Skip to content
Book Keeping Pros home
Get a quote

Bookkeeping for Brisbane businesses

We keep the books for Brisbane businesses inside their own Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file, reconciling them month by month. Further down are the ABS figures for Greater Brisbane, from population to the mix of industries and business sizes, and the Queensland rules for employers.

  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

Brisbane businesses in figures

Estimated resident population of Greater Brisbane, 30 June 2025 (preliminary)
2,833,524 peopleAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Growth in the estimated resident population of Greater Brisbane, 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025
2.1%Australian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Actively trading businesses whose main business address is in Greater Brisbane, June 2025
242,265 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

How we look after Brisbane businesses

  • Nothing to migrate

    Your accounts stay in the software you chose. Once you give us access, we work in your Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file and you see the same records we do.

  • Line-by-line reconciliation

    Each month your bank feeds are reconciled line by line and matched to the bills and invoices behind them.

  • Catching up, oldest first

    When months are missing, we go back to the earliest gap and work forward in order, so each month builds on a finished one.

  • A quote up front

    We look at your file and quote for the work before it begins, so you know the cost before you commit.

Brisbane businesses by industry

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

  1. Construction39,936 businesses
  2. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services36,472 businesses
  3. Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services27,913 businesses
  4. Transport, Postal and Warehousing23,675 businesses
  5. Health Care and Social Assistance22,329 businesses
  6. Retail Trade13,815 businesses
  7. Other Services12,257 businesses
  8. Administrative and Support Services12,156 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Brisbane businesses by number of employees

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

  1. Non-employing149,987 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees63,471 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees21,826 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees6,640 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees329 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Payroll tax and long service leave in Queensland

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 general rate applies above the upper wage band. Regional discounts and the mental health levy may also apply. See the detailed rules and confirm your position with the Queensland Revenue Office or your accountant.

Annual payroll tax threshold in Queensland, 2026-27
$1,300,000Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Lower general payroll tax rate in Queensland, 2026-27
4.75%Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Long service leave in Queensland: years of service for the full entitlement
10 yearsOffice of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

More locations

The state

Other capital cities

Services for Brisbane businesses

Brisbane business owners often ask

Does Greater Brisbane include the Gold Coast?
No. The ABS's Greater Brisbane area takes in Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay and Redland as well as the city itself, but the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast are counted in the rest of Queensland.
Queensland doesn't use daylight saving. Does that affect the work?
Not in practice. While Sydney and Melbourne are on daylight saving, Queensland runs an hour behind them, but the work happens in your accounting file, so it runs the same way year round.
Which payroll tax rules apply to Brisbane businesses?
Queensland's. The Queensland Government sets the payroll tax figures shown on this page, and your total wages decide whether you pay, so check with the Queensland Revenue Office or ask your accountant.
Do you work in MYOB and QuickBooks as well as Xero?
Yes, in each of them. We work in whichever one your business already uses, inside the file you have.
How do Brisbane businesses get started?
Send a few details through the contact page: your software, how many bank accounts you run and whether any months are behind. We come back with 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 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 1971 (Qld), reprint current as at 1 July 2026

    Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel. Reprint current as at 1 July 2026, released 1 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Sourced from the Queensland Legislation website (www.legislation.qld.gov.au), licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

  4. Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld), reprint current as at 1 January 2026

    Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel. Reprint current as at 1 January 2026, released 22 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Sourced from the Queensland Legislation website (www.legislation.qld.gov.au), licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

  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.