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Bookkeeping for South Australian businesses

We keep South Australian businesses' accounts current inside the cloud accounting software they use day to day. The sections below cover the state's people and businesses, the industries with the most businesses, and the payroll tax and long service leave settings South Australia applies to employers.

  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

South Australia businesses in figures

Estimated resident population of South Australia, 30 June 2025 (preliminary)
1,902,665 peopleAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Growth in the estimated resident population of South Australia, 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025
1.1%Australian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Actively trading businesses whose main state or territory is South Australia, June 2025
168,699 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

How the work runs for South Australian businesses

  • Your existing file

    We log in to the Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file you already keep, rather than copying your records into a system of our own.

  • Every month, in order

    Bank feeds are reconciled and bills and invoices matched each month, so the file stays ready for you and your accountant.

  • Quoted up front

    Before we start, we look at your transaction volume and how current the books are, and give you a quote.

South Australia businesses by industry

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

  1. Construction27,630 businesses
  2. Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services20,965 businesses
  3. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services17,228 businesses
  4. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing16,301 businesses
  5. Transport, Postal and Warehousing14,597 businesses
  6. Health Care and Social Assistance13,689 businesses
  7. Retail Trade9,024 businesses
  8. Other Services8,199 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

South Australia businesses by number of employees

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

  1. Non-employing113,526 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees35,426 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees15,322 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees4,203 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees319 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Payroll tax and long service leave in South Australia

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 variable rate applies between the exemption threshold and the full-rate threshold. See the detailed rules and confirm your position with RevenueSA or your accountant.

Annual payroll tax threshold in South Australia, 2026-27
$1,500,000RevenueSA (Government of South Australia). Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Full payroll tax rate in South Australia, 2026-27
4.95%RevenueSA (Government of South Australia). Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Long service leave in South Australia: years of service for the full entitlement
10 yearsSafeWork SA (Government of South Australia). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

More locations

Places in South Australia

Other states and territories

Services for South Australia businesses

South Australian businesses often ask

Does central time make a difference to the work?
No. South Australia runs half an hour behind the east coast on standard time, but your books are kept in cloud accounting software, which you can open whenever it suits you. The clock doesn't change how they're looked after.
Who administers payroll tax in South Australia?
RevenueSA. The threshold and rate on this page are a quick reference; to know whether your business is liable, and how grouping or interstate wages affect it, ask RevenueSA or your accountant.
How does long service leave work in South Australia?
An employee earns it after a long period of continuous service with one employer, and South Australia's own law sets how long that period is. The years of service are shown on this page; confirm the detail for your staff with your accountant.
Can you help businesses outside Adelaide?
Yes. Whether you trade in Mount Gambier, Port Lincoln or the Riverland, the work is done in your accounting software, so it runs the same way it does for a business in Adelaide.
Can you start partway through the financial year?
Yes. If the months before we start are missing, we catch them up oldest first; if they're already done, we carry on from the current month.

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 rates and thresholds

    RevenueSA (Government of South Australia). Rates from 1 January 2019, deduction from 1 July 2009, released 8 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    © Government of South Australia, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.

  5. Long service leave: accruing leave

    SafeWork SA (Government of South Australia). Page modified 20 September 2026, released 20 September 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    © Government of South Australia, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.

  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.