. We do not have a Melbourne office.
Who this page is not for. Sole traders and businesses under about 20 staff or $2 million revenue; businesses staying on SAP, Dynamics, Wiise, SimPro-centred or Chris21 stacks; and anyone whose core need is a registered tax agent rather than a finance function. Those buyers will waste a call.
A bookkeeper in Melbourne runs $95,000 to $110,000 a year fully loaded. A finance manager runs $155,000 to $185,000 fully loaded. Recruiters take $20,000 to $30,000 before anyone starts. An outsourced finance team delivers the same coverage for $1,500 to $6,000 a month. Run your version through the hire versus outsource calculator.
An embedded or managed team owns the outcome under one fee, typically $1,500 to $6,000 a month. A fractional or virtual CFO sells senior judgement on top of processing you already run, typically $3,000 to $6,000 a month for most SMEs. An accounting firm's outsourced division wraps operations inside a firm relationship. Offshore seats sell labour; process, review and lodgement stay on your desk.
Four factors: delivery model, pricing transparency, credentials including BAS or tax agent registration and CA or CPA oversight, and fit by business size. Every provider is a real service available to Melbourne businesses, checked against its website in August 2026. Pricing is indicative. Scale Suite publishes this guide, our entry appears first, and we have said where an alternative is the better call.
Scale Suite, which is us, so weigh this entry accordingly, provides complete finance coverage as one team: weekly bookkeeping, AP/AR, payroll including Payday Super and STP Phase 2, BAS and IAS as registered BAS agents (26298194), weekly cashflow, variance analysis, forecasting and CA oversight. Delivery to Melbourne is remote from Sydney. We do not claim a Melbourne office we do not have.
Indicative pricing: From $1,500 per month; most clients $2,500 to $6,000; fractional CFO typically from $3,000. No lock-in, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Best fit: Melbourne businesses past a bookkeeper alone, where a $155,000 finance manager feels premature.
The catch: Built on Xero and Employment Hero. Not for MYOB or ERP-committed businesses.
Service pages: Melbourne bookkeeping and Melbourne fractional CFO.
Melbourne accounting and advisory firm with Queen Street and South Melbourne offices. Accounting, tax, Xero bookkeeping, structures, virtual CFO, SMSF and a line for foreign-owned Australian businesses.
Indicative pricing: Range after a strategy session. Confirm directly.
Best fit: Established Melbourne businesses that want one firm across accounting, tax, structure and CFO advisory.
The catch: A full-service firm, not a dedicated weekly operations team.
Melbourne cloud firm, CPA-qualified, registered tax agents, on Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks. Bookkeeping, payroll, AP/AR, tax compliance and advisory.
Indicative pricing: Quoted after consultation. Confirm directly.
Best fit: Melbourne SMEs wanting bookkeeping and tax under one roof, including MYOB or QuickBooks.
The catch: Ask what the monthly reporting deliverable actually includes.
Perth head office, Perth and Manila team, published Melbourne service, registered BAS agents, Xero Platinum Partner. Published Melbourne pricing from $850 per month.
Indicative pricing: From $850 per month for Melbourne bookkeeping. Confirm current pricing.
Best fit: Systematised bookkeeping and payroll at the lower end of the market.
The catch: Bookkeeping with reporting, not a full finance function with a senior strategic layer.
Startups and scaleups on the raise cycle, national including Melbourne. Models, due diligence, R&D tax incentive and ESOP administration.
Indicative pricing: Tiers commonly from around $1,000 per month early-stage. Confirm directly.
Best fit: Funded Melbourne startups where the next raise is the driver.
The catch: Not the core client if you are an established trading business with no capital-raising agenda.
Virtual CFO and accounting for ecommerce, SaaS and digital agencies. Xero plus Shopify/Amazon/marketplace, three-way budget.
Indicative pricing: Not published. Confirm directly.
Best fit: Melbourne ecommerce, SaaS and agency businesses.
The catch: Construction, wholesale or professional services sit outside the specialisation.
Part-time CFOs on a day-rate or retainer from a national bench covering Melbourne. Strategy layer only.
Indicative pricing: Market typically $3,000 to $6,000 a month for most SMEs. Confirm directly.
Best fit: Clean books and competent processing that need senior firepower only.
The catch: A person, not a team. Unreconciled books make this expensive guesswork.
Mid-tier outsourced accounting and CFO advisory from the Melbourne office.
Indicative pricing: On application. Commonly $5,000 to $15,000-plus per month. Confirm directly.
Best fit: Larger Melbourne SMEs converging on audit, structure and operations.
The catch: Mid-tier overhead. Usually later rather than first.
Recruits and integrates offshore accounting professionals into a Melbourne business's own team. Capacity, not a function.
Indicative pricing: Per seat. Confirm directly.
Best fit: Existing finance leadership that needs capacity.
The catch: Process, review and lodgement stay with you. TPB supervision applies to BAS work. See TPB supervision of offshore BAS work.
Melbourne Xero-certified bookkeeping practice: processing, BAS/IAS preparation, payroll including RDOs and TIL, reporting, historical rectification.
Indicative pricing: Quoted on scope. Confirm directly.
Best fit: Hands-on local bookkeeping, including catch-up work.
The catch: No senior strategic layer.
Decide the product first: managed function, advisory layer, or seats. Then check registration on the TPB public register, pricing transparency and exit terms. Canonical Scale Suite numbers: /facts.
Scale Suite is a Sydney-based provider of outsourced finance and HR services for Australian SMEs. We deliver bookkeeping, financial reporting, payroll processing, fractional CFO support, recruitment, employee onboarding, people and culture support, and fractional HR oversight, all as a fully embedded team that works inside your business.
Employment Hero Gold Partner, CA-qualified, and Xero Certified, we replace fragmented finance and HR processes with one responsive, senior-level function at a fraction of the cost of full-time hires. We serve growing businesses across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, with packages starting from $1,500 per month and no lock-in contracts.
30 minutes with our team.
We will review your current finance setup, compare the full cost of an internal hire against our embedded team, and show you exactly what your finance function should cost at your stage of growth.
You will leave with a clear view of what is working, what is missing and where you would save.
No lock-in contracts. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Prefer to book directly? Grab a time here.
