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Bookkeeping for businesses in the Northern Territory

From Darwin to Alice Springs and the communities in between, Territory businesses can have their books kept in the Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file they already use. The figures below show the territory's population, its businesses and their industries, and the payroll tax and long service leave rules the Northern Territory sets.

  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

Northern Territory businesses in figures

Estimated resident population of the Northern Territory, 30 June 2025 (preliminary)
264,556 peopleAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Growth in the estimated resident population of the Northern Territory, 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025
1.4%Australian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Actively trading businesses whose main state or territory is the Northern Territory, June 2025
16,796 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Bookkeeping for the Territory, month by month

  • Done inside your software

    We work directly in your accounting file, so you keep control of your records and can follow each change.

  • Up to date each month

    Each month the bank feeds are reconciled and bills and invoices matched, ready for your own review or your accountant's.

  • Gaps filled first

    If the books are behind, we work through the missing months from the oldest, then keep the file current.

Northern Territory businesses by industry

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

  1. Construction3,053 businesses
  2. Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,990 businesses
  3. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services1,755 businesses
  4. Transport, Postal and Warehousing1,690 businesses
  5. Health Care and Social Assistance1,355 businesses
  6. Other Services1,085 businesses
  7. Administrative and Support Services962 businesses
  8. Retail Trade939 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Northern 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-employing9,889 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees4,122 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees2,085 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees701 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees27 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Payroll tax and long service leave in the Northern 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. A higher rate applies to employers and payroll tax groups in the upper wage band. See the detailed rules and confirm your position with the Territory Revenue Office or your accountant.

Annual payroll tax threshold in the Northern Territory, 2026-27
$2,500,000Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Lower payroll tax rate in the Northern Territory, 2026-27
5.5%Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Long service leave in the Northern Territory: years of service for the full entitlement
10 yearsOffice of the Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

More locations

Places in the Northern Territory

Other states and territories

Services for Northern Territory businesses

Northern Territory business questions

The Territory has no daylight saving. Does the time difference matter?
Not to how your books are kept. The Northern Territory stays on central time, half an hour behind Queensland all year and an hour and a half behind Sydney and Melbourne during their daylight saving. The bookkeeping is done in your cloud accounting file regardless.
Who collects payroll tax in the Northern Territory?
The Territory Revenue Office. This page shows the threshold and rate; to find out whether your business has to pay, speak to the Territory Revenue Office or your accountant.
Does the Northern Territory have its own long service leave rules?
Yes. Long service leave in the territory is set by Northern Territory law, and the years of service for the full entitlement are on this page. Your accountant can say how they apply to your employees.
Our books haven't been touched in months. Can you help?
Yes. We catch up the missing months in order, oldest first, reconciling and matching as we go, and then keep the books current monthly.
Do you work in MYOB and QuickBooks as well as Xero?
Yes, all three. If your books are in a different package, let us know which one and we'll tell you whether we can work in it.

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. Payroll Tax Act 2009 (NT), as in force at 1 July 2026

    Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory. As in force at 1 July 2026, released 1 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    © Northern Territory of Australia Licence: NT Legislation terms of use: copyright, Northern Territory of Australia.

  5. Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT), reprint as in force at 14 October 2015

    Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory. Reprint as in force at 14 October 2015, released 14 October 2015. Checked 15 October 2026.

    © Northern Territory of Australia Licence: NT Legislation terms of use: copyright, Northern Territory of Australia.

  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.