SaaS & Technology Accounting & Tax Services in Australia

Our Australian SaaS & Technology accounting services are built for the entire lifecycle of a tech company:

• Pre-Revenue & R&D-Focused Startups: Early-stage companies that are building their product and need to meticulously track all eligible expenditure to prepare for a robust R&D Tax Incentive claim.
• Bootstrapped & Seed-Stage SaaS: Companies with their first customers that need to implement proper recurring revenue recognition under AASB 15 and establish key SaaS metrics.
• Venture-Backed Scale-Ups: Growth-stage companies that have raised capital and require AASB-compliant financial statements, detailed cohort analysis, and robust financial models for board reporting and future fundraising rounds.
• International Tech Companies with an Australian Subsidiary: Foreign tech companies that need to navigate Australian compliance, GST on digital products, and transfer pricing with their parent entity.

Specialized SaaS accounting is crucial from day one of development. It becomes absolutely non-negotiable at these key milestones:

• When You Write Your First Line of Code: To maximize your R&D Tax Incentive claim, you must have contemporaneous records of your development activities and qualifying costs from the very beginning.
• When You Sign Your First Annual Contract: Revenue from a subscription must be recognized over the life of the contract, not upfront. This requires deferred revenue accounting compliant with AASB 15.
• Before You Seek Investment: Australian and international VCs will perform deep due diligence on your key SaaS metrics: Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and Lifetime Value (LTV). These can only be calculated from clean, properly structured financial data.
• When You Prepare Your First Annual Tax Return: Your R&D tax claim is lodged with your company tax return. It requires detailed project descriptions and a breakdown of eligible expenditure, prepared by a specialist.

The cost of outsourced SaaS accounting reflects its strategic importance in driving valuation and maximizing tax refunds. The ROI from a successful R&D claim alone can be immense.

• Early-Stage Startups: AUD $1,200 - $2,800 per month. This covers AASB-compliant bookkeeping, BAS preparation, and the foundational work for an R&D claim.
• Growth-Stage Companies: AUD $2,800 - $6,000 per month. This includes more advanced SaaS metric dashboards, departmental budgeting, and preparation of an investor-ready reporting pack.
• Mature Tech Companies: Custom pricing starting at AUD $6,000+, often including fractional CFO services for strategic planning, fundraising support, and M&A advisory.

For Australian tech companies, financial compliance risks can directly impact their funding and tax position.

• AASB 15 Non-Compliance: Improper revenue recognition is a major red flag for investors and auditors and can lead to financial restatements.
• **Rejected R&D Tax Incentive Claim:** This is the single biggest financial risk. A claim rejected by the ATO or AusIndustry due to poor record-keeping means losing a significant cash refund or tax offset, which can cripple a startup's runway.
• GST on Digital Services: Incorrectly determining the GST treatment for software sold to Australian vs. overseas customers can lead to compliance issues and penalties.
• Inaccurate SaaS Metrics: Presenting flawed metrics like MRR or Churn to your board or potential investors destroys credibility and can jeopardize your fundraising efforts.

Hiring an in-house finance team with specific experience in AASB 15, the R&D Tax Incentive, and SaaS metrics is extremely expensive and difficult. Outsourcing to YourLegal provides immediate access to a team that specializes in the Australian tech ecosystem.

We act as your strategic finance partner. We work with you to ensure your development process is documented in a way that maximizes your R&D claim. We implement systems to track your SaaS metrics accurately and ensure your revenue is recognized correctly according to Australian accounting standards. Our investor-grade reporting gives you the data you need to manage your business effectively and communicate confidently with your board. This allows you to focus on building a great product, confident that your financial operations are robust, compliant, and highly tax-efficient.