The three options
Most partners reach this question for one of two reasons. Either the existing arrangement has broken, because someone left or deadlines slipped, or the firm has grown past the point where the existing arrangement copes. Which of the two applies tends to shape the answer.
Keep doing it ad hoc
Existing staff fit ASIC compliance around their other work. Common at smaller firms with under 50 entities.
Hire a dedicated person
A corporate secretarial specialist on staff. Common at firms with 200 or more entities, or where corp sec is run as a profit centre under the firm's own brand.
Outsource
A specialist provider runs the function under either your brand (white label) or theirs (registered agent). Variable cost that moves with the size of your book.
What the in-house model costs
In-house is often costed at salary alone. The total is usually 60 to 80 per cent higher once on-costs, software, partner review time, late fees, and recruitment risk are counted.
Annual all-in cost components
Salary, experienced corp sec specialist
$85,000 to $130,000
On-costs at 25% (super, payroll tax, leave, workers comp)
$21,000 to $32,500
Software (CAS360 or equivalent, including BGL fees)
$5,000 to $10,000 / yr
Partner review time on lodgements (~2 hrs/wk @ $300)
$30,000 / yr
ASIC late fees during transitions (typical for 100+ entities)
$1,000 to $5,000 / yr
Recruitment cost when they leave (20-30% of salary, every 3 to 4 yrs)
$20,000 to $35,000 amortised
Salary bands are taken from public Australian corp sec recruiter benchmarks. Late fee figures reflect ASIC's current $102 to $428 schedule and what we see at firms mid-transition. Partner review time is estimated at $300/hr, so adjust it for your firm.
Worked examples
Three firm sizes compared
All figures are all-in annual cost. The in-house column includes salary, on-costs, software, partner review, and amortised recruitment risk. The outsourced column uses our standard pricing for the Outsourced model. White Label pricing is quoted case by case.
Small firm
50 entities
$90,000 corp sec, half-time
In-house all-in
$60,000 to $80,000
Outsourced
$8,000 to $12,000
At this volume a half-time corp sec hire is difficult to justify on cost alone.
Mid-sized firm
200 entities
$110,000 corp sec, full-time
In-house all-in
$130,000 to $180,000
Outsourced
$20,000 to $35,000
The closest call of the three. The in-house person is busy enough to justify the salary, but the firm depends on one person.
Larger firm
500+ entities
$130,000 corp sec, plus junior support
In-house all-in
$200,000 to $260,000
Outsourced
$45,000 to $75,000
Either model can work. In-house can be run as a profit centre under the firm's brand. Outsourcing keeps the cost variable and removes the recruitment exposure.
Where in-house is the better option
- ›1,000 or more entities and a stable team of three or more corp sec staff. The volume covers the cost and the team provides redundancy.
- ›You want corporate secretarial run as a distinct profit centre under your firm's brand, keeping the margin in the firm.
- ›A partner wants to lead the work, with enough bench depth behind them to cover absences.
- ›You work in a niche such as specialist trustee or listed-company secretarial, where in-house specialism is worth the cost.
Where outsourcing is the better option
- ›Variable workload. The corp sec function moves with your client base, and a salary does not.
- ›Smaller firms. Under 200 entities the cost rarely supports a full-time hire.
- ›Firms that have lost a corp sec person and want to avoid the same exposure again.
- ›Growth-stage firms where headcount cannot keep pace with new entity onboardings.
- ›Firms that would rather spend partner time on advice than on compliance review.
Four questions to work through
Take them in order and stop at the first yes.
1
Do you have 1,000 or more entities and a stable team of three or more corp sec staff?
If yes
In-house can work. The volume covers the headcount and the team gives you redundancy.
If no
Move to the next question.
2
Do you want corporate secretarial run as a distinct profit centre under your firm's brand?
If yes
That usually needs an in-house lead, with outsourced support for overflow.
If no
Move to the next question.
3
Have you lost a corp sec person in the last two years, or is one person doing it now?
If yes
Outsourcing removes the single point of failure.
If no
Move to the next question.
4
Is your client book growing faster than your corp sec capacity?
If yes
Outsourcing adds capacity without a recruitment lead time. In-house hiring takes 3 to 6 months.
If no
Either model can work, so decide on cost.
The three options side by side
Cost is one part of the decision. Continuity, scalability, partner time, and recruitment exposure are the others worth pricing in.
| Ad hoc | Hire in-house | Outsource | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cost (200 entities) | Absorbed by existing staff | $130k to $180k | $20k to $35k |
| Scales with workload | No, capacity is fixed | No, fixed salary | Yes, per entity |
| Continuity risk | High, no single owner | High, one person | Lower, team-based |
| Specialist depth | Limited | Good | Good, across a wider case mix |
| Partner time impact | Heavy review burden | Light | Light |
| Recruitment exposure | N/A | Every 3 to 4 yrs | Carried by the provider |
| Brand control with clients | Full | Full | Full (white label) or shared (registered agent) |