Independent Accounting

What Independent Accounting does

Independent Accounting is an independent, privately held accounting practice based in Ringwood East, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The firm was founded in 1998 by Craig and Bernadette Somerville and operates with a staff of approximately five, making it a micro-practice by industry standards. It serves individuals and small-to-medium businesses in the local Eastern Melbourne catchment, offering a focused suite of traditional professional services: accounting, taxation, and superannuation (including SMSF-related work), with Company Secretarial services also referenced as part of the in-house offering.

The firm's service model is relationship-driven and locally positioned, with Craig Somerville serving as the principal practitioner since inception. To extend the scope of work it can deliver without scaling headcount, the practice maintains referral-style partnerships with LSE Australia Pty Ltd for audit services, and with Indacc Financial Services, Centric Wealth Advisers, and Unison for adjacent financial advisory and wealth management offerings. There is no proprietary technology platform disclosed; delivery is manual and partner-led, supported only by a basic WordPress website and blog for digital presence.

Commercially, the firm generates revenue from fee-for-service engagements tied to recurring compliance and advisory work — annual tax returns, BAS lodgements, superannuation administration, and company secretarial tasks — typical of suburban Australian accounting practices. There are no external investors, no disclosed revenue figures, and no announced expansion, hiring, or technology investment plans in the source material. The firm appears to operate as a stable, lifestyle-scale practice rather than a growth-stage business.

Name

Independent Accounting

Legal name

Independent Accounting

Website

https://independentaccountingblog.wordpress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent Accounting is a small, privately held Melbourne accounting practice founded in 1998, serving individuals and small-to-medium businesses in the Eastern Melbourne suburbs with accounting, taxation, and superannuation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accounting Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Advisory (GAAP/IFRS) (BPAHABAF)

Keywords

• Accounting services
• Taxation services
• Bookkeeping services
• SMSF administration
• Financial planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Ringwood East

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Accounting Services: Provides comprehensive accounting services including business advisory, budgeting, forecasting, ownership structures, asset protection, management and financial accounting, strategic business planning, business valuations, business sales and acquisitions advice, finance applications, accounting software selection, business start-up advice, and business restructuring.
2. Taxation Services: Tax planning and advisory services including GST, taxation consulting, salary packaging, payroll tax, capital gains tax, managing tax risk, tax planning and minimisation, structuring, fringe benefit tax, income tax (BAS, IAS, PAYG), small business tax concessions, and obtaining ATO rulings.
3. Bookkeeping Services: Flexible bookkeeping services that can handle as much or as little of clients' bookkeeping needs, including preparation of annual accounts and periodic management accounts.
4. Self Managed Super Fund Services: SMSF services including establishment, tax advice, financials, tax returns, pensions, members statements, and audits.
5. Financial Planning Services: Financial planning and wealth management services including investment advice, self managed superannuation advice, estate planning, superannuation and retirement incomes, retirement planning, wealth management and creation, debt management, cash flow management, insurance and risk protection, structuring business, protection of assets, and Centrelink and age pension advice.
6. Management Accounting Services: Business performance enhancement services including profit and loss reports, balance sheet reconciliations, annual budgets and forecasts, cash flow management, and financial reporting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Independent Accounting is a small Melbourne-based professional services firm delivering accounting, taxation, bookkeeping, management accounting, financial planning, and self-managed super fund (SMSF) services to individuals, families, and businesses. The firm also provides company secretarial services and arranges audits via partner LSE Australia, acting as a one-stop trusted advisor for the whole family.

Product overview

Independent Accounting is a small accounting firm offering a unified suite of professional accounting and financial services rather than a software product platform. The core service portfolio comprises Accounting, Bookkeeping, Taxation, Financial Planning, Management Accounting, Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF), Auditing (via partner LSE Australia), and Company Secretarial services. These services are delivered as an integrated offering by a husband-and-wife team and five staff members, serving clients ranging from students to large companies. Financial planning services are delivered through Indacc Financial Services with partners Unison and Centric Wealth Advisers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounting Provides business advisory, budgeting and forecasting, ownership structures, asset protection, management and financial accounting, strategic business planning, business valuations, sales and acquisitions advice, finance applications, accounting software selection, business start-up advice, and business restructuring services for clients in Ringwood East, Ringwood, Heathmont and surrounding areas.
• Bookkeeping Offers flexible bookkeeping services ranging from full outsourced bookkeeping to selective assistance with preparation of annual accounts, periodic management accounts, tax preparation, and business appraisal support.
• Financial Planning Provides financial advice and planning services including investment, self-managed superannuation advice, estate planning, superannuation and retirement income planning, wealth management, debt management, cash flow management, insurance and risk protection, business structuring, asset protection, and Centrelink and age pension advice through Indacc Financial Services in partnership with Unison and Centric Wealth Advisers.
• Management Accounting Delivers business performance information including profit and loss reports, balance sheet reconciliations, annual budgets and forecasts, cash flow analysis, and comprehensive financial reporting to help businesses improve operations and achieve profitability goals.
• Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) Comprehensive SMSF services including establishment, tax advice, financials, tax returns, pensions, member statements, and audits to help clients achieve retirement wealth goals.
• Taxation Provides tax planning and advisory services including GST, taxation consulting, salary packaging, payroll tax, capital gains tax, managing tax risk, tax planning and minimisation, structuring, fringe benefit tax, income tax (BAS, IAS, PAYG), small business tax concessions, and ATO rulings.
• Company Secretarial Corporate administrative services including company and trust formations, BAS/GST and PAYG registrations, ABN and TFN applications, ASIC returns, director minutes and trustee resolutions, and dividend certificates.
• Auditing SMSF, Non-Profit and other entity audits conducted by LSE Australia Pty Ltd, an ATO Approved SMSF Auditor, on behalf of Independent Accounting clients.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LSE Australia Pty LtdcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLSE Australia Pty Ltd carries out SMSF, Non-Profit and other entity audits on behalf of Independent Accounting. LSE Australia Pty Ltd is an ATO Approved SMSF Auditor, providing auditing expertise that complements the firm's accounting and tax services.
• Indacc Financial ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndacc Financial Services provides financial planning services in conjunction with Independent Accounting, offering investment advice, estate planning, retirement planning, wealth management, and other financial advisory services to shared clients.
• UnisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnison is a specialist provider of Direct Property services, partnered with Independent Accounting to help clients with property-related investment and financial planning needs.
• Centric Wealth AdviserscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentric Wealth Advisers is the largest independent financial and investment advisory group, providing superannuation investment advice and insurance products. They partner with Independent Accounting to offer comprehensive wealth management solutions to clients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• RSM Australia: Mid-tier accounting firm in Australia serving SMEs with tax, audit, and advisory services. Comparable SMB focus but with a national footprint and institutional structure rather than a family-owned local practice.
• Crowe Australasia: Mid-tier accounting and advisory firm in Australia serving SMEs and SMSF trustees. Competes with Independent Accounting on tax, audit, and advisory in overlapping Melbourne and Victorian catchments.
• BDO Australia: Mid-tier Australian accounting and advisory firm offering audit, tax, and business advisory across the country. Overlaps Independent Accounting on SMB tax, advisory, and SMSF services but operates nationally with a vastly larger partner-led practice.
• H&R Block Australia: Mass-market tax preparation and accounting franchise in Australia. Overlaps with Independent Accounting's individual tax compliance offering at a higher-volume, lower-touch price point, including in suburban Melbourne.
• William Buck: Australian mid-tier accounting and advisory firm with strong presence in Melbourne. Competes directly with Independent Accounting for SME clients in Victoria while offering broader advisory, audit, and wealth services.
• Pitcher Partners: Australian mid-tier accounting, advisory, and wealth firm headquartered in Melbourne. Comparable on SMB accounting, tax, and SMSF services across the same geographic market as Independent Accounting.
• Nexia Australia: Australian mid-tier accounting network offering tax, audit, and business advisory to SMEs. Comparable service mix to Independent Accounting but delivered through a federated network rather than a single local office.

Direct peers

• Bench: Subscription bookkeeping and accounting service for small businesses with dedicated bookkeepers and software tooling. Comparable to Independent Accounting's bookkeeping and financial reporting service line, though at much larger scale and delivered remotely.
• Pilot.com: US-based tech-enabled bookkeeping, accounting, and CFO services for small businesses and startups. Comparable to Independent Accounting as a small-business accounting services provider, though delivered via a software-augmented model rather than a traditional local-practice model.

Others

• Xero: Australian cloud accounting software platform widely used by small accounting practices including Independent Accounting itself. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, but its automation trajectory represents a structural risk to traditional local accounting revenue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Independent Accounting