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Bookkeeping for Darwin businesses

Darwin businesses can hand over their monthly reconciliations and still keep everything in their own Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file. The figures below cover Greater Darwin as the ABS draws it, followed by the Northern Territory rules on payroll tax and long service leave.

  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

Darwin businesses in figures

Estimated resident population of Greater Darwin, 30 June 2025 (preliminary)
159,284 peopleAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Growth in the estimated resident population of Greater Darwin, 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025
1.7%Australian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Actively trading businesses whose main business address is in Greater Darwin, June 2025
12,568 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

How we work with Darwin businesses

  • In the file you already have

    We're given access to your Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file and do the bookkeeping there, so your records stay together.

  • A month at a time

    Bank accounts are reconciled monthly to their statements, and bill and invoice payments are matched to the records they settle.

  • Starting from the earliest gap

    If the books have gaps, we pick up the oldest missing month and work forward to the present.

Darwin businesses by industry

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

  1. Construction2,327 businesses
  2. Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,516 businesses
  3. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services1,459 businesses
  4. Transport, Postal and Warehousing1,407 businesses
  5. Health Care and Social Assistance1,025 businesses
  6. Other Services813 businesses
  7. Administrative and Support Services730 businesses
  8. Retail Trade612 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Darwin businesses by number of employees

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

  1. Non-employing7,608 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees3,072 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees1,458 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees457 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees18 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

The territory

Other capital cities

Services for Darwin businesses

Darwin business owners want to know

What does Greater Darwin take in?
As well as the city, the ABS's Greater Darwin area includes Palmerston and Litchfield, so the figures here describe that whole region.
The Territory doesn't use daylight saving. Does the time difference matter?
The Northern Territory runs on central time all year, half an hour behind Queensland and further behind the southern states in summer. The bookkeeping happens in your accounting file, so it isn't tied to anyone's clock.
Who sets payroll tax for Darwin businesses?
The Territory Revenue Office, part of the Northern Territory Government. The payroll tax figures on this page are the Territory's, and whether your business pays depends on its total wages, so confirm with the Territory Revenue Office or your accountant.
Which packages do you work in?
Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks. Tell us which you use and we'll work inside your existing file.
What happens after we get in touch?
You send a few details through the contact page, we look at what the work involves, and we quote before anything starts.

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 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.