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Bookkeeping for Cairns businesses

Professional, scientific and technical services rank among the largest industry groups for Cairns businesses, next to construction, property and health care. Firms that bill clients for their time need a clear view of what has been paid and what has not. We keep that view current in your Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file each month.

  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

Cairns businesses in figures

Estimated resident population of the Cairns Significant Urban Area, 30 June 2025 (preliminary)
164,149 peopleAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Growth in the estimated resident population of the Cairns Significant Urban Area, 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025
0.9%Australian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Actively trading businesses whose main business address is in the Cairns Significant Urban Area, June 2025
13,848 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

What we do for Cairns businesses

  • Who owes you, at a glance

    Customer payments are matched to the invoices they settle, part payments included, so the receivables report in your file lists each unpaid invoice and how long it has been open.

  • Bills entered as they arrive

    Supplier bills go into the file when you forward them, and payments are matched to the bills they clear. Your payables report then shows what is due without a separate spreadsheet.

  • Accounts that agree with the bank

    At the end of each month we reconcile every bank and credit card account to its statement, so the balances you see in the software are the balances the bank shows.

  • Owners without staff

    Businesses classified as non-employing by the ABS make up the biggest bar on the size chart. A sole practitioner's books follow the same routine as a larger firm's, scaled to the number of transactions.

Cairns businesses by industry

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

  1. Construction2,421 businesses
  2. Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,723 businesses
  3. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services1,518 businesses
  4. Health Care and Social Assistance1,418 businesses
  5. Transport, Postal and Warehousing1,337 businesses
  6. Other Services868 businesses
  7. Accommodation and Food Services792 businesses
  8. Administrative and Support Services792 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Cairns businesses by number of employees

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

  1. Non-employing8,116 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees3,643 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees1,614 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees468 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees12 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

The capital city

Services for Cairns businesses

What Cairns business owners ask

We bill clients by the hour. Does that change how you work?
Not much. However you build your invoices, we work from the ones issued in your file, record the payments against them and reconcile the bank. Time tracking itself stays in whatever tool you use for it.
Which of Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks should we use?
We work in each of them, so it comes down to what suits you. If you already have a file, we work in it as it stands. If you're choosing now, it's worth asking your accountant, who will be reading the same file.
What do the ABS figures for Cairns businesses include?
They cover the ABS Significant Urban Area, which groups whole statistical areas around an urban centre or related centres. It can include surrounding rural land and is not a council boundary.
Our books have fallen behind. Can you bring them up to date?
Yes. We pick up from the last month that was reconciled properly and work forward month by month until the file reaches the present, then carry on with the monthly routine.
How do you arrive at a price?
We quote before work starts, from what we see in your file: the number of accounts, how busy they are and whether any catch-up is needed.

Sources

  1. Population estimates by LGA, Significant Urban Area, Remoteness Area and electoral division, 2001 to 2025 (32180DS0004_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.