How much does SMSF Australia charge for annual SMSF accounting?

SMSF Australia offers three fixed-fee annual packages: Basic Fund at $1,300+GST (listed shares, managed funds, ETFs, term deposits), Complex Fund at $1,600+GST (adds direct property up to 2, cryptocurrency, precious metals), and Very Complex Fund from $2,000+GST (unlisted assets, private loans, derivatives, NFTs, 3+ properties). All packages include the independent SMSF audit at no additional cost.

Is the SMSF audit included in the annual fee?

Yes. The independent SMSF audit is included in all three annual fee packages — Basic, Complex, and Very Complex. It is not charged as a separate add-on.

Can SMSF Australia service my fund if I am not in the same state?

Yes. SMSF Australia operates nationally across all Australian states and territories. All client meetings and services are conducted via Zoom — there is no requirement to be near a physical office.

How much does it cost to set up an SMSF with SMSF Australia?

The SMSF setup fee is $2,000+GST, which covers corporate trustee establishment (ASIC fee $636), SMSF trust deed ($400), Class Super first-year licence ($250), ABN and TFN applications, investment strategy preparation, and rollover coordination.

Does SMSF Australia provide financial advice?

No. SMSF Australia does not provide financial planning or investment advice. Services are limited to SMSF accounting, tax, audit, compliance, and legal matters.

Last updated on June 9, 2026

How much should an SMSF Audit cost?

SMSF Audits from wholesale audit providers are around $300+GST charged onto accounting firms who may or may not mark them up from there.

An SMSF audit is required annually and must be conducted by an SMSF auditor who is registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An SMSF auditor also belongs to a professional body and both ASIC and the professional bodies require strict adherence to independence and ethical standards.

How much should an SMSF Audit cost The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) regulate over 646,000 self-managed super funds (SMSFs) with total estimated assets of $1.01 trillion and 1,197,293 members. The SMSF auditor plays a vital role ensuring integrity of the SMSF system. The ATO regulates SMSFs and any misconduct by an SMSF auditor can be reported to ASIC for disciplinary action which includes being deregistered depending on the severity of the breach.

Average and median fees for an SMSF audit as per ATO statistics

The ATO rely on gathering information from the annual returns of SMSFs. The table below is based on statistics from 2022/23 financial year. There is always a lag in the statistics due to the lodgement date and late lodgement of SMSFs.

Key highlights from the ATO statistics:

In 2022-23

The average audit fee was $641, and the median audit fee was $550
Just over half (50.2%) of all audit fees were between $500 and $999

Average and median SMSF Auditor fees

SMSF auditor fees	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-21	2018-19
Average auditor fees	$641	$645	$662	$674	$687
Median auditor fees	$550	$550	$550	$550	$550

Distribution (%) of SMSFs by audit fee range, by financial year

Audit fee range	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-21	2018-19
>$0 to $499	39.4%	41.7%	40.1%	38.3%	37.9%
$500 to $999	50.2%	48.1%	48.4%	49.9%	49.5%
$1,000 to $1,999	9.1%	8.8%	9.8%	10.0%	10.5%
$2,000 and above	1.3%	1.4%	1.7%	1.9%	2.2%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

The audit fees SMSF Australia charge are included in our holistic annual fees which range from $1,300 plus GST for a basic fund to $2,000 plus GST for a very complex fund.

10.5% of SMSF auditors, being 328 auditors, conducted more than 250 audits each auditor representing 74% of total SMSF audits. 67.4% of SMSF auditors, being 2,109 auditors, conducted less than 50 audit each auditor representing 6.4% of total SMSF audits. It is very clear that a significantly greater volume of funds are being audited by fewer auditors reflecting the changes in the SMSF audit industry.

Steady decline in auditor numbers

The number of auditors is steadily decreasing from 5,143 auditors in 2018/19 to 3,166 auditors in 2022/23. It appears the increased ATO and ASIC scrutiny and changes to legislation and professional standards is having an impact on the population of SMSF auditors.

The ATO is watching auditors in 2024/25 year

The ATO are focusing on:

market valuations and sufficient audit evidence – verifying and retaining sufficient audit evidence is crucial
auditors handling large SMSF volumes – particularly low-cost high volume audit models, undertaking over 1,000 SMSF audits annually and rapid increase in audits
disqualified trustees and non-compliance risks – ensuring auditors are confirming that trustees or directors of corporate trustees are not disqualified individuals
monitor high-risk auditors
auditor independence is crucial to SMSF compliance

Factors affecting the cost of an SMSF audit

The following impact the cost of undertaking an SMSF audit:

messy record keeping
not authorising direct feeds to specialised superannuation software from sharebrokers, platforms and banks
complexity of investments especially those involving related parties
newly established funds or an existing SMSF but a new client is often time consuming to check statutory and fund records
members in pension phase
an event occurred during the year including the death of a member, establishment of a pension, utilising the carry forward or bring forward contribution rules
obtaining valuations for unlisted investments