For Australian companies · Dedicated teams in the Philippines
Outsourcing to the Philippines for Australian companies
Australia is the easiest country in the world to run a Philippine team from: the working day lines up almost exactly, the flights are direct, and Australian firms have been building offshore teams here for well over a decade. Here’s how it works in practice.
Time zones
How the hours line up
The Philippines is UTC+8 with no daylight saving. That puts it two to three hours behind the east coast, and on Perth time exactly. A standard Philippine day already overlaps most of yours; an early Philippine start matches it completely.
The team starts at 6–7am Philippine time and finishes mid-afternoon, so they’re online for your entire day. This is the default for most Australian clients — support, admin, bookkeeping and anything that needs live collaboration.
A 9-to-6 Philippine day still gives you overlap from late morning to the end of your day on the east coast, and a full match in Perth. Useful when the role is mostly async, or when you want work continuing after your office closes.
| Your time zone | Philippines is | A standard Philippine day (9am–6pm PH) | Your 9am–5pm, in Philippine time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart (AEST / AEDT) | 2–3 h behind | 11am–8pm / 12pm–9pm your time | 7am–3pm / 6am–2pm PH |
| Brisbane (AEST all year) | 2 h behind | 11am–8pm your time | 7am–3pm PH |
| Adelaide, Darwin (ACST / ACDT) | 1.5–2.5 h behind | 10:30am–7:30pm / 11:30am–8:30pm | 7:30am–3:30pm / 6:30am–2:30pm PH |
| Perth (AWST) | Same time | 9am–6pm your time | 9am–5pm PH |
The Philippines is UTC+8 all year. Ranges reflect your own daylight-saving change. More on working across the time difference.
Why the Philippines
Why Australian companies outsource here
The same working day
No night shifts, no hand-over gaps, no waiting until tomorrow. Your Philippine team is in the same meetings, the same Slack threads and the same day as you.
A well-worn path for accounting firms
Australian accounting and bookkeeping practices have used Philippine teams for years. Xero and MYOB experience is common in the talent pool, and the division of labour — preparation offshore, review and lodgement onshore — is well understood.
English and service culture
English is an official language and the medium of instruction. For client-facing roles, ask for a live call and judge the fit yourself — most Australian clients are surprised how little adjustment is needed.
Close enough to visit
Direct flights from the east coast reach Manila in a working day; Bohol is a short hop from there. Clients who visit their team once tend to come back.
What gets outsourced
The roles Australian companies place most
Dedicated, full-time, exclusively yours. See every role we provide.
Bookkeepers, BAS preparation and management accountants in Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks — with review and lodgement staying with your registered agent.
Outsource accounting Customer SupportEmail, chat and phone support on Australian hours, in your tone and your help desk.
Outsource customer support Virtual Assistants & AdminExecutive assistants and admin coordinators who run the calendar, inbox and follow-ups in real time.
Outsource virtual assistants Back Office & OperationsData entry, processing, order administration and operations support — the work that piles up in a growing SME.
Outsource back office Marketing & CreativeContent, social media, design and campaign coordinators working in your day.
Outsource marketing IT & TechnologyDevelopers, QA, help desk and IT support with full-day overlap.
Outsource itHow it works from Australia
Five steps, no entity, no upfront fee
- 01
Tell us who you need
We learn the role, the experience level, the schedule and the way you like to work.
- 02
We source & screen
Our Philippine sourcing team finds and screens candidates specifically for you — not a shared pool.
- 03
You interview & select
You meet the shortlist and make the final choice. The decision is always yours.
- 04
We engage & onboard
BuildNextTeam handles Philippine payroll, HR, statutory contributions and local onboarding, in a professional office.
- 05
You lead. We support.
Your team member works exclusively for you, while we provide ongoing local HR and account management.
Before you start
What Australian companies should check
The practical points that come up in almost every first conversation. Plain answers, not legal advice.
- How the team is engaged
Your team member is engaged through BuildNextTeam in the Philippines. Because the engagement sits here, not with you, Australian payroll obligations don’t arise on your side — your relationship with us is a monthly service agreement. Confirm the treatment with your own adviser; this isn’t legal or tax advice.
- Accounting and tax work
Offshore staff can prepare, reconcile and draft. Sign-off, lodgement and advice stay with your registered agent, and you remain responsible for supervision. Most firms run a clear review layer from day one.
- Privacy and client data
Ask any provider how it supports your obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles: least-privilege access, no shared logins, an office environment rather than home networks, and clear offboarding. The Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012 applies locally.
- Public holidays
The Philippines has roughly 18–20 public holidays a year; they don’t line up with Australia’s. Decide up front whether your team follows Philippine holidays, Australian holidays or a blend.
Office-first, in Bohol
Remote from you. Not remote from everyone.
Your team works from a professional office in Bohol with local HR on hand — reliable infrastructure, real colleagues, and somewhere you can visit.
Bohol has its own international airport (Bohol–Panglao), a short domestic hop from Manila or Cebu. From the east coast it’s roughly a day’s travel door to door. Australian clients are among the most frequent visitors.
See the offices
Read before you decide
Questions
Australian companies ask
Can a Philippine team work Australian business hours?
Yes, easily. The Philippines is only two to three hours behind the east coast and on Perth time exactly. An early Philippine start covers your whole day without a night shift.
Do I need to set up a company in the Philippines?
No. Your team member is engaged through BuildNextTeam locally, and you contract with us. There is no entity, payroll registration or local filing on your side.
Can an offshore accountant do BAS and tax work?
They can prepare and reconcile. Lodgement, sign-off and advice stay with your registered agent, and supervision stays with you. That split is standard practice among Australian firms with Philippine teams.
How do you protect client data for Australian firms?
Office-based staff, least-privilege access, no shared logins and clean offboarding are the baseline. Tell us your obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles and we’ll walk through how the setup supports them.
What does it cost an Australian business?
One all-inclusive monthly rate per person and no upfront fee. We don’t publish prices because the rate depends on the role and seniority. See how pricing works, then tell us the role and we’ll quote it.
Not in Australia? For US companies · For UK companies
Ready to outsource to the Philippines from Australia?
Tell us the role. We’ll source, engage and support the person in Bohol — you lead the work.