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Bookkeeping for Adelaide businesses

Adelaide businesses can have their bookkeeping done each month inside the Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file they run today. Below are ABS figures for Greater Adelaide, a view of the industries and business sizes there, and the South Australian rules on payroll tax and long service leave.

  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

Adelaide businesses in figures

Estimated resident population of Greater Adelaide, 30 June 2025 (preliminary)
1,491,015 peopleAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Growth in the estimated resident population of Greater Adelaide, 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025
1.3%Australian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Actively trading businesses whose main business address is in Greater Adelaide, June 2025
130,244 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

What we do for Adelaide businesses

  • Inside Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks

    You stay in the package you know. We're given access to your file and do every reconciliation there, where you can check it.

  • Every bank feed, every month

    We reconcile each account's feed monthly and pair transactions with the bills and invoices that explain them.

  • Missing months filled in

    Gaps in the books are worked through from the earliest one forward, so you end up with a complete run of months.

Adelaide businesses by industry

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

  1. Construction22,612 businesses
  2. Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services16,726 businesses
  3. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services15,260 businesses
  4. Transport, Postal and Warehousing12,761 businesses
  5. Health Care and Social Assistance12,025 businesses
  6. Retail Trade6,902 businesses
  7. Administrative and Support Services6,425 businesses
  8. Other Services6,390 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Adelaide businesses by number of employees

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

  1. Non-employing88,902 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees26,386 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees11,475 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees3,355 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees183 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

The state

Other capital cities

Services for Adelaide businesses

Common questions from Adelaide businesses

Does the half-hour time difference matter?
South Australia runs on central time, normally half an hour behind Sydney and Melbourne. Because we work in your accounting file rather than to a shared clock, the gap doesn't change the work.
Who administers payroll tax for Adelaide businesses?
RevenueSA, part of the South Australian Government. The payroll tax figures on this page are South Australia's. Your total wages determine whether you pay, so confirm the details with RevenueSA or your accountant.
What do the Greater Adelaide figures measure?
They describe the ABS's Greater Adelaide area: the metropolitan region as a whole, not the city centre alone. The sources at the foot of the page show where each figure comes from and the date it is for.
Do we keep control of our own file?
Yes. The file stays yours. You give us access, and each change we make is there for you to see as the month's work is done.
What does it cost?
That depends on how many transactions you have and how current the books are. We look at what you need and quote before starting.

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 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.

  4. 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.

  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.