Home Bookkeeper Salary
Bookkeeper salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a bookkeeper is $72,800 per annum, before tax, up $15,300 since 2018.
- An in-house bookkeeper draws a salary under an award or enterprise agreement, while running your own practice means charging clients by the hour or month and covering the software costs yourself.
- Plenty of bookkeepers work part time, so check whether a quoted figure covers full-time hours and whether the employer expects you to be a registered BAS agent, since registration changes what you can charge for.
The median salary rose by $15,300 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than bookkeeper
The largest typical pay rise is $31,400 a year, moving into Accountant.
- Accountant+$31,400/yr
- Office Manager+$17,200/yr
- Payroll Officer+$10,700/yr
How to negotiate a higher bookkeeper salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time bookkeeper salary is $72,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Bookkeeping and ledgers and Payroll processing tend to command a premium over general bookkeeper experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Accountant pays a typical $31,400 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Bookkeeper salary questions
How much do bookkeepers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a bookkeeper is $72,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is bookkeeper pay rising or falling?
The median bookkeeper salary is up $15,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than bookkeeper?
Accountant pays a typical $31,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to bookkeeper.
Related salaries
- Accounts Officer salary
- Payroll Officer salary
- BAS Agent salary
- Accountant salary
- Office Manager salary
- Administration Officer salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.