GST & BAS
GST registration, BAS preparation, tax invoices and GST reporting basics.
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Practical accounting guides for small business owners.
Use these guides to understand the bookkeeping, BAS, payroll, tax and reporting issues that affect everyday business decisions.
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Payroll & Super
PAYG withholding, STP, super, payroll setup and employer obligations.
Browse categoryBookkeeping Basics
Record keeping, bank reconciliation, invoices, receivables and payables.
Browse categoryTax & Deductions
Business deductions, vehicle expenses, home office expenses and tax planning.
Browse categoryBusiness Setup & Compliance
ABN, business names, director ID, ASIC and entity structure basics.
Browse categoryCash Flow & Reports
Cash flow, budgets, management reports, profit and loss and balance sheets.
Browse categoryLatest guides
Core resources ready for the first website version.
GST Registration for Small Businesses
Learn when Australian small businesses may need to register for GST and what changes after registration.
Read guideBAS Preparation Checklist
A practical checklist for preparing records, reconciling accounts and reviewing BAS figures before lodgement.
Read guideSuperannuation Guarantee for Employers
Understand core employer super obligations, payment timing and the records that should be kept.
Read guidePAYG Withholding for Employers
What employers should know about withholding tax from wages and reporting amounts to the ATO.
Read guideBusiness Record Keeping Basics
The core records small businesses should keep to support tax, BAS, payroll and management decisions.
Read guideClaiming Business Deductions
How small business owners should think about deductible expenses and supporting evidence.
Read guideMotor Vehicle Expenses for Business
What business owners should record before claiming vehicle costs or reviewing business use.
Read guideHome Office Expenses for Small Business
What records and review points matter before claiming working-from-home or home office costs.
Read guideChoosing a Business Structure
A plain-English overview of sole trader, company, partnership and trust structures.
Read guideCash Flow Management Basics
How small business owners can monitor money coming in and going out before pressure builds.
Read guideUnderstanding Profit and Loss Statements
How business owners can read income, expenses and profit at a practical level.
Read guideUnderstanding Balance Sheets
A practical guide to reading assets, liabilities and equity without getting lost in accounting jargon.
Read guideBank Reconciliation Basics
Why matching bank transactions matters for accurate bookkeeping, BAS and tax reporting.
Read guideInvoice Management for Small Businesses
How better invoicing routines help cash flow, records, GST review and customer follow-up.
Read guideAccounts Receivable Follow-Up
A simple framework for following up unpaid invoices while keeping records professional.
Read guideAccounts Payable Workflow
How to run a clean accounts payable workflow — capturing bills, approving payments and keeping supplier records audit-ready.
Read guidePayroll Setup Checklist
A step-by-step checklist for setting up payroll correctly: registrations, awards, super, STP and the records to keep from day one.
Read guideEmployee vs Contractor Basics
Employee or contractor? Why the difference matters for super, withholding and TPAR — and the factors the ATO actually looks at.
Read guideSingle Touch Payroll Overview
What Single Touch Payroll means for employers: what gets reported each pay run, and how to keep STP data clean.
Read guideEOFY Payroll Finalisation
How to finalise payroll at end of financial year: STP finalisation declarations, reconciliations and common mistakes to avoid.
Read guideDirector ID Overview
Who needs a director ID, how to apply, and what happens if a company director doesn't have one.
Read guideASIC Company Obligations
The ASIC obligations every company owner should track: annual statements, solvency resolutions and keeping details current.
Read guideBusiness Name Registration Basics
When a business name must be registered, how renewals work, and how it differs from a company name or trademark.
Read guideABN Registration Basics
Who is entitled to an ABN, how to apply, and the situations where an ABN application gets refused or cancelled.
Read guideTFN for Business Structures
How tax file numbers work for companies, trusts and partnerships — and why each structure needs its own TFN.
Read guideGST on Imported Goods and Services
When GST applies to imported goods and overseas services, and how import GST credits work for registered businesses.
Read guideGST-Free Sales Basics
What makes a sale GST-free, common examples for small business, and why coding these sales correctly protects your BAS.
Read guideInput-Taxed Sales Basics
Understanding input-taxed sales such as residential rent and financial supplies — and what they mean for your GST credits.
Read guideTax Invoices and Receipt Requirements
What a valid tax invoice must contain, when you need one to claim GST credits, and the record-keeping rules behind receipts.
Read guideFuel Tax Credits Overview
Which businesses can claim fuel tax credits, how rates depend on fuel use, and the records needed to support a claim.
Read guideSmall Business CGT Concessions Overview
An overview of the small business CGT concessions that can reduce tax when selling a business or business asset.
Read guideDepreciation and Asset Write-Off Basics
How depreciation and the instant asset write-off work for small business assets, and the records that support each claim.
Read guideDivision 7A Basics for Company Owners
Division 7A explained in plain English: why taking money out of your company the wrong way can create a deemed dividend.
Read guideTrust Distribution Basics
How trust distributions work, why the June 30 trustee resolution matters, and the records trustees should keep.
Read guideCompany Tax Return Preparation Overview
What goes into preparing a company tax return: reconciliations, franking, losses and the documents your accountant needs.
Read guideSole Trader Tax Basics
How sole traders are taxed: individual rates, business income, deductions and PAYG instalments explained simply.
Read guidePartnership Tax Basics
How partnership income flows through to partners, what the partnership return reports, and common record traps.
Read guideTrust Tax Basics
How trusts are taxed, what beneficiaries report, and why timing of resolutions and distributions matters.
Read guideFringe Benefits Tax Overview
An overview of fringe benefits tax: which perks are caught, the FBT year, and common small business examples.
Read guideEntertainment Expenses Basics
Why entertainment expenses are mostly non-deductible, where FBT enters the picture, and how to record them properly.
Read guideStaff Reimbursements and Allowances
The difference between reimbursements and allowances — and how each is treated for tax, super and payroll reporting.
Read guideLeave Entitlements Record Keeping
The leave records employers must keep: accruals, balances, evidence of requests and how they tie into payroll.
Read guideFair Work Record Keeping Basics
The employee records Fair Work requires — hours, pay, leave and agreements — and how long they must be kept.
Read guideSuper Clearing House Basics
How super clearing houses work, the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House, and timing rules for payments to count.
Read guideLate Super Payments Overview
What happens when super is paid late: the super guarantee charge, lost deductibility and how to put things right.
Read guideWorkCover Payroll Basics
How WorkCover premiums interact with payroll: rateable remuneration, declarations and keeping wage records accurate.
Read guidePayroll Tax Overview
When state payroll tax applies, how thresholds and grouping rules work, and what wages are counted.
Read guideNew Employee Onboarding Checklist
A practical onboarding checklist for new employees: TFN declarations, super choice, awards, STP and record setup.
Read guideTermination Payment Basics
How termination payments are taxed: unused leave, redundancy components and the reporting employers must get right.
Read guideContractor Payment Reporting Basics
Who must lodge a Taxable Payments Annual Report (TPAR), which contractor payments are reported, and the August deadline.
Read guideXero Bank Feeds Basics
Getting Xero bank feeds right: connecting accounts, handling gaps and duplicates, and keeping feeds reliable.
Read guideXero Chart of Accounts Basics
How to keep a clean Xero chart of accounts: structure, codes to avoid, and why consistency drives useful reports.
Read guideXero Reconciliation Best Practices
Reconciliation habits that keep Xero accurate: matching rules, unreconciled items and month-end discipline.
Read guideXero Payroll Basics
Setting up Xero payroll properly: calendars, pay items, super settings and STP filing from within Xero.
Read guideXero BAS Review Basics
How to review a BAS in Xero before lodging: GST reconciliation, coding checks and the reports worth running.
Read guideMYOB File Health Checklist
A health checklist for MYOB files: reconciliations, stale balances, payroll settings and tidy-up priorities.
Read guideQuickBooks Online Basics
QuickBooks Online fundamentals for small business: bank feeds, categorisation, GST setup and useful reports.
Read guideReceipt Capture Workflow
A receipt capture workflow that actually sticks: capture on the spot, code consistently, and keep the evidence digital.
Read guideDigital Record Keeping Rules
The ATO's rules for digital record keeping: formats, retention periods and what makes an electronic record acceptable.
Read guideMonthly Bookkeeping Checklist
A monthly bookkeeping checklist: reconciliations, payables, receivables, payroll checks and the reports to review.
Read guideQuarterly Business Review Basics
How a quarterly business review works: comparing actuals, checking compliance calendars and resetting priorities.
Read guideBudgeting for Small Businesses
Budgeting basics for small business: building a realistic budget, tracking variances and using it for decisions.
Read guideForecasting Cash Flow
How to forecast cash flow: mapping inflows and outflows, stress-testing assumptions and spotting gaps early.
Read guideBreak-Even Analysis Basics
Break-even analysis explained: fixed versus variable costs and the sales level where your business stops losing money.
Read guideGross Profit Margin Basics
What gross profit margin tells you, how to calculate it, and how to track it by product or service line.
Read guideNet Profit Margin Basics
Net profit margin in plain English: what's included, how it differs from gross margin, and what a healthy trend looks like.
Read guidePricing and GST Considerations
Pricing with GST in mind: quoting inclusive versus exclusive, margin impacts and common pricing mistakes.
Read guideStock and Inventory Basics
Stock and inventory basics: counting, valuing and recording stock so your margins and tax figures are real.
Read guideCost of Goods Sold Basics
Cost of goods sold explained: what belongs in COGS, how it affects gross profit and the records behind it.
Read guideEcommerce Bookkeeping Basics
Bookkeeping for ecommerce: marketplace settlements, gateway clearing accounts, refunds and multi-channel reconciliation.
Read guideMarketplace Sales Reporting
How to report marketplace sales correctly: gross versus net payouts, platform fees and GST treatment.
Read guideMerchant Fees and Payment Gateways
Accounting for merchant fees and payment gateways: recording fees, matching payouts and reconciling clearing accounts.
Read guideCash Sales Control Basics
Controls for cash sales: daily takings records, banking routines and the evidence that protects you in a review.
Read guidePetty Cash Basics
Running petty cash properly: floats, receipts, reconciliations and when to retire petty cash altogether.
Read guideLoan Accounts and Business Owners
How loan accounts between owners and the business work, and why clean records prevent tax problems later.
Read guideOwner Drawings Basics
Owner drawings explained: how they differ from wages, what they mean for tax, and the records to keep.
Read guideDirector Loans Overview
Director loans and Division 7A: when borrowing from your company creates tax consequences, and how to document loans.
Read guideBusiness Loan Record Keeping
The records to keep for business loans: agreements, schedules, interest and how repayments should be booked.
Read guideAsset Purchase Documentation
Documenting asset purchases: invoices, finance contracts, install dates and the details depreciation claims rely on.
Read guideLease vs Purchase Basics
Lease versus purchase for vehicles and equipment: cash flow, tax treatment and the questions to ask before signing.
Read guideRental Property Records for Business Owners
Rental property records for business owners: income, expenses, loan interest and depreciation schedules to retain.
Read guideInvestment Income Record Keeping
Keeping investment income records straight: dividends, franking credits, interest and managed fund statements.
Read guideCryptocurrency Record Keeping Basics
Crypto record keeping basics: what the ATO expects you to track for every acquisition, swap and disposal.
Read guideATO Payment Plans Overview
How ATO payment plans work, who can set one up online, and what keeping a plan on track requires.
Read guideATO Interest and Penalties Overview
ATO interest and penalties explained: how GIC accrues, common penalty triggers and when remission can be requested.
Read guideAudit Readiness Checklist
An audit readiness checklist: the records, reconciliations and explanations that make an ATO review uneventful.
Read guideTax Planning Meeting Preparation
How to prepare for a tax planning meeting: the reports to bring and the decisions that must happen before June 30.
Read guideEOFY Business Checklist
An end-of-financial-year checklist for small business: reconciliations, stocktakes, super timing and document collection.
Read guideStarting a New Business Checklist
Starting a new business: registrations, structure, bank accounts, software and the records to set up from day one.
Read guideClosing or Selling a Business Checklist
Closing or selling a business: final lodgements, cancelling registrations, staff entitlements and record retention.
Read guideBusiness Insurance Records
Business insurance records worth keeping: policies, schedules, claims and how premiums are treated for tax.
Read guideProfessional Fees and Subscriptions
Professional fees and subscriptions: which are deductible, how to apportion mixed use and the evidence to keep.
Read guideTraining and Education Expenses
Training and education expenses: when upskilling is deductible for a business and the connection tests that apply.
Read guideTravel Expenses for Business
Business travel expenses: what's claimable, the records for trips, and how mixed business-private travel is handled.
Read guideMeals and Entertainment Record Keeping
Meals and entertainment records: separating deductible sustenance from entertainment, and the FBT interactions.
Read guideGifts and Donations Basics
Gifts and donations: when they're deductible, DGR status, and how client gifts differ from entertainment.
Read guideBad Debts Basics
Bad debts: when an unpaid invoice can be written off, the GST adjustment, and the evidence the ATO expects.
Read guidePrepayments Basics
Prepayments explained: when expenses paid in advance are deductible now versus spread over time.
Read guideAccrual vs Cash Accounting Basics
Cash versus accrual accounting: how each method works, who can use cash basis, and what it means for BAS and reports.
Read guideManagement Reports for Business Owners
Management reports that actually help owners: the monthly pack worth reading and the numbers that drive decisions.
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