A good first meeting with an accountant depends on three things you bring with you. First, proof that the accountant is registered. Second, a folder of your income and expense records. Third, a short list of questions about fees, scope and whether they know creative work. You want to leave with a quote in writing and a clear split of who does what. The rest can wait.
This guide is written for musicians, designers, photographers, writers, actors and anyone else whose income arrives in bursts from several places at once.
Most people judge an accountant on how the conversation feels. Feel matters, but credentials come first, and in Australia you can check them in a few minutes before you book anything.
Only registered tax agents can prepare and lodge tax returns for you. You can confirm someone's registration on the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) Register. Membership of CPA Australia or Chartered Accountants ANZ means the person has finished their professional qualifications and has to keep up ongoing training to stay a full member. An accountant who also gives advice about investing or retirement needs a separate Australian financial services (AFS) licence, and that licence is worth checking on its own (Moneysmart, 2026).
That last point marks a clear boundary. A tax accountant without an AFS licence can talk about your tax return, your BAS (the business activity statement that GST-registered businesses lodge) and your business records. They can't recommend a super fund, an investment or an insurance policy. If an accountant starts steering you towards financial products and the register shows no AFS licence, take that as a warning sign. Amplify 11, for example, is a tax and accounting practice. We're not financial planners.
Registration tells you someone is allowed to do the work. It tells you nothing about whether they understand a year that includes three festival gigs, a publishing advance, a grant, and a trickle of streaming income paid out from overseas. For that you'll need the conversation.
Walking in with "I just need help with my tax" makes a meeting vague. Accountants do a wide range of work. Some clients want annual accounts and a tax return and nothing else. Others want bookkeeping in Xero, BAS lodgements, payroll for a band member or an assistant, or a conversation about whether their structure still suits a business that's grown. The Small Business Development Corporation in WA suggests listing the services you want before you go, shortlisting a few accountants, and rating each one against your own priorities such as quality, reliability, price, location and terms. It also says to keep interviewing until you find someone you're comfortable with (SBDC WA).
For creatives we'd add one priority to that list: industry fluency. Royalty statements, agency commission deductions, grant conditions and platform payout reports each have their own quirks. If an accountant has to learn your income streams from scratch, you'll be paying for that learning. Plenty of accountants specialise in a sector, and finding one who already knows yours is one of the most useful filters you can apply.
You don't need perfect records. You need records that are honest and roughly organised. A shoebox of receipts beats a tidy spreadsheet with half the year missing. The table below covers what makes the meeting productive.
| Bring this | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Your last couple of tax returns and notices of assessment (the ATO's summary of what it assessed you on) | Shows your history and flags anything carried over from earlier years |
| ABN details and whether you're registered for GST | Tells the accountant which reporting obligations already apply to you |
| Income records, grouped by source: gig invoices, commission invoices, royalty and publishing statements, grant agreements, sponsorship deals, platform payout reports | Irregular, multi-source income is the part most likely to be missed or mislabelled |
| Expense records: gear receipts, software subscriptions, studio or rehearsal hire, travel, phone and internet bills | Lets the accountant see what you spend and ask the right follow-up questions |
| Bank statements, especially for any account you use for creative work | Shows how mixed your personal and business money is |
| Login access to, or an export from, your bookkeeping software | Saves time and shows what's already set up |
| Any letters from the ATO | Lets the accountant spot open issues early |
| Contracts that shape your income, such as agency, publishing or grant agreements | Payment terms and conditions can affect how income is recorded |
| Your previous accountant's details | Makes a handover simpler if you switch |
On grants and overseas platform income, don't try to work out the tax treatment yourself before the meeting. Bring the paperwork. A registered tax agent can explain how the rules apply to your situation.
Expect questions in return. Some accountants offer a first consultation free and others charge for it, so ask about this when you book, along with roughly how long the session will run. During the meeting, the accountant will usually ask where your income comes from, what you're planning for the coming year, whether you have an ABN or are registered for GST, and how you keep your records now. Honest, rough answers are more useful than polished ones.
A first meeting goes both ways. They're working out whether they can help you, and you're working out whether you want to work with them. These questions cover fit, fees and how the working relationship would run:
Several of these come directly from government guidance on choosing an accountant. That guidance covers how fees are calculated, whether every phone call is billed, whether you can speak to current clients, examples of proactive work such as cash flow forecasts, familiarity with your software, and help finding a bookkeeper (SBDC WA).
Pay as much attention to how they answer as to what they say. Ask about a royalty statement and watch the response. If they ask what territory it came from and how the publisher pays, they've done this before. A blank look followed by "we'll sort it out" means they haven't. The fee answer matters too. A clear fixed price for a defined scope tells you how they think about clients, and so does an answer that keeps drifting back to hourly rates and "it depends".
Listen, too, for whether they explain things or just reassure you. Creatives tend to find accounting intimidating because it usually arrives wrapped in jargon. A good accountant can explain PAYG instalments (prepayments of tax the ATO may ask for once your income gets past a certain level) in two plain sentences, without a lecture.
An accountant who can't explain your own tax return to you in plain English hasn't finished the job.
Most first-meeting guides skip this part, and it's the most important one. Even when an accountant prepares your tax return and other financials, you're still legally responsible for what's lodged. A good accountant will explain this and help you understand what you're signing (Moneysmart, 2026).
This doesn't need to be scary. In practice it means three things. First, read what you sign, and ask about any line you don't understand. Second, tell your accountant about every income stream, including the small ones: cash from a market stall, a one-off licensing fee for a photo, a payout from a platform you'd forgotten about. Third, keep enough grip on your own numbers that you'd notice if something looked wrong.
That third point is where the relationship can go wrong if you let it. Hand over everything, never look at a report, and you'll learn about problems at the worst possible moment. Owners who understand the basics of their own finances get far more out of their accountant. They ask sharper questions, and they catch mistakes before lodgement instead of after.
A separate bank account for creative income and expenses is the simplest habit to support this. It makes the records cleaner, makes the bookkeeping cheaper, and makes it much easier to see your own cash flow during a quiet month.
A good first meeting ends with you knowing what comes next. Here's the usual sequence once you've met one or more accountants:
Changing accountants is routine, and you don't need your old accountant's permission. Your new accountant can usually ask the previous firm for prior-year working papers and records once you've authorised the change. Before you switch, check whether you owe any fees and what's still in progress, such as a return that's half finished or a BAS that's due soon. Tell your new accountant about all of it so nothing slips through during the handover.
If your structure comes up in that first conversation (sole trader now, maybe a company later as the work grows), treat it as the start of a discussion, not a decision made on the spot. The right structure depends on your income, plans and personal circumstances. A registered tax agent can explain how the options apply to you, and a lawyer should handle any trust deed or partnership agreement.
This article is general information only, reflects the rules at the time of writing, and does not take your personal circumstances into account.
If you'd like to hear how our accountant sounds in real life, the Amplify 11 team is happy to jam through your questions, no rehearsal needed. Give us a ring on (02) 4715 1000 or drop a line to [email protected], and let's get your numbers in tune.
Practices handle this differently. Some offer a free introductory chat, while others charge for an initial consultation, especially if they review documents or give tax guidance in that session. Ask when you book whether the meeting is charged, how long it runs and what it covers, so there are no surprises on the invoice afterwards.
Yes. Many Australian accountants work with clients remotely through video calls, secure document portals and cloud accounting software. If you live outside a capital city or travel for work, a remote meeting can be just as useful as sitting in an office. Ask which platforms they use and how they keep your documents secure.
Go to the meeting anyway and be upfront. Accountants regularly help people catch up on overdue returns and rebuild records from bank statements and invoices. Bring whatever you have, including ATO letters, and let the accountant work out what is missing. Getting on the front foot generally makes conversations with the ATO easier than waiting.
If you share income, gear or a business with others, it can help for everyone involved to attend, or at least to agree beforehand on the questions to raise. Shared arrangements affect how income and expenses are recorded. A registered tax agent can explain how the arrangement is treated, and a lawyer can help with any written agreement between you.
Most introductory meetings run somewhere between half an hour and an hour, depending on how complex your affairs are and how many questions you bring. Arriving with your records grouped and your questions written down keeps things focused. If the conversation runs into detailed planning, the accountant may suggest a follow-up session instead.
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