Bookkeeping virtual assistant · Australia-wide

The data and admin work behind your books.

Most of a bookkeeping job is not the judgement, it is the volume: receipts that need capturing, an inbox that needs sorting, a ledger that needs keeping current, and clients who need chasing for the one invoice that is missing. A bookkeeping VA carries that layer on your hours and in your tools, so the qualified time goes to review and the registered work, not data entry.

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What the VA does, and where the line is

The split is simple and it does not bend. The VA owns the bookkeeping data and admin. Your registered BAS or tax agent owns the lodgement and the advice. Everything below sits on the side it belongs on.

The VA handles

Data & admin

  • Inbox filing and sorting the accounts inbox
  • Document capture uploading invoices and receipts into Dext, Hubdoc or Dropbox
  • Data entry light coded entry into Xero and MYOB
  • Reconciliation prep matching the bank feed and flagging the queries for review
  • Onboarding & chasing client onboarding admin and chasing the missing source documents
  • Deadlines deadline and lodgement-reminder admin so nothing slips

The registered agent keeps

Lodgement & advice

  • BAS lodgement stays with your registered BAS agent
  • Tax advice and tax return work stay with your tax agent
  • The judgement calls sign-off, GST treatment, anything that needs a registered opinion
  • All of it under the Tax Practitioners Board, which is exactly where it should sit
  • The VA preps the data so this work is faster and cleaner, then hands it across

A VA is not a registered agent and is not offered as one. The value is that clean, current, reconciliation-ready data reaches your agent, so the registered hours go to review and lodgement instead of chasing receipts.

The tools your VA already works in

Xero and MYOB

The ledger itself. Your VA does the coded data entry, keeps contacts and bank rules tidy and preps the reconciliation, working to the chart of accounts and coding rules you set during onboarding so the file stays the way your agent expects it.

Dext and Hubdoc

Receipt and invoice capture. The VA pushes source documents into Dext or Hubdoc, checks the read, publishes to the ledger and files the original, so nothing is loose at quarter end and the audit trail holds.

Karbon and your job board

Workflow and document chasing. Whether you run Karbon, a practice job board or a simple checklist, the VA works the queue, sends the client chasers and keeps the status current so you can see what is waiting on whom.

Dropbox and shared drives

Filing and storage. The VA keeps the document filing structured and named to your convention in Dropbox or your shared drive, so the right invoice is one search away rather than buried in an inbox thread.

What it costs, and how the rate is set

Ledger work in Xero or MYOB runs at $25-35/hr AUD. Lighter admin support, sorting the inbox, filing, uploading documents and chasing paperwork, sits at $12-17/hr. Most engagements mix the two, so you pay the higher rate only for the hours that genuinely need ledger work. There is no super, no leave loading and no payroll tax on top, because the VA is a managed remote contractor rather than a local hire. See the full breakdown on the pricing page.

Bookkeeping VAs by city

The work is delivered remotely on your hours wherever you are, but each capital-city guide covers the local cost comparison and the practices and businesses we see it fit best.

Melbourne Bookkeeping VA in Melbourne → Sydney Bookkeeping VA in Sydney → Brisbane Bookkeeping VA in Brisbane → Perth Bookkeeping VA in Perth → Adelaide Bookkeeping VA in Adelaide →

Running a bookkeeping or BAS practice rather than your own books? The parent guide is virtual assistants for bookkeeping firms, which covers lifting processing volume off qualified staff across your client book.

Bookkeeping VA questions, answered straight

What does a bookkeeping virtual assistant actually do?

The data and admin work that sits underneath a clean set of books. A bookkeeping VA sorts and files the accounts inbox, uploads invoices and receipts into Dext, Hubdoc or Dropbox, does light coded data entry into Xero or MYOB, preps the bank reconciliation by matching and flagging the queries, runs client onboarding and chases the missing source documents, and keeps the deadline and lodgement-reminder admin moving. It is the high-volume, rules-based layer, not the judgement layer.

Can a VA lodge my BAS or give tax advice?

No, and that line does not move. BAS lodgement and tax advice are registered work that stays with your registered BAS agent or tax agent under the Tax Practitioners Board. A bookkeeping VA prepares the underlying data so the lodgement is faster and cleaner, then hands it to the registered agent for review and lodgement. The VA touches the bookkeeping data and admin; the agent owns the lodgement and the advice.

Which tools do your bookkeeping VAs work in?

The common Australian stack. Day to day that means Xero and MYOB for the ledger, Dext and Hubdoc for receipt and invoice capture, and Karbon or your own job board for workflow and document chasing, plus Dropbox or your shared drive for filing. We match a VA who already knows the tools you run, so the setup is configuration rather than training from scratch.

What does a bookkeeping VA cost?

A bookkeeping VA who works directly in Xero or MYOB runs at $25-35/hr AUD. If the task is lighter admin, sorting the inbox, filing, uploading documents and chasing paperwork, that sits at $12-17/hr as general admin support. You only pay for the hours you book, with no super, leave or payroll tax on top, because the VA is a managed remote contractor rather than a local hire.

Is this for a bookkeeping practice or for a business owner doing their own books?

Both, and the work is the same shape either way. A bookkeeping or BAS practice uses a VA to lift the processing volume off qualified staff so the bookkeepers move to review and the registered work; the parent guide for that is our page on virtual assistants for bookkeeping firms. A business owner uses the same VA to keep receipts captured, the ledger current and the books reconciliation-ready before they hand off to their agent.

Get the data layer off your desk

Book a free discovery call

Thirty minutes with Jenn, DotVA's founder. Talk her through your software stack, your client or transaction volume and where the backlog sits, and she will give you a straight read on the hours, the rate and where the VA's work stops and your registered agent's begins. No obligation.

Start here: how the discovery call works · pricing · for bookkeeping firms

City guides: Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane · Perth · Adelaide

No obligation. No credit card. Jenn, the founder, reads every enquiry herself and replies inside one business day.