For accounting firms
Outsourced capacity planning
Capacity planning helps Australian accounting practices decide whether and how to add outsourced capacity: which client files suit it first, a small pilot scope, a staffing ramp tied to BAS-quarter peaks, and the written supervision agreement a TPB-registered agent needs before any client file actually moves.
Engagement tracker
Illustrative client · August 2026
AUD
- Client file access set up under your firm's nameDone
- Monthly books prepared to your review standardDone
- Review notes cleared and loggedIn progress
- Reports sent to your partner for sign-offNext
- Year-end workpapers staged for your preparerNext
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
An assessment, not a pitch
Most Australian practices weighing outsourced delivery are not short of opinions on it, they are short of a way to test one against their own client base before committing headcount to it. What we build is a scoped assessment a principal can actually decide from: which files fit, what oversight the Tax Practitioners Board expects, and what a realistic ramp looks like, before a single file moves.
Picking a starting point
Your client list gets sorted for early candidates first, the standardised monthly bookkeeping and BAS files on stable clients rather than anything complex or one-off. A small pilot, typically enough files to run through a BAS cycle or two, gives your own reviewing staff something concrete to measure against their existing standard rather than a promise.
Supervision comes before the first file
Nothing moves until the written supervision agreement is in place between your TPB-registered agent and our team, setting the level of control and oversight the work actually requires, alongside the client consent needed under Australian Privacy Principle 8 before any information is shared with us.
Sizing the ramp to your calendar, not a headcount chart
A pilot that works well leads to a ramp plan built around your real client volume and the shape of your BAS quarter, not a generic number pulled from a spreadsheet. A practice carrying mostly income-tax-return clients scales differently to one carrying a heavy quarterly BAS book.
The decision document
Everything lands in one written summary: pilot results, the ramp proposal, the supervision and access model, handed to your principals to decide from. From there, most practices choose either a dedicated staff pod or white-label bookkeeping as the next step.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Outsourced capacity planning
Does planning commit us to moving client files to outsourced capacity?
No. Planning ends with a pilot and a written summary. Whether to move forward with a full rollout is a separate decision your principals make afterward.
Is the TPB supervision agreement part of this planning stage?
Yes. Drafting the written supervision agreement between your registered agent and our team happens during planning, before any client file is shared.
Which clients should we pilot first?
Usually standardised monthly bookkeeping and BAS preparation on stable clients, since it gives a clean comparison against your own review standard.
What is not included in a capacity-planning engagement?
We do not decide your firm's staffing strategy or replace your own practice management. We model the capacity options and cost against your current client load; the decision to act on it stays with your partners.
How is a capacity-planning engagement priced?
As a short fixed-fee project covering the analysis and options, separate from any ongoing pod or project pricing that follows if your firm decides to proceed.
Do we have to commit to a full rollout up front?
No. Planning starts with a small pilot scope, and a full rollout is a separate decision your firm makes after reviewing the pilot.
Who owns the client relationship during a pilot?
Your firm does, throughout. We work the files you assign; the client relationship stays with you.
Who reviews the work before it reaches us?
Every deliverable under outsourced capacity planning is reviewed by a senior principal before it reaches you. You keep access to the underlying file at every stage, so nothing about the work happens somewhere you cannot see it.
What is included in outsourced capacity planning?
Outsourced capacity planning covers a capacity assessment of which client files suit outsourced delivery first and a pilot scope covering a small file set before a full rollout. The exact scope is agreed and set out in writing before work starts, so you know precisely what is and is not covered before the first deliverable arrives.
Related services
- For accounting firmsDedicated staff podsA named, fixed group of accountants assigned to your firm alone, working your files on your schedule, rather than a rotating pool shared across other engagements.
- For accounting firmsWhite-label bookkeepingMonthly bookkeeping produced under your firm's own name and templates, so your clients see your brand while our team handles sorting transactions into categories, reconciling and reporting behind it.
Industries
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.