Question 1

Why switch from Reckon to HelloBooks?

Accepted Answer

Three reasons AU customers cite most: 1) Reckon One's modular pricing adds up — by the time you've bought Accounting + Invoices + Projects + Payroll, you're often at A$30-A$50/month. HelloBooks Pro at A$30/month per entity bundles all of that. 2) AI categorisation: Reckon uses bank rules and feeds; HelloBooks runs an AI agent at 95%+ accuracy from day one. 3) Inventory and multi-currency are bolt-ons or unavailable in Reckon; both are standard on HelloBooks Pro. Reckon's strength is the AU bookkeeper community familiarity; the gap is feature breadth at the same price point.

Question 2

How does the Reckon-to-HelloBooks migration work?

Accepted Answer

Export from Reckon One (Settings → Backup / Export → CSV bundle). For Reckon Accounts Desktop: File → Export → IIF / CSV. Upload to the HelloBooks migration tool. Chart of accounts, customers, suppliers, products with GST codes, opening balances, and historic transactions cross over. Most AU SMBs complete in 90 minutes; multi-year ledgers run 3-4 hours.

Question 3

Does HelloBooks file BAS direct with the ATO?

Accepted Answer

Yes — BAS lodgment is direct to ATO via SBR. G1-G24, 1A-1B GST, W1-W5 PAYG withholding, 5A-5B PAYG instalments populate from the ledger with a preview screen before submission. ABN / TFN authorisation through ATO Online Services. BAS Agent extension for registered agents to batch-lodge.

Question 4

What about STP Phase 2 and SuperStream?

Accepted Answer

STP Phase 2 reporting is built in with employee category, income type, country code, child-support deductions, lump sums — lodges at each pay run. SuperStream-compliant super uses a clearing-house lodgment with ABN / USI validation, employee-fund choice, quarterly contribution schedule. Both included on Pro with no per-employee fee for the first 10 employees.

Question 5

Will my Reckon-familiar bookkeeper work with HelloBooks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The CPA Practice tier is built for AU bookkeepers and BAS / Tax Agents — per-client pricing, batch close, batch BAS lodgment with BAS Agent credentials, unlimited firm staff. The chart of accounts and journal workflow map directly to Reckon's structure. Most AU bookkeepers retrain in a few days.

Question 6

Is the pricing comparison still accurate?

Accepted Answer

Verified against publicly listed Reckon One pricing as of 2026. Reckon changes module pricing periodically; the underlying modular-pricing structure has been stable. HelloBooks AU pricing (Pro A$30/month per entity) has held stable.

Feature	HelloBooks	Reckon
Starting price (AUD)	Free Plan; Pro A$30/mo per entity — every module included	Reckon One modular: A$5-A$12 per module per month — accounting + payroll + invoices + projects add up quickly
Pricing model	Single flat-rate Pro plan: no per-module purchases, no surprise add-ons	Pay-per-module: customers report adding 4-5 modules to match a full accounting suite
Deployment	Cloud-first, any browser, any device, no install	Reckon One is cloud; Reckon Accounts Desktop is a separate Windows product line
BAS lodgment	Direct BAS lodgment to ATO via SBR; G1-G24, 1A-1B, W1-W5 populated from ledger	BAS lodgment supported via SBR
STP Phase 2 payroll	STP Phase 2 reporting bundled with all required fields	Reckon Payroll supports STP Phase 2 (separate module)
SuperStream-compliant super	Clearing-house lodgment, ABN / USI validation, quarterly schedule	SuperStream-compliant via Reckon Payroll
AI categorisation	Built-in AI agent, 95%+ accuracy on AU bank descriptions, every plan	Bank rules and feeds; no AI agent
Per-user fees	Unlimited users on Pro	Reckon One charges per-module + per-user on some tiers
Multi-currency	Live FX rates with gain / loss postings, included on Pro	Limited multi-currency support
Inventory tracking	Multi-warehouse inventory on Pro	Inventory available as a separate module on higher tiers

The Reckon alternative without per-module fees

HelloBooks vs Reckon (Australia)

AU migration runbook (from Reckon)

AU Reckon switch — frequently asked

Try the Reckon alternative — free