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Bookkeeping for businesses in the Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory sets its own payroll tax and long service leave rules, separate from the New South Wales rules that apply just over the border. We keep ACT businesses' books in their Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file, and this page lays out the territory's population, its businesses, their industries and those employer rules.

  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

Australian Capital Territory businesses in figures

Estimated resident population of the Australian Capital Territory, 30 June 2025 (preliminary)
484,630 peopleAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Growth in the estimated resident population of the Australian Capital Territory, 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025
1.3%Australian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Actively trading businesses whose main state or territory is the Australian Capital Territory, June 2025
36,996 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

How we keep ACT businesses' books

  • Your software, your records

    We work inside the accounting file your business already uses, so your records stay with you.

  • Monthly reconciliation and matching

    Each month we reconcile your bank feeds and pair bills and invoices with the payments that settle them.

  • Catching up first

    Where months are missing, we fill them in from the oldest onward before settling into the monthly routine.

Australian Capital Territory businesses by industry

The ABS may perturb small counts to protect confidentiality, so the figures need not add up exactly.

  1. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services7,360 businesses
  2. Construction6,804 businesses
  3. Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services3,634 businesses
  4. Transport, Postal and Warehousing3,431 businesses
  5. Health Care and Social Assistance3,426 businesses
  6. Administrative and Support Services1,994 businesses
  7. Accommodation and Food Services1,943 businesses
  8. Retail Trade1,768 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Australian Capital Territory businesses by number of employees

The ABS may perturb small counts to protect confidentiality, so the figures need not add up exactly.

  1. Non-employing21,634 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees10,647 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees3,578 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees1,030 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees55 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Payroll tax and long service leave in the Australian Capital Territory

Each state and territory sets its own payroll tax and long service leave rules. The payroll tax figures are for the 2026-27 financial year.

Annual payroll tax threshold in the Australian Capital Territory, 2026-27
$1,750,000ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Long service leave in the Australian Capital Territory: years of service for the full entitlement
7 yearsACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

More locations

Places in the Australian Capital Territory

Other states and territories

Services for Australian Capital Territory businesses

Questions about bookkeeping in the ACT

Why is no single payroll tax rate shown for the ACT?
The ACT charges payroll tax at rates that step up in bands as total wages grow, so one rate wouldn't describe it. The threshold is shown here; the ACT Revenue Office publishes the bands, and your accountant can explain where your business falls.
We have staff in the ACT and New South Wales. Whose rules apply?
Each jurisdiction applies its own payroll tax and long service leave rules, so a business with staff on both sides of the border may need to consider both. That's a question for your accountant or the ACT Revenue Office.
Do we have to change accounting software?
Not if you're on Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks, because we work in the file you already have. Other packages are worth asking about: tell us what you use and we'll say if it's one we can work in.
How is the price worked out?
From the size of the job: the number of transactions you have and how far the books have fallen behind. You'll have a quote before any work starts.
What do you need from us to begin?
A few details through the contact page: which software you use and how current the books are. From there we'll prepare a quote.

Sources

  1. Population estimates by SA2 and above, 2001 to 2025 (32180DS0003_2001-25.xlsx)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. Estimated resident population at 30 June, 2001 to 2025 (2022 to 2024 revised, 2025 preliminary), released 31 March 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2024-25 financial year, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

  2. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 1: Tables 1 to 20 (8165DC01.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.

  3. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx)

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

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

  4. Taxation Administration (Amounts and Rates-Payroll Tax) Determination 2026 (ACT), DI2026-151

    ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office. From 1 July 2026, released 30 June 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    © ACT Government, ACT Legislation Register Licence: ACT Legislation Register copyright policy: copyright, ACT Government.

  5. Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT), Republication No 29

    ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office. Republication No 29, effective 19 November 2025, released 19 November 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.

    © ACT Government, ACT Legislation Register Licence: ACT Legislation Register copyright policy: copyright, ACT Government.

  6. 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.