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Bookkeeping for pubs and bars

Pubs and bars take most of their money across the bar and bistro counter late into the night, while beer, wine and spirits arrive on supplier accounts settled against monthly statements. We look after day-to-day bookkeeping for pubs and bars across Australia.

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Businesses in Pubs, Taverns and Bars (ANZSIC class 4520)

Actively trading businesses across Australia
6,874 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, classified as non-employing
2,004 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, with 1 to 4 employees
1,253 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026

Businesses by main state or territory

  1. New South Wales2,290 businesses
  2. Victoria1,851 businesses
  3. Queensland1,101 businesses
  4. Western Australia673 businesses
  5. South Australia643 businesses
  6. Tasmania182 businesses
  7. Australian Capital Territory84 businesses
  8. Northern Territory50 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Businesses by number of employees

  1. Non-employing2,004 businesses
  2. 5 to 19 employees1,920 businesses
  3. 20 to 199 employees1,669 businesses
  4. 1 to 4 employees1,253 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees28 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

What we look after

What the books involve

  • Bar, bistro and bottle shop: point of sale totals for each area recorded as separate income lines, then matched to card settlements and cash banked after every trading night.
  • Liquor supplier accounts: keg, packaged beer, wine and spirits deliveries matched to invoices and to each supplier's statement, with credits for returned or damaged stock checked before payment.
  • Functions and ticketed nights: deposits for private functions and room hire, and ticket sales for gigs, held apart from bar income until the night, then matched to the final invoice.
  • Entertainment bills: bands, DJs, trivia hosts and sound hire entered as bills, so the cost of each entertainment night can be set against what the bar took that night.
  • Cash handling: safe counts, change orders for the tills and cash deposits recorded against the bank statement, with merchant fees on card takings coded as their own cost.
  • Venue running costs: cellar gas, glass washer servicing, cleaning contractors, security, repairs and the venue lease recorded against their own accounts and reconciled every month.

Sources

  1. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. Actively trading businesses at 30 June 2025, released 16 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

  2. Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. ASGS Edition 4, July 2026 to June 2031, released 22 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

Talk to us about your books

Tell us how your business runs and what you need from your books, and we will suggest a bookkeeping plan that fits.

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