For your industry
BizTools for Australian Consultants + Advisory Solo
Most Australian consultants live and die on three numbers: day rate, billable utilisation, and how much of each invoice belongs to the ATO. Everything on this page is built for AU consultants — solo or boutique — to keep those numbers tight.
On this page
- Calculators for day rate, billable utilisation, BAS set-aside.
- Honest software comparisons (Hnry vs Rounded vs Xero).
- When to switch from sole trader to Pty Ltd as a consultant.
- Affiliate-disclosed partner recommendations.
Calculators
Calculators for consultants actually use
Built for the decisions you make every week — pricing, quoting, costing, GST, payroll.
Calculator
Hourly / Day Rate Calculator
Set a defensible day rate that covers your true cost base, non-billable time, and target take-home pay.
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Calculator
Billable Utilisation Planner
Work out the utilisation rate you actually need to hit (50-70% is typical) to make your unit economics work.
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Calculator
Service Pricing Calculator
Build defensible project / retainer prices from cost + overhead + margin, not market guess.
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Calculator
BAS Set-Aside Calculator
Ring-fence GST from every invoice — automate this if you can.
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Calculator
Cash Flow Runway Calculator
How long your current cash covers expenses if a key contract pauses.
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Calculator
Profit Margin Calculator
Check the actual margin a retainer leaves once delivery cost is honest.
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Guides + comparisons
Practical reading
Plain-English explanations + honest software comparisons for your persona.
Comparison
Best invoicing software for AU sole traders
Hnry vs Rounded vs Xero vs MYOB — the full 4-way comparison.
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Head-to-head
Hnry vs Xero
Tax service vs accounting software. Most relevant comparison for a solo consultant.
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Guide
Sole trader vs Pty Ltd
When the structure change actually pays off (the math says: usually earlier than founders think).
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Guide
How to set a sustainable hourly rate
Practical AU framework for going from 'what I used to earn' to a real charge-out rate.
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Guide
How much tax to save as sole trader
Rules of thumb per income bracket. Critical if you're new to consulting.
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Guide
How to calculate cash flow runway
The simplest framework for not being caught short when a client pauses.
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Recommended tools
Software AU consultants actually use
The decision hinges on whether you want to outsource tax pain (Hnry) or control accounting yourself (Rounded / Xero).
Hnry
Sole trader tax + invoicing on autopilot
Australian sole-trader service that handles invoicing, GST, BAS, income tax, and super so you can stop juggling spreadsheets at quarter-end.
Rounded
Invoicing + accounting for AU freelancers
Lightweight invoicing, expense tracking, GST and BAS reporting built specifically for Australian freelancers and small operators.
Xero
Accounting software for growing businesses
The most widely used cloud accounting platform in Australia — invoicing, GST, payroll, BAS, and integrations with most banks and POS systems.
See the full comparison: best invoicing software for AU sole traders →
BizTools.au may earn a small commission if you start a paid plan after clicking an affiliate link. The commission does not change the price you pay and does not influence which tools we recommend — see our disclaimer for the full version.
FAQ
Common questions
- What's the right day rate for an AU consultant?
- There's no universal number — it depends on your specialism, experience level, and target annual take-home. Most AU senior consultants charge $1,500-$3,500/day for project work, with strategy / advisory rates pushing higher. Use the Hourly / Day Rate Calculator to back-solve from your target income, expected billable days per year, and overhead cost.
- When should I switch from sole trader to Pty Ltd?
- For consultants, usually sooner than expected. The trigger points: profit consistently above ~$120k AND you can leave some in the company, real liability exposure (most AU advisory work has some), or customers requiring it (many large AU corporates won't engage sole traders for procurement reasons). Full decision logic in our sole trader vs Pty Ltd guide.
- Hnry or Rounded — which one suits consultants?
- Hnry if you want to forget about tax — it deducts income tax/GST/super on every invoice and lodges BAS + return for you. Rounded if you want clean books and a hands-on relationship with your tax. Both work; Hnry wins on time-to-zero-admin, Rounded wins on cost above ~$80k income and on accountant compatibility.
- How do AU consultants handle GST on international clients?
- Generally GST-free if the service is supplied to a non-resident outside Australia and there's no consumption in Australia. But the GST treatment depends on the specifics — see our GST on quotes + invoices guide and confirm with a registered BAS agent if you have material international revenue.
Disclaimer
A note on the recommendations
Important note
BizTools.au is designed to make business numbers easier to check, but calculator outputs still need judgment and real-world context.
- Calculator results are general estimates only and depend on the figures entered.
- Examples and summaries are provided for general information, not legal, tax, accounting, payroll, or financial advice.
- Before relying on a result for a real decision, check your assumptions and get qualified advice where needed.