Tax Invoice Requirements Australia: A Practical Guide
A café owner in Sydney is preparing her BAS and notices two supplier invoices are missing. The coffee was purchased, the payment left her bank account, and the receipt is somewhere in an inbox, but the document on file doesn't clearly show the supplier's ABN or GST treatment. That gap can turn an ordinary bookkeeping […]
Margin Scheme Eligibility: A Complete Guide
A developer signs a contract expecting the GST margin scheme to apply. The price reflects GST on the margin, the buyer's settlement statement follows that assumption, and everyone expects the transaction to complete without drama. Then the conveyancer notices that the contract never records the parties' written agreement, or the prior acquisition may have been […]
Binding Death Nomination Form: A Practical SMSF Guide
You’ve found the old binding death nomination form in a folder after a member has died. The signature is there, but one witness was the member’s spouse. The nomination also expired months earlier, and nobody can prove when the trustee received it. In an SMSF, those details can decide whether the trustee must follow the […]
Superannuation Recontribution Strategy: A Complete Guide
A 62-year-old retiree checks their super statement and sees a balance that looks healthy, but most of it sits in the taxable component. Their concern isn't today's pension payment. It's what their adult children may receive after death, and whether part of that benefit could be taxed. That concern makes a superannuation recontribution strategy worth […]
Private Ruling Application: How to Get ATO Binding Advice
Are you seeking an ATO answer, or are you preparing the facts so carefully that the ATO can give you a binding one? That distinction sits at the centre of a successful private ruling application. Many taxpayers focus on the tax question and overlook the scheme description, supporting documents, assumptions, dates and legislative provisions that […]
Accounting for Property: Australian Tax Guide for Investors
You bought the property, settled the loan, found a tenant, and started collecting rent. Then the accountant asks for the original contract, renovation invoices, valuation at the date you moved out, loan statements, and a record showing which rooms were private and which produced income. Most owners discover too late that accounting for property isn’t […]
GST on Imports in Australia: A Small Business Guide
You've paid an overseas supplier, the shipment has landed in Australia, and your customs broker is asking for money before the goods can be released. The invoice says one amount, the freight bill says another, and the GST figure on the import documents doesn't match the number in your accounting software. For a tradie or […]
What Is BAS Preparation and Why It Matters for Your Business
BAS preparation is the process of reconciling your business transactions, calculating GST, PAYG withholding and other tax obligations, then lodging a Business Activity Statement with the ATO by the due date. A monthly BAS is due on the 21st day of the following month, while standard quarterly lodgers follow dates such as 28 October for […]
How to Claim GST Refund on Export: A Complete Guide for 2026
You’ve shipped the goods, paid GST on stock, packaging, freight or professional services, and now you’re wondering why the expected refund hasn’t appeared. In many cases, the problem isn’t the export itself. It’s a missed deadline, an incomplete evidence file, an incorrectly reported BAS, or confusion between GST and customs duty. The practical answer to […]
Is Balancing Account ATO Bad? What Aussies Need to Know
Most advice on “is balancing account ATO bad” gets the central point wrong. Seeing “In progress, Balancing account” on myGov or ATO online services doesn't automatically mean you're being audited, penalised or stripped of a refund. The ATO describes it as a reconciliation stage, where it compares your lodged return with its own records and […]
