In short
Arbour Advisory is a specialist accounting firm for arborists and tree-care businesses, founded by George Morice, Chartered Accountant. We handle tax, BAS, bookkeeping, payroll and equipment finance for tree businesses across Australia, with a strong focus on operators in Newcastle and the wider Hunter region.
If you run a tree-care business around Newcastle, Lake Macquarie or Maitland and you want an accountant who already understands the trade, we can help. Book a free consultation →
Why a tree business needs a specialist accountant
A tree-care business does not run like a regular trade. Your income is lumpy and weather-driven, your gear is expensive, and a single storm can change a quiet fortnight into three weeks of back-to-back removals. A general accountant who mostly does cafes and consultants will not always see how those patterns affect your tax position, your cash flow or the way you should be financing equipment. We do, because tree businesses are most of what we look at.
In the Hunter, that seasonality is pronounced. East coast lows and summer storms drive a rush of clean-up and emergency work, then the calendar quietens. You might be quoting pruning on liquidambars and camphor laurels in suburban Lake Macquarie one week, then dealing with a council permit for a protected eucalypt the next, then clearing storm-damaged limbs across Maitland after heavy weather. That mix of small domestic jobs, larger commercial removals and council tree work makes accurate job costing and steady record-keeping more important, not less.
What Arbour Advisory does for tree-care operators
We cover the full set of compliance and advisory work a growing tree business needs. That starts with the basics done properly: income tax returns, quarterly BAS and GST, and clean bookkeeping that actually reflects how your jobs run. GST is 10%, but how it applies across deposits, progress payments and the occasional cash job is where people slip up, and that is the sort of thing we keep on top of for you.
From there we handle payroll and superannuation for your crew, including the entitlements that come with employing groundies and qualified climbers under the relevant award. We help with equipment finance decisions too, which matter a great deal in this trade. A chipper, a tipper, an EWP or a stump grinder is a big outlay, and the choice between buying outright, a chattel mortgage or a lease has real tax and cash-flow consequences. We work through the numbers with you before you sign, not after.
We also do the advisory work that helps a business actually get ahead: job costing so you know which jobs make money and which only look busy, structure advice as you grow from a sole trader to a company, and tax planning before 30 June rather than a surprise in October. Many clients eventually hand the whole back office to us as an outsourced finance function, so they can stay on the tools and off the laptop. If you want the detail on how we approach the trade, our arborist accountant page goes deeper.
Serving Newcastle and the Hunter, wherever you’re based
We work with Newcastle and Hunter tree businesses remotely, the same way we work with clients across Australia. Bookkeeping, BAS, payroll and tax all run on cloud software and secure file sharing, so you are not driving into an office between jobs or losing a billable afternoon to a meeting. A quick call from the ute or a message after the last drop usually does the job.
Being based remotely does not mean being distant. You deal with the same people each time, we learn how your business runs, and we are reachable when something time-sensitive comes up, like a finance approval that has to land before you can take on a contract. Whether you operate out of Newcastle, the Lake Macquarie suburbs, Maitland, Cessnock or further up the valley, the service is the same: practical accounting from people who know the tree trade.
Do I need an accountant who specialises in tree-care businesses?
You do not strictly need one, but it helps. A specialist already understands seasonal income, expensive plant and equipment, award-based crews and job costing for tree work, so you spend less time explaining your business and more time getting useful advice.
Do you work with tree businesses based in Newcastle?
Yes. We work with arborists and tree-care operators across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and the wider Hunter region, and we do it remotely so you are not losing work time travelling to an office.
Can you help me finance a chipper, EWP or tipper?
We do not lend, but we help you choose how to finance equipment and what it means for tax and cash flow, comparing options like an outright purchase, chattel mortgage or lease before you commit. We can also work alongside your finance broker.
What services do you actually handle?
Income tax, BAS and GST, bookkeeping, payroll and super, equipment finance advice, job costing, business structure and tax planning. Many clients hand us the whole back office so they can stay on the tools.
Does it cost anything to talk to you first?
No. The first consultation is free. It is a chance to understand your business and tell you plainly whether we can help, with no obligation to continue.
Newcastle tree business? Let’s get your numbers sorted.
Talk to an accountant who already understands seasonal work, expensive gear and crews on the award.
More for tree-care businesses: Arborist accountant · Outsourced finance function · Arborist tax deductions