Volumes are low in count but high in value. A single tax-return or BAS invoice can run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, and the practice sees a pronounced spike from July through October as EOFY work lands. Many firms also bill monthly retainers for ongoing bookkeeping. Matching a provider to invoice-led, recurring, higher-value B2B payments is more useful than chasing the lowest sticker rate on a flat in-person plan.
Why accountants fees sit where they do
Card-not-present invoice payments usually price higher than tapped in-person transactions because of added fraud and gateway costs, pushing blended rates toward the upper end. Premium and international cards lift the average further. The offset is that accounting invoices are large, so a percentage fee on a $3,000 bill is material in dollars even at a competitive rate, which is precisely why surcharging the card cost to clients is common and widely accepted in professional B2B billing.
What to look for in a provider
Prioritise providers with deep accounting-software integration so a 'pay now' button appears directly on Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks invoices and reconciles automatically. Because payments are card-not-present, weigh the CNP rate, gateway reliability and fraud tools, not terminal features. Look for clean, compliant surcharging that passes the card fee to clients accurately, plus recurring or scheduled billing for monthly retainers and payment plans. Confirm how large single transactions are treated and whether premium-card or international loadings apply, since one annual invoice can dwarf a month of smaller payments. Reporting that maps to your ledger saves admin during the EOFY rush.