My smsf has only ASX shares and cash and has no pensions. I use http://greenfrogsuper.com.au/ which I pay $950. It is just admin and I don't get any tax advice.
I have several friends who use Accounting Firms but they also receive tax planning and pension strategies etc and pay between $2-$3k so sounds like you should be shopping around. Most smsf accountants use software such as Class (ASX:CL1) and BGL which automates a lot of their data entry so the number of transactions or brokers should not factor as much into the price.
The questions I would be asking are:
- What service do I need and does my accountant provide that?
- How does my accountant's fee compare to others in the same area?
- What do I get for that fee? Is it just year-end compliance or does it include advice?
- Trust. Do I trust them or have a good relationship with them. Can I call them and ask any question I like etc?
- Specialisation. SMSFs are a specialised field. Does their business do accounting for a handful or hundreds of SMSFs?
