Baby spam, life, and pricing update

What a difference six months makes!

Life sure has changed in the Heath-Creevey household in the last year (and especially in the last 6 months)!

Little Charlie (Charlotte) continues to make us incredibly happy - she’s currently 6 months old (as of June 2023) and is a smiling bean of joy who can roll over, plank like a pro and is desperately trying to figure out crawling.

She is also an incredibly time-consuming part of life (which is to be expected). From August 2023 onwards, I will not be working on Tuesdays as that will be my care day for her once Kate returns to work.

Hat day!

Kate and I are also each embarking on some studies - I am starting a Bachelor of Computer Science, and Kate is studying a Post Graduate Certificate in Digital Transformation (which I can barely understand the name of, let alone the content). To say that we’ll be busy is an understatement!

PRICING UPDATE

Overall, my time is going to be a scarce commodity, and I have continued and am continuing to increase my skills both in accounting and more broadly, with a view to providing extremely high quality services which go above and beyond the standard tax experience. You can be assured that your information is thoroughly reviewed and accurately completed when you come to Blue Ribbon Accounting.

In particular for the 2023 year, the ATO published a major change in the approach to Home Office deductions partway through the financial year, with backdated application to 1 July 2022. I have spent significant time understanding the new approach, and updating the Blue Ribbon checklists and info sheet to ensure that you can continue to meet record keeping requirements and provide me with the information I need to optimise your tax position.

Chilling with mum

I continue to remain committed to a simple pricing structure which does not punish a person for minor ‘complexities’ in their tax return, such as holding multiple jobs across a year, holding minor investments, or having more expenses or deductions than usual.

Rather than charging ‘by the line’, I continue to price my services based on the level of complexity of the tax return form - whether it is a standard salary and wages return, or whether it includes a small business, rental property, or more significant investments or capital gains.

In terms of non-individual businesses, I have made major improvements in the last few years in the quality of the reporting and information which is prepared for these lodgements, including preparing Annual Accounts for the vast majority of entities.

When taking into account the scarcity and value of my time in order to provide quality services, inflation over the past 12-18 months, and the current market value of tax return and accounting services, the following pricing will apply from 1 July 2023:

  • Individual Tax Returns - $165 each

  • Tax Return add-ons - $82.50 each

  • Non-individual Small Business Annual Accounts and Tax Returns - $495 combined price (generally annual accounts will be required in most circumstances)

  • General hourly rate $165 for large jobs and advisory work

  • BAS lodgement minimum charge $93.50

  • Bookkeeping hourly rate $93.50

These rates continue to reflect the value and quality of my services and are comparable to ‘big box’ brands, however with a much more personal service at each appointment and across our ongoing relationship. These rates also continue to encompass the occasional ‘quick question’ (many of which are not very quick, unfortunately!).

The team and I look forward to working with you over the next year!