AI training for accounting firms in Australia
Square1 Ai trains accounting and bookkeeping practices in Australia to use AI well: tax research, bookkeeping, client letters and practice policy. Live online on Zoom in your working hours, from A$149 a person for a team of five or more, with every exercise built on the work your practice already does and the rules Australian businesses work under.
One published price for every team, no team discount. Plus tax where it applies. Square1 Ai is not a registered training organisation (RTO).
Where AI is already changing practice work in Australia.
The training starts with the roles AI touches first, inside the rules Australian accounting and bookkeeping practices already work under.
Researching and summarising new tax law
Tax agents use generative AI to research and summarise new legislation. The Tax Practitioners Board's guidance says AI supports professional judgement and does not replace it, so the agent now has to check every reference against the ATO's own guidance and record that check.
Coding transactions and reconciling accounts
Ledger software used by Australian practices now suggests transaction codes and matches bank lines automatically, so the bookkeeper's job shifts to reviewing exceptions rather than keying entries. They need to know when a suggested code is wrong and how to spot a pattern of errors before a BAS is lodged.
Drafting client letters and engagement emails
Practices use general AI assistants to draft advice letters, reminders and engagement terms from notes. The manager has to know that pasting a client's affairs into a third-party tool can breach Code item 6 confidentiality unless the client has agreed, and which approved tool to use instead.
Setting the firm's AI use policy
The Tax Practitioners Board issued TPB(GS) 55/2026 on 22 July 2026, on how the Code of Professional Conduct applies to AI: competence, reasonable care, confidentiality, record-keeping and supervision. The practice manager needs a written policy that names approved tools, keeps client data out of public chatbots and sets a review step before anything AI-made reaches a client.
The rules your training has to respect
Tax agents are bound by the Code of Professional Conduct in the Tax Agent Services Act 2009, which the TPB says applies in full to AI use; client data is also covered by the Privacy Act and the OAIC's AI guidance, with new automated-decision disclosure duties from 10 Dec 2026.
- TPB(GS) 55/2026 on AI and the Code of Professional Conduct (Tax Agent Services Act 2009): under Code item 6, entering a client's information into an AI tool can be a disclosure to a third party that needs the client's permission, depending on how the tool is set up; practitioners stay accountable for reviewing every AI output
- OAIC, Guidance on privacy and the use of commercially available AI products (21 Oct 2024, updated 17 Jan 2025): best practice is not to enter personal information into publicly available generative AI tools; entering it is a use or disclosure under APP 6, and APP 10 accuracy duties apply to AI outputs
- Privacy Act 1988, new APP 1.7-1.9 (Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024): from 10 Dec 2026 an APP entity's privacy policy must list the personal information its programs use and the kinds of decisions they make or help make that significantly affect individuals
Four ways to train a team in Australia.
One published price each, in Australian dollars, for every company in Australia. Most teams start with live online seats; a Sprint builds one AI workflow with you.
Live online
A$149a person, team of five or moreLive courses on Zoom in AI, cyber security, no-code automation and more. An instructor teaches; Nova grades every exercise and project.
Live on Zoom, booked on your city’s time.
In person
A$2,500a day, up to 20 peopleAn instructor in your offices for a day or a series, hands-on with your team’s own work.
On request in Australia: the same day rate, plus travel.
Sprint
A$4,990fixed price, four weeksWe pick the workflow worth building first and build it with your people while we teach them. It ends with a pilot and a 30-question test.
Built with your team inside your own accounts, run online.
Train + build
A$14,900fixed price, twelve weeksWe train your team and build the workflows, automations and AI features your business runs on, alongside them.
Training live online, in-person days on request, building alongside your team.
After Train + build, the optional Grow plan is A$2,490 a month. A Sprint’s fee counts toward Train + build if you continue within 30 days.
Live online, on your city’s clock.
Australia runs on five clocks in summer. Sessions are booked on the time of the office that hosts the team; in-person days are arranged on request.
In person, on request
In-person training outside Sri Lanka is arranged on request: the same day rate of A$2,500 for up to 20 people, with travel and accommodation quoted on top before you book.
- Live online from Perth to Hobart from day one
- In-person days quoted with travel before you commit
- The readiness test before, and the Team Impact Report after
| City | Clock | At 1:00 PM in Sydney |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, HobartDaylight time until 4 Apr 2027 | UTC+11 (AEDT) | 1:00 PM |
| AdelaideDaylight time until 4 Apr 2027 | UTC+10:30 (ACDT) | 12:30 PM |
| BrisbaneNo daylight saving | UTC+10 (AEST) | 12:00 PM |
| DarwinNo daylight saving | UTC+9:30 (ACST) | 11:30 AM |
| PerthNo daylight saving | UTC+8 (AWST) | 10:00 AM |
Daylight saving runs from 4 October 2026 to 4 April 2027 in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT; Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory keep one clock all year (NSW Government).
AI training in Australia, compared.
Five programmes from Australian providers, as each publishes them. The business schools teach leaders in a room; TAFE NSW and Lumify sell short courses per person.
| Programme | Length | How it is taught | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI for BusinessMelbourne Business School · next 25–26 Nov 2026 · checked 19 Oct 2026 | 2 days | In person in Carlton; group pricing on request | A$3,500 a person incl. GST |
| AI for Business LeadersUNSW AGSM · next 23–24 Feb 2027 · checked 19 Oct 2026 | 2 days, or 4 weeks virtual | In person or virtual, for individuals | A$2,500–3,950 incl. GST |
| AI Fluency for Directors SprintAICD and the University of Sydney · starts 20 Nov 2026 · checked 19 Oct 2026 | 2.5 weeks, 50 hours | Online with 3 live sessions, for directors | A$1,395 incl. GST (A$1,255.50 each for 10+) |
| Introduction to AI in Azure (AI-901T00)Lumify Work · next 15 Jan 2027 · checked 19 Oct 2026 | 1 day | Virtual, a Microsoft course for individuals | A$995.50 incl. GST |
| Generative AI and its Business ApplicationsTAFE NSW microskill · enrol any time · checked 19 Oct 2026 | 3–5 hours, self-paced | Online; bulk licences for 10+ staff | A$140 incl. GST (A$0 on sale) |
| Live online or in personSquare1 Ai · the prices on this page | Per course, or a day on site | Live on Zoom or in your offices, every exercise graded by Nova | A$149 a person · A$2,500 a day |
Fees exactly as each provider publishes them, read on their own sites on 19 October 2026, including GST where the provider says so. Dates change, so check before you book.
Four ways Australian companies train a team in AI.
Each one fits a different need. Leaders and the wider team often take different routes.
- Route 1
A business-school short course
Fits when a leader wants two days at Melbourne Business School or UNSW AGSM and a name on the certificate.
Watch for A$3,500 a person at MBS and up to A$3,950 at AGSM, one leader at a time, on the school’s dates.
- Route 2
Nationally recognised training from an RTO
Fits when you need an accredited unit or a funded place, for example a TAFE NSW microskill.
Watch for short self-paced modules rarely change how a team works day to day.
- Route 3
Vendor courses for the tools you already use
Fits when your company is standardising on Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Gemini or AWS and wants people trained on that tool.
Watch for a vendor course teaches the tool, not your workflow; non-technical teams usually need both.
- Route 4
A team trained and measured together (Square1 Ai)
Fits when you want every person placed by a test, taught live, graded on real work and measured again at week 12.
Watch for it takes a few hours a week from each person, and the results depend on them doing the work.
AI training for accounting firms in Australia: your questions.
How much does aI training for accounting firms cost in Australia?
Live online courses are A$149 a person for a team of five or more, booked in your working hours. A four-week Sprint that builds one AI workflow with your team is A$4,990, and twelve weeks of Train + build is A$14,900. One published price for every business, plus GST where it applies.
Can my staff paste a client's tax return into ChatGPT to check it?
Not without thinking first. The Tax Practitioners Board says entering client information into an AI tool can be a disclosure to a third party under Code item 6, which needs the client's permission, depending on how the tool is set up. Use a business tool whose terms keep data private, remove identifying details where you can, and cover AI in your engagement letter.
If an AI tool gets a deduction wrong, who is responsible?
You are. The Tax Practitioners Board says AI supports professional judgement and does not replace it, and practitioners remain accountable for their services, including reviewing AI-generated output. Check it as you would work from a junior staff member.
Which staff should start first?
Usually the people AI already touches: tax agent, bookkeeper and client manager. A two-minute readiness test places every person, so nobody sits a course pitched at someone else's job.
What does a Sprint build for an accounting firm?
One workflow your team picks, built with your people inside your own accounts over four weeks: for example drafting client letters from file notes, turning a bank-feed review into an exceptions list, or a checklist that flags missing documents before a return is prepared. It ends with a pilot and a 30-question test, and the fee of A$4,990 counts toward Train + build if you continue within 30 days.
Is this nationally recognised training?
No. Square1 Ai is not a registered training organisation (RTO), so its courses do not lead to a nationally recognised qualification and are not eligible for VET funding. Each person keeps a graded record of their work. If your team needs an accredited unit, choose an RTO such as TAFE.
Train your practice in AI, in your working hours.
Tell us how many people and what they do. The founder replies with the offering that fits and the dates for live online.