By Natasha Silveira | 1 October 2026 | 9 min read
HR support services for 20 to 100 staff: what a retainer covers, what’s billed extra and what it costs. See the real numbers before you sign
key takeaways
- A retainer covers day-to-day advice, documents and manager support for a fixed monthly fee.
- Recruitment, investigations, restructures and legal representation are usually billed separately.
- Get response times and the escalation path in writing before you sign.
- Businesses with 20 to 100 staff typically pay $1,000 to $6,000 a month, depending on depth.
- Ad hoc advice looks cheaper until one serious issue lands in the same month.
HR support services sound simple until you compare quotes. One provider offers “unlimited advice” for $400 a month. Another quotes $3,500 for a fortnightly visit. A third charges by the hour. They’re all selling different things under the same label.
If you run a business with 20 to 100 staff, the gap matters. You’ve outgrown handling HR between other jobs, but you may not need a full-time HR manager yet.
This guide sets out what a retainer usually covers, what gets billed on top, how response times and escalation work, and what you should expect to pay.
HR support services at a glance
What a typical monthly retainer covers, and what usually sits outside it.
Usually inside the retainer
✓ Phone and email advice on everyday HR questions
✓ Contracts, letters and policies drafted or updated
✓ Performance and conduct guidance for managers
✓ Award and entitlement questions answered
Usually billed separately
✗ Recruitment campaigns and candidate screening
✗ Formal workplace investigations
✗ Restructures and redundancy programs
✗ Legal advice and tribunal representation
What HR support services include month to month
A retained arrangement gives you a named HR adviser for a fixed monthly fee. Day to day, that usually covers:
- Advice on demand. A manager calls before a difficult conversation, not after it.
- Documents. Employment contracts, warning letters, position descriptions and policy updates.
- Performance and conduct support. Scripts, meeting plans and correctly worded outcome letters.
- Award and entitlement questions. Pay rates, leave, overtime and classification queries.
Better arrangements add a regular check-in, monthly or quarterly. Your adviser reviews open issues, upcoming compliance dates and anything a manager is sitting on. That’s where a retainer earns its fee, because problems surface while they’re still small.
Retainers usually come as a set number of hours or a defined scope. “Unlimited” plans tend to mean unlimited calls to an advice line, with any document work billed on top. Ask how the plan measures usage before comparing prices. Our HR support services page shows how VeiraMal structures this across the employee lifecycle.
What sits outside the retainer
Some work is too large or too specialised for a monthly fee. Expect these to be quoted separately, either as a fixed fee or hourly:
- Recruitment campaigns, from advertising through to reference checks.
- Formal workplace investigations, where an independent finding is needed.
- Restructures, redundancy programs and change consultation.
- HR audits, training workshops and engagement surveys.
Legal advice and tribunal representation sit with employment lawyers, not HR advisers. A good provider will tell you when you’ve crossed that line.
The risk is scope creep. A manager asks for “a quick look” at an investigation, and three weeks later you get an invoice. Agree in writing what triggers a separate quote, and ask for that quote before work starts.
How response times work in practice
Response time is the part of HR support services most often left vague. Before you sign, ask for answers to four questions:
- How fast are urgent matters handled, such as a dismissal or safety incident today?
- How fast are standard questions answered, within the same or next business day?
- How long does document drafting take, such as a warning letter or contract?
- Who answers: a named adviser who knows your business, or a general queue?
The last one matters most. A named adviser who already knows your team, your awards and your history gives a useful answer in one call. A queue gives a generic answer and a follow-up email. Also check what happens after hours, because problems don’t keep business hours.
Why businesses with 20 to 100 staff need structured HR
68,325
Australian businesses employing 20 to 199 people at June 2026
44,075
Fair Work Commission lodgments in 2024-25, 24% above the five-year average
6 months
Service before staff can claim unfair dismissal once you have 15 or more employees
21 days
Time an employee has to lodge an unfair dismissal claim
Source: ABS Counts of Australian Businesses; Fair Work Commission; Fair Work Ombudsman
The escalation path when an issue goes beyond scope
Every retainer has an edge. What matters is what happens when you reach it. A clear escalation path usually runs in four steps.
How an HR issue should escalate
Each step should be agreed in writing before you need it.
1
Your adviser
Handles the issue within the retainer and flags early if it's growing.
2
Scope check
You get a written quote before any out-of-scope work starts.
3
Senior specialist
Takes on investigations, restructures or complex employee relations matters.
4
Employment lawyer
Brought in for claims, hearings or legal advice, with the full file handed over.
The handover at step four is where good HR support pays off. If a former employee lodges a claim, your lawyer starts with a clean file of letters, meeting notes and decisions. Disputes are rising. The Fair Work Commission received 44,075 lodgments in 2024-25, driven largely by dismissal claims. Once you have 15 or more staff, employees can claim unfair dismissal after six months’ service, and they have just 21 days to lodge.
Ad hoc HR advice vs a retained model
Ad hoc advice means paying by the hour when something goes wrong. It suits businesses with very few HR issues. Past about 20 staff, the trade-offs start to show.
Cost predictability. Ad hoc spend is low in quiet months and spikes when trouble arrives. One misconduct matter can take 10 to 15 hours. A retainer turns that into a known monthly figure.
Relationship depth. An hourly adviser starts from zero each time, and you pay for the briefing. A retained adviser already knows your awards, your managers and the history behind each issue.
Response speed. Retained clients usually get agreed response times. Ad hoc clients wait for availability, often when they can least afford to.
There’s also a fourth difference. Retainers catch problems early. Ad hoc arrangements only see problems after they’ve grown. If you’re weighing a retainer against hiring, read our guide on when you need your first HR manager.
Ad hoc HR advice vs retained HR support
Ad hoc advice
Cost predictability - Low in quiet months, then a large bill when a serious issue lands.
Relationship depth - Each adviser starts fresh, and you pay for the briefing.
Response speed - Depends on availability, with no agreed turnaround.
Prevention - Problems are only seen once they've already grown.
Retained support
Cost predictability - A fixed monthly fee with agreed rules for extra work.
Relationship depth - A named adviser who knows your people, awards and history.
Response speed - Agreed response times written into the arrangement.
Prevention - Regular check-ins catch issues while they're still small.
Not sure which level of HR support you need?
A short conversation with VeiraMal will show where your real HR load sits before you commit to a monthly fee.
Book Your Free Discovery CallQuick poll: How does your business handle HR questions today?
What HR support services cost for 20 to 100 employees
Based on published 2026 pricing from Australian HR providers, costs fall into four bands. All figures exclude GST:
- Ad hoc advice: around $150 to $350 an hour, with senior specialists charging more.
- Advice line or subscription: roughly $150 to $1,500 a month for phone and email advice plus templates.
- Retained HR partner: about $1,000 to $2,500 a month, usually for 5 to 10 hours with a named adviser.
- Fractional HR: about $3,500 to $6,000 or more a month, for up to a day a week of embedded support.
Headcount matters, but complexity matters more. A stable 25-person office usually sits at the lower end. Sixty staff across several awards, with regular hiring and the odd performance case, pushes towards fractional support.
Do the maths on your own usage. A 45-person business using eight hours of advice a month at $250 an hour spends $2,000 regardless. A retainer at the same price adds response times, a regular check-in and someone who already knows the file. For businesses in this band, our guide on whether outsourcing HR is worth it for 20 to 100 employees goes deeper. Our HR outsourcing services cover the full model, and the HR support services page lists what VeiraMal includes. Before signing anything, run through these questions to ask before signing an HR outsourcing agreement.
For a quote based on your headcount and awards, email info@veiramal.com or send a message through the contact form.
What HR support services cost in 2026
Indicative ranges from published Australian pricing, excluding GST.
Ad hoc advice
$150 to $350/hr
Suits rare, simple questions. Costly when issues cluster.
Advice line
$150 to $1,500/mo
Phone advice and templates. Little hands-on work.
Retained HR partner
$1,000 to $2,500/mo
A named adviser for 5 to 10 hours. Common fit for 20 to 60 staff.
Fractional HR
$3,500 to $6,000+/mo
Up to a day a week, embedded. Suits 60 to 100 staff or complex awards.
Indicative only. Actual cost depends on scope, headcount and award complexity.
How VeiraMal Works
1
Discovery Call
A free conversation about your headcount and where your HR load sits.
2
Threshold Review
Contracts, policies and process checked, then a scope that fits your size.
3
Ongoing Support
Advice on call when the difficult conversations arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What do HR support services include?
Most retained HR support services include phone and email advice, contracts and letters, policy updates, performance and conduct guidance, and award questions. Better arrangements add a named adviser and regular check-ins. Recruitment, investigations and restructures are usually quoted separately.
How much do HR support services cost per month?
For 20 to 100 employees, expect roughly $1,000 to $2,500 a month for a retained HR partner, and $3,500 to $6,000 or more for fractional HR. Advice-line subscriptions cost less but include little hands-on work. Figures exclude GST and depend on scope.
Is a retainer cheaper than paying for HR advice as needed?
In quiet months, ad hoc advice can cost less. Once you need several hours a month, or one serious issue lands, a retainer usually works out cheaper. It also adds agreed response times and an adviser who knows your business.
What isn't covered by an HR retainer?
Recruitment campaigns, formal investigations, restructures, audits and training are usually billed separately. Legal advice and tribunal representation sit with employment lawyers. Agree in writing what triggers a separate quote, and get that quote before work starts.
Do HR support services replace an employment lawyer?
No. HR support handles day-to-day people issues and keeps your process sound. When a claim is lodged or legal advice is needed, a lawyer takes over. Good HR support makes that handover faster and cheaper, because the file is already in order.
