Efficiency · Pricing If AI Makes You Faster, Who Gets the Benefit? A practitioner rang me recently to ask whether our benchmarks are starting to...Read More
Know how your charge rates, salaries, fees and productivity compare with firms like yours.
We have been benchmarking accounting firms since the 1970s, from second-tier to sole practitioners. With data collected from over 500 firms, our reports are comprehensive, informative and unlike any other in Australia.
Set your 2027 charge rates and salaries against what Australian practices are charging and paying now, with data reported by firms themselves, not recruitment agencies.
A benchmark is only as good as the firms behind it. Register now, receive your report in December.
The more firms that contribute, the more closely the results reflect practices like yours.
Choose your report options and register online. Payment is taken at checkout.
Your data template is emailed ahead of the survey. Your firm’s figures are aggregated and anonymised, and never reported individually.
Your report is delivered once results are finalised, with your own figures set against the results.
Participating firms pay less than non-participants.
Register for DecemberOur longest-running survey, published twice a year.
Price check your compliance services.
How your people’s time compares.
Alongside our regular surveys, we run one-off benchmarks on the issues practices are dealing with this year.
How Australian accounting practices are using AI, and what it means for pricing, staffing and client work. Participants receive the report at no charge when it is published.
How sixty-six Australian practices are running flexible work: days at home, who is eligible, what is in writing, and the effect on productivity, culture and cost.
How practices prepared for the AML/CTF obligations that began on 1 July 2026: planned fees for AML work, and the staff time, training and technology committed.
Benchmarking gives partners clarity across the areas that drive profitability and long-term firm value.
It is not a national average, a quick spreadsheet comparison, or a guess based on what colleagues say they charge. It is like-for-like data from firms of your size and location.
Understand whether margins are strengthening or slipping.
Track growth and client mix at a strategic level.
Assess whether salary structures are sustainable across roles.
Identify bottlenecks in workflow, staffing and delivery.
Understand which client groups contribute to or drag on returns.
Benchmark the indicators that affect valuation, succession and partner exit.
We have been engaging Rob Knights & Co for around 20 years across several services including benchmarking, valuation and consulting. The quality of their advice has allowed us to appraise the value of our practice and benchmark against others with confidence.A long-standing client · Benchmarking, valuation and consulting
Accounting practice benchmarking is the process of comparing your firm’s financial performance, efficiency and operational metrics against similar practices across Australia.
It helps firm owners understand how their profitability, productivity, staffing efficiency, charge-out rates and cost structures compare with firms like theirs. Good benchmarking goes beyond averages. It shows where you are strong, where you are exposed, and where the opportunities for improvement lie.
Our benchmarking covers the core drivers of accounting practice performance and value, including:
Request a sample report to see how the results are presented.
Our reports are built from recent financial year data collected directly from participating firms. Each firm provides financial, staffing, productivity and pricing information, which is aggregated, anonymised and analysed to identify trends and meaningful performance ranges.
Reports are updated through regular survey cycles, so you are comparing your firm against current figures rather than data that is several years old.
Participants include a wide range of accounting firms across Australia, from:
This breadth allows results to be segmented, so you are comparing like with like rather than against a national average.
Firms that take part gain:
Many firms now use benchmarking as an annual planning tool rather than a one-off report.
Most firms benchmark at least once a year as part of their strategic and financial planning. Twice a year is optimal for charge rates and salaries.
Firms going through succession, a merger, rapid growth or a valuation often benchmark every 6–12 months to support decisions and track progress against peers.
No. Benchmarking is just as valuable for small and mid-sized firms. Smaller practices operate with tighter margins and fewer resources, so a modest improvement in pricing, efficiency or structure has a proportionally larger effect.
Our surveys are relevant from second-tier firms through to sole practitioners, in regional and metropolitan locations.
Yes. Results can be segmented by:
This means regional firms are not compared with CBD firms that have different economics.
Most public datasets are broad, slow to be released and not segmented in a way a practice can use. They rarely reflect how a firm actually operates.
Our benchmarking is built solely for accounting practices, drawn from current data supplied by the firms themselves, and structured around the measures partners use to make decisions.
Benchmarking informs practice valuations, partner buy-ins and buy-outs, succession strategy and exit planning. A firm that can show how its performance compares with its peers is better placed in discussions with buyers, incoming partners and lenders.
If you need help with valuations or succession planning, make an appointment to talk to Michelle Knights.
Register now, receive your report in December.
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