Hobart’s economy runs on small and family businesses: hospitality around Salamanca, trades in Glenorchy and Clarence, aquaculture and farming in the Huon and Derwent valleys, and a large public sector. Each brings its own tax issues, from payroll tax thresholds to primary production concessions and Tasmanian land tax on investment properties.
Any accountant in Hobart who lodges returns for a fee must be registered with the Tax Practitioners Board. Many also hold CA or CPA membership, and firms offering financial advice need an Australian Financial Services Licence or must work under one.
The firms below all have a genuine office in Greater Hobart. We ranked them on local depth, range of services and how clearly they explain who they work with.
WLF Accounting & Advisory was established in 1890 as Wise, Lord & Ferguson and describes itself as a locally owned, independent Tasmanian firm. The firm says all its partners operate solely from Hobart, and its website lists 11 partners. It serves private businesses, corporate and listed companies, government and the public sector, not-for-profits, and individuals and families.
Its service lines include audit and assurance, business and personal advisory, specialist tax advice, forensic accounting and business valuation, and cloud accounting. WLF reports supporting more than 130 Tasmanian not-for-profits and giving over 120 hours of pro bono work in 2024 to 2025, and in 2024 it recruited 13 university graduates. It suits established family businesses, boards and charities that want a large local team without the reporting lines of a national network, and owners planning a sale who need a valuation done in town.
2. Accru Hobart — Rosny Park Advisers With In-House Business Valuers
Accru Hobart works from Level 1, 18 Ross Avenue, Rosny Park, on the Eastern Shore about 10 minutes from the CBD. The practice was established in 1975 and is part of the Accru network of firms, which gives clients access to the wider group’s services. Its leadership team includes partners Tim Lane and Courtney Telega.
The firm’s stand-out strength is business valuations: it has two business valuation specialists, offered under the FinConnect Advisory Group name, with more than 50 years of combined valuation experience. It also offers financial planning, wealth management and lending support alongside tax and accounting. Its core clients are professional services firms, medical practices and growing small businesses that want regular advisory meetings rather than a once-a-year tax return. It suits Clarence and Sorell business owners and practice principals who want their accountant on the Eastern Shore.
3. BDO Hobart — Macquarie Street Office Of A National Network
BDO’s Hobart office is at 8/85 Macquarie Street and is led by office managing partner David Palmer, with partners Svetlana Kolyasnikova, Jodie Whiteley and Erin Stephens in tax and business services. It provides accounting, tax, audit and advisory services backed by BDO’s national and global network.
The Hobart team works with Tasmanian family businesses, large corporates and high net worth individuals, and names property, agribusiness, local government and not-for-profits as focus sectors. That makes it a natural fit for farming families, developers and organisations that need audit as well as tax. Being part of a national firm also helps if your business trades interstate or overseas, since specialists elsewhere in the network can be brought in. It suits growing companies and agricultural operators who have outgrown a small practice but still want partners they can meet in Hobart.
Macquarie Accounting operates from Level 1, 105 Macquarie Street in Hobart. It was established in July 1992 by John Langford and Diane Matthews, both from chartered accounting backgrounds, to give Tasmanian small and medium businesses a high level of personal service.
Services include tax, accounting, business structuring, superannuation fund consulting, SMSF audit, corporate secretarial work and strata corporation management, plus accounting software support. The firm describes itself as a specialist in self-managed super fund services and displays IPA, NTAA and Xero partner logos. The strata management service is unusual for an accounting practice and useful for small unit complexes around Hobart. It suits SMSF trustees, small business owners who want hands-on partners, and owners corporations looking for an accountant that also understands strata. Office hours are 9am to 5pm on weekdays.
Stuart Iles Partners is based at 41 Tasma Street, North Hobart, and says it has more than 35 years of continuous operation. It describes itself as a small firm of four qualified accountants, which means clients deal directly with the people doing the work.
Services cover business advice, audit and assurance, tax consulting, business structures, accounting, self-managed super funds and small business accounting. The team works with MYOB, Xero, Reckon, QuickBooks and Sage, and helps clients with payroll and Single Touch Payroll reporting. It is a CPA practice, a member of the Tax Accountants Association and a registered tax agent. Weekend appointments are available on request. It suits sole traders, tradespeople and small businesses in the inner northern suburbs who want a modest, personal practice and flexibility over which accounting software they use.
6. Collins SBA — Hobart Firm Combining Accounting, Planning And Business Coaching
Collins SBA is a Hobart-based firm that combines accounting, business coaching, financial planning, tax and insurance under one roof. It is led by managing director Jonathan Elliot and is a Xero Platinum Partner. Clients named on its site include restaurants, builders, a heavy machinery importer and a craft spirits distiller.
Its accounting work covers BAS, financial statements, FBT and payroll tax reconciliations, and SMSF returns, along with forecasting, budgeting, interim reporting and monthly management accounts. It also sets up companies and trusts and handles corporate registry work. The firm lists a 2013 Tasmanian business award and a 2025 IFA Business Outcome Leader of the Year award among its recognitions. It suits ambitious small business owners who want regular numbers, growth coaching and financial planning from the same team, rather than an accountant they only see at tax time.
7. Deloitte Hobart — Bathurst Street Office With 60+ People And Seven Partners
Deloitte’s Hobart office is at Level 5, 99 Bathurst Street. The firm says it has more than 60 people and seven partners in Hobart, working with colleagues in Launceston to provide a statewide service.
The office works with major corporations, emerging and medium-sized enterprises, state government departments, local councils, family businesses and individuals. As one of the global professional services firms, it can draw on national specialists for audit, tax, consulting and risk work that a local practice may not cover in-house. Fees will usually reflect that depth, so it is most relevant when the job is complex: a listed or large private company, a government body, a major transaction or a business with international tax issues. It suits larger Tasmanian organisations that want a Big Four firm with a real presence in the city rather than a fly-in team from Melbourne.
Financial Services Tasmania is a Hobart tax and accounting practice that says it has been providing advice and tax services since 1983. Its service areas are personal tax, lifestyle advice, business, rental properties and shares.
The practice is a good fit for the large group of Hobart taxpayers who are not running a big business but still have more than a simple return: landlords with one or two rental properties, people with share portfolios, retirees and small business owners. Rental property clients benefit from an accountant who deals regularly with depreciation schedules, negative gearing and Tasmanian land tax. The firm advised clients that its fees would increase from 1 January 2025, and its fee information is on its website. It suits individuals and families who want an established local tax practice for annual returns and investment property records.
Bentleys Tasmania has an office at 3 Pelham Street, Sorell, and its website also names Hobart and New Norfolk among its Tasmanian locations. It is part of the Bentleys national network and is led in Tasmania by Robin Allardice, who also sits on the national board.
Services include business advisory, audit and assurance, wealth management and superannuation, cloud accounting solutions, and ESG advisory and carbon accounting. That last service is still uncommon among Hobart firms and is useful for farms, tourism operators and suppliers being asked by larger customers to report emissions. Bentleys works with family businesses, SMEs, listed entities, professionals, not-for-profits and government agencies, and one client testimonial describes a relationship spanning more than four decades. It suits businesses in Sorell, the South East and the Derwent Valley that want a local office backed by a national firm.
10. PKF Hobart — Hobart Office Of PKF For Audit, Tax And Advisory
PKF has an office in the Hobart CBD that provides audit, tax and advisory services to Tasmanian businesses. PKF was established in Australia in 1968 and is a founding member of the PKF Global network of independent firms.
Across the network, PKF’s advisory work covers business advisory, succession and transition, corporate finance, forensic accounting and wealth management. Its tax team handles tax consulting, GST, state taxes and duties, international tax and dispute resolution, and its audit practice covers external and internal audit, payroll compliance, governance and ESG assurance. For Hobart clients that means one firm can handle the annual audit, the tax return and a business sale or restructure. Ask the Hobart office which of these specialists are based locally. It suits mid-sized companies, not-for-profits that need an audit, and owners planning succession who want a firm with national technical support.
How To Choose An Accountant In Hobart
Are They A Registered Tax Agent?
Anyone charging a fee to prepare your tax return must be registered with the Tax Practitioners Board. Check the TPB register online before you engage a firm. CA ANZ, CPA Australia and IPA membership add continuing education and ethical rules, and are worth asking about for business clients.
Do They Work With Businesses Like Yours?
Ask for examples of clients in your industry. A Huon Valley orchard, a Salamanca restaurant and a Kingston medical practice each have different issues, from primary production averaging to payroll tax and service trust arrangements. An accountant in Hobart who already works in your sector will spot problems sooner.
How Do They Charge?
Most Hobart accounting firms offer either fixed annual packages or hourly billing. Fixed fees make budgeting easier for small businesses, while hourly rates can suit one-off jobs like a business sale. Ask for a written engagement letter that sets out what is included, and how extra work such as ATO audits or bookkeeping clean-ups will be billed.
Which Software Do They Support?
Most firms now work in Xero or MYOB, and some only support one. If you already use a system, check the firm is comfortable with it. If you are starting fresh, ask which platform they recommend and whether they help set it up and connect it to your bank feeds and payroll.
Can They Help With Tasmanian Taxes?
State taxes are where local knowledge matters. Ask how they handle Tasmanian payroll tax, land tax on investment properties, and transfer duty when restructuring property into a company or trust. A Hobart firm should deal with the State Revenue Office regularly and know how its rules are applied in practice.
Conclusion
Hobart accountants range from WLF, which has operated in the city since 1890, to small North Hobart practices and the Hobart offices of national networks. Larger firms bring audit and specialist depth, while smaller practices often give more direct partner contact for less.
Shortlist two or three accountants in Hobart that work with businesses like yours, ask for a fixed fee proposal, and check their TPB registration before you sign the engagement letter.
