Accounting Sunshine Coast businesses can budget for; the fee is agreed before we start
A fixed fee agreed in writing. A reply from a named person with one business day, every time. One named account who actually knows your file, with a legal team in the same building when your tax question turns into a legal one.
Confirmed quote guaranteed within 1 business day
Our Commitments To You
Six commitments behind our accounting work on the Sunshine Coast, applied to every client we take on.
01
The Quote is the fee
You get a fixed fee in writing before we start. Your invoice will not be higher than that figure. If something changes the scope, we tell you, quote it, and wait for your go ahead before doing the work.
02
One day to a human. Two to an answer.
Every call and email gets a reply from a named person within one business day, telling you who has it and when your answer is coming. The answer itself follows within two business days. New enquiries get a same-day reply.
03
One named accountant
You get a named senior accountant with a direct email that will supervise your work, not a general inbox and a different person each time. They know your structure, history, and your deadlines, so you don’t need to repeat information.
04
We call you before June 30
Tax planning happens before the year ends, not in a July debrief about a bill you can no longer do anything about. Every business client gets a planning conversation before the years end.
05
Plain English, always
Every piece of advice comes with a short summary in plain language: what it means, what it costs you, and what we recommend you do. If you need more technical details, it’s all still there too.
06
If we get it wrong, we fix it
If we make an error in any work we’ve prepared, we will let you know, correct the error, and re-lodge at no charge to you.
Featured prices, before you commit.
Every engagement is quotes as a fixed fee in writing. These are our standard products and their starting prices Where your situation is more involved, we’ll tell you the number before you decide.
Individual Tax Return
For individuals
- Full review of income and deductions
- Rental property and investment income
- Capital gains on shares and property
- Lodged by a registered tax agent
- Extended lodgement deadline to 15 May
Business Compliance Package
Most popular for business
- Annual financial statements and tax return
- Quarterly BAS prepared and lodged
- Company or trust compliance and ASIC
- Unlimited questions, no clock running
- Pre-30-June tax planning session
- Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks supported
Advisory & Virtual CFO
For growing businesses
- Everything in the compliance package
- Monthly or quarterly management reporting
- Cash flow forecasting and budgets
- Structuring and asset protection advice
- Scheduled advisory meetings
- Direct access to our commercial lawyers
Fees shown exclude third-party costs such as the SMSF audit fee, ATO supervisory levy and ASIC fees, which are passed on at cost. Prices current as at 1 September 2026; ASIC fees are indexed on 1 July each year.
How long things actually take
Nobody publishes this, which is exactly why we do. These are the timeframes we work to, measured from the point we have everything we need from you.
Business days are counted from when we have complete information from you. We’ll tell you at the outset exactly what “complete” means for your job, because being asked for one document each multiple times over several weeks gets very annoying quickly. Peak periods and ATO processing times are outside of our control and we’ll flag it if it a deadline is at risk.
A clear plan, not an open-ended bill
We approach every matter with the same level of focus and transparency every time, so you know what is happening at each stage.
Your tax question is normally a legal question too.
Most accounting firms hit a wall at the point your question stops being about numbers. Setting up a trust, using a business, selling assets before a marriage, restructuring before a sale, passing a business to the kids, all of this has a tax answer and a legal answer, and they have to agree with each other.
Greenhalgh Pickard has run both sides under one roof for over 10 years. Your accountant walks down the hall. You don’t project manage two sets of professionals, pay twice to explain your situation or discover at settlement that the structure works for tax and fails at asset protection.
If also means we tell you when the answer is a legal one that’s a conversation, not a referral out and a new file.
Where it matters
The moment where having both in the same building changes the outcome:
- Business structuring and restructures
- Buying or selling a business
- Property purchases, GST and stamp duty
- Trusts, distributions and deed variations
- Estate planning and business succession
- Asset protection before risks arrives
- Separation and property settlements
- ATO disputes and objections
Who We Act For
Integrated legal and accounting expertise delivered exclusively for Sunshine Coast locals, growing businesses, and property owners.
Sole traders and contractors
ABN income, GST registration, super, and the deductions people in your trade actually claim.
Small and medium business
Companies and trusts with payroll, BAS, inventory and a real need for numbers during the year.
Property Investors and landlords
Rental schedules, depreciation, interest apportionment and CGT on sale.
SMSF trustees
Annual accounts, audit coordination, compliance and pension phase.
Crypto and share investors
CGT on disposals, trading versus investing, exchange records and prior year cleanups.
Employees and families
Straightforward returns done properly, with every offset and deduction checked.
The Services We Offer
Individual tax returns — employees, sole traders, investors, landlords and retirees.
Business tax returns — companies, trusts, partnerships and sole traders.
Financial statements — annual accounts your bank and the ATO will accept.
BAS and GST — prepared and lodged by registered BAS agents, on time.
Tax planning — before 30 June, when it can still change the result.
Business structuring — company, trust or sole trader, with the legal side checked.
Bookkeeping and payroll — Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks, plus STP and super.
SMSF accounting — setup, annual compliance and audit coordination.
Cryptocurrency tax — CGT, trading income and prior-year reconstruction.
Cash flow and forecasting — budgets and reporting you can make decisions from.
ATO liaison and disputes — objections, remissions, audits and payment plans.
Overdue returns — multiple years brought up to date without drama.
Business acquisitions and sales — due diligence, tax structuring and CGT concessions.
Audit and assurance — where your entity or funder requires it, which we can organise.
Fixed fee pricing
Excludes third-party costs (SMSF audit fee, ATO supervisory levy, ASIC fees). Prices current as at 1 September 2026.
How to swap accountants in Queensland, Step by step
People stay with an accountant they have outgrown because they assuming changing is difficult. It takes about 15 minutes of your time and we do the rest.
Tell us about your situation — free, 20 minutes
A short call or meeting to understand your structure, what you've been paying, and where things have been falling over. No charge and no obligation. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so.
You get a fixed-fee quote in writing within one business day
Scope, price and what's included, in plain terms. Compare it against what you're paying now before you decide anything.
We handle the handover with your old accountant
We send the ethical clearance letter and request your records, prior returns, depreciation schedules and franking account details. You don't need to have an awkward conversation, and you don't need to chase anyone.
You nominate us as your tax agent — about five minutes
The ATO now requires most business clients to nominate their new agent through ATO Online Services. We send you the exact click-by-click steps, and we're on the phone with you if you want us there. Once the nomination lands, we're live on your file.
Most switches complete within 2 weeks. You can change accountants at any time of the year; you don’t need to wait until 30th June, and it doesn’t disrupt your lodgments.
A registered tax agent does your work. Technology makes them faster.
Every return, statement, and piece of advice that leaves this firm is prepared or review by a qualified accountant, and lodged by a registered tax agent. That doesn’t change.
What does change is how much of the mechanical work sits in front of them. We use modern accounting software and carefully selected tools to handle data extraction, reconciliation, document review and first drafts. That means less of your fee goes on typing and chasing, and more of it goes on the part you are actually paying for: someone looking at your numbers and telling you what to do about them.
We’re deliberately open about this. We’ve published a firm-wide statement naming the tools we use, how we protect your information, and how much we verify accuracy. Read our AI Statement here.
1000+ five star reviews across the firm
Your Accounting Team
Accounting, Answered Plainly
How much does an accountant cost on the Sunshine Coast?
An individual tax return with us starts at $330 and business compliance packages start at $395 per month, both as fixed fees agreed in writing before we start. Across the market, individual returns typically range from around $150 for a very simple return to $600 or more where there’s property, shares or crypto involved, and small business compliance commonly runs from $2,000 to $8,000 a year depending on entity type, payroll and transaction volume. Any accountant who won’t give you a figure before starting is asking you to sign a blank cheque.
When is my tax return due?
If you lodge your own return, the deadline is 31 October. If you’re registered with a tax agent before 31 October, you generally get an extension, often to 15 May the following year. Businesses have separate BAS deadlines each quarter. We track your dates and remind you, rather than waiting for you to remember.
How long does a tax return take?
We prepare individual returns for your review within five business days of having everything we need, and business financials and returns within fifteen. Once lodged, the ATO usually processes electronic returns within two weeks.
Can I claim the cost of my accountant?
Yes. Fees for managing your tax affairs are generally deductible, including the cost of preparing and lodging your return, tax advice, and dealing with the ATO. In practice that reduces the net cost of good advice, which is worth factoring in when you compare quotes.
Do I need an accountant if I'm a sole trader?
Not legally, but once you’re registered for GST, paying contractors, claiming a vehicle or working from home, the deductions get technical and the penalties for getting it wrong are real. Most sole traders find the fee is covered by the deductions they didn’t know about and the time they get back.
What do I need to bring to my first appointment?
Photo ID, your tax file number, and whatever records you have. We’ll send you one complete checklist beforehand based on your situation, so you’re not making three trips. Most of it can be uploaded rather than brought in.
How do I change accountants?
Have a free 20-minute conversation with us, accept the fixed-fee quote, and we handle the rest — we request your records from your previous accountant and send you the five-minute steps to nominate us as your tax agent through ATO Online Services. You can switch at any time of year. Most switches complete within two weeks.
Do you use Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks?
All three. If you’re already on one of them we’ll work in your file. If you’re on spreadsheets or paper and it’s costing you money, we’ll tell you what we’d move you to and what it costs, but we won’t force a software change you don’t need.
I have overdue tax returns. Can you help?
Yes, and it’s more common than you’d think. We quote per year, lodge in the right order, and deal with the ATO on your behalf on penalties and any payment arrangement. Coming forward voluntarily almost always produces a better outcome than waiting to be found.
Do you handle SMSFs and cryptocurrency?
Yes to both. We prepare SMSF annual accounts, handle compliance and coordinate the independent audit. For crypto we deal with CGT on disposals, the distinction between trading and investing, and reconstructing prior years from exchange records where the paperwork is incomplete.
What difference does it make that you're solicitors as well as accountants?
Structuring, property, business sales, trusts, succession and asset protection all have a tax answer and a legal answer that have to agree. Having both in one firm means the advice is consistent, you explain your situation once, and nobody’s waiting on an external referral. It’s the main reason clients with anything beyond a simple return come to us.
Are you registered tax agents?
Yes. Our accountants include registered tax agents and registered BAS agents, licensed through the Tax Practitioners Board, and our team holds CA and CPA qualifications. Only registered agents can legally charge a fee to prepare and lodge your return or BAS — worth checking on any firm you’re considering.
Do you use AI on my file?
We use it for mechanical work: extracting data, reconciling records, reviewing documents and preparing first drafts. A qualified accountant prepares or reviews everything, and a registered tax agent lodges it. We’ve published a statement naming the tools we use and how we protect your information.
Which offices can I visit?
Kawana, Buderim, Caloundra and Coolum. We also work remotely with clients across Queensland and interstate — most of our clients now do everything by phone, email and secure upload, and only come in when they want to.
Speak With A Qualified Business Accountant Today
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