In short
An outsourced finance function gives an arborist or tree-care business a complete back office — bookkeeping, payroll and STP, BAS/GST, job costing per crew or job, and CFO-level reporting — for a fixed monthly fee, without hiring in-house. For most tree-care businesses this runs $2,500–$6,000/month, versus roughly $104,000–$147,000/year to staff the same roles internally.
Arbour Advisory builds and runs this function specifically for arborists — we understand equipment finance, job costing across removal, pruning and stump-grinding work, subcontractor and PAYG mixes, and the seasonal cash flow of the tree industry. Book a free finance-function review →
Most tree-care businesses don’t outgrow their bookkeeper because the bookkeeper is bad. They outgrow them because the questions change. Once you’re running more than one crew, the question stops being “are the books up to date?” and becomes “which jobs actually make money, can I afford another chipper, and why is cash tight in July when the work is there?” Answering that needs a finance function, not just data entry — and for a business your size, the cheapest way to get one is to outsource it.
In-house vs outsourced: the real cost for a tree-care business
Before you hire a full-time finance manager or in-house bookkeeper, it’s worth seeing the true loaded cost against an outsourced team:
| Cost factor | In-house finance manager | Outsourced finance function |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $85,000 – $120,000/yr | — |
| Superannuation (11.5%) | $9,775 – $13,800/yr | — |
| Payroll tax | $4,250 – $6,000/yr | — |
| Leave loading | $1,700 – $2,400/yr | — |
| Software & training | $3,000 – $5,000/yr | Included |
| Leave & sick cover | 4 weeks/yr gap | Continuous |
| Total annual cost | $103,725 – $147,200 | $30,000 – $72,000 |
| Monthly equivalent | $8,644 – $12,267 | $2,500 – $6,000 |
Outsourcing typically lands 50–75% below the cost of hiring internally — and instead of one generalist who takes annual leave, you get a team that covers bookkeeping, payroll, compliance and advisory without a gap.
What’s included
A full outsourced finance function for a tree-care business covers the whole back office:
- Bookkeeping & bank reconciliation — kept current in Xero or MYOB, not three months behind at BAS time.
- Payroll & Single Touch Payroll — award rates for arborists and apprentices, superannuation, and STP lodged correctly each run.
- Job costing — true margin by crew and by job type (removal vs pruning vs stump grinding), so you can see which work to chase and which to drop.
- Equipment & asset register — chippers, trucks, grinders and EWPs tracked with depreciation, and finance repayments tied to the assets that earn them.
- BAS/GST & ATO compliance — prepared and lodged on time, fuel tax credits claimed where eligible.
- Virtual CFO reporting — a monthly dashboard and a person to walk you through it: margin, cash flow, and the decisions in front of you.
Why a tree-care specialist, not a generalist
A generalist bookkeeper can keep your accounts tidy. What they usually can’t do is tell you whether a $90,000 chipper pays for itself, how to cost a removal job that ran two days over, or how to plan cash through a quiet, wet winter. We work only with tree-care and trade businesses, so the job costing, the equipment finance, the subcontractor-versus-employee calls and the seasonal cash flow are familiar ground — not something we’re learning on your file.
That focus is also why clients keep their existing tax accountant if they want to. An outsourced finance function isn’t about replacing relationships — it’s about running the day-to-day finance properly so the year-end is a formality.
When to make the move
There’s no single trigger, but these are the usual signs a tree business has outgrown bookkeeping alone:
- You’re running more than one crew and can’t see which one is actually profitable.
- You’re quoting from gut feel because you don’t have reliable cost-per-job numbers.
- BAS and payroll are a scramble every quarter.
- You’re about to finance major equipment and want the numbers to back the decision.
- Cash flow surprises you — tight in some months despite a full book of work.
As a rough guide, the jump tends to pay for itself somewhere in the $500k–$1.5m revenue band, where the cost of guessing starts to outweigh the cost of proper finance.
How onboarding works
Onboarding a new finance function usually takes four to six weeks. We start with a review of your current setup, migrate or tidy your Xero/MYOB file, set up job costing and the asset register, agree the monthly reporting you’ll actually use, and then run the first full cycle alongside you before taking it over. From there it’s a steady monthly rhythm: books kept current, payroll and BAS handled, and a reporting call so you’re never making a big call blind.
What it costs and how it’s billed
We bill a fixed monthly fee scoped to your business, so there are no surprise invoices. Most tree-care businesses sit between $2,500 and $6,000 a month depending on crew count, payroll volume, and how much CFO-level advisory you want. Around $2,500/month typically covers weekly bookkeeping and reconciliation, fortnightly payroll with STP, monthly BAS, quarterly management reporting, and a dedicated point of contact. More crews and deeper advisory move you up the range.
Related services
- Arborist accountant — full specialist accounting for tree-care businesses.
- Equipment finance — fund chippers, trucks and grinders, and model the repayments.
- SMSF for arborists — including owning your yard or depot through super.
- Arborist tax deductions — what tree businesses can claim.
Ready to see your numbers clearly?
Book a free finance-function review and we’ll show you where an outsourced team would save you money and time. Book your free review →
Frequently asked questions
What does an outsourced finance function actually include?
Bookkeeping and reconciliation, payroll and STP, BAS/GST, job costing, an equipment asset register, and monthly CFO-level reporting — the whole back office under one fixed monthly fee.
When should a tree-care business move from a bookkeeper to a full finance function?
Usually once you’re running more than one crew, can’t see margin per job, or are making equipment-finance and hiring decisions without reliable numbers — broadly the $500k–$1.5m revenue band.
Can you do job costing across removal, pruning and stump grinding?
Yes. We cost by crew and job type so you see true margin per service line, not a single blended profit figure.
Do you handle the equipment and asset register for chippers, trucks and grinders?
Yes — asset register, depreciation, and tying equipment finance repayments to the assets that earn them.
How do you handle the seasonal cash flow of a tree business?
We build a rolling 13-week cash flow so wet-season dips and storm-work spikes are planned for, not survived.
Can I keep my existing accountant?
Yes. We run the day-to-day finance function; you can keep your current tax accountant for year-end if you prefer.
How much does it cost?
A fixed monthly fee, typically $2,500–$6,000 depending on crew count, payroll volume and advisory depth.
Also for plant-heavy trades: accountant for excavation & land-clearing contractors.