Fremantle Bookkeeping Services

If you need help with your BAS, and don’t want to pay the ATO more than is absolutely necessary, then contact us right now so we can help you out

The December Quarter 2009 (Q2) Business Activity Statement is due on 3 MARCH 2009

If you’re hoping to get an extension, you’ve got buckleys as the Australian Taxation Office have already given you an extension from 28 January to 3 March.

Really, you’ve got an extension on the extension, since the ATO normally ask for the BAS lodgment to be submitted by 28 February, which this year falls on a Saturday,

If your chart of accounts is not set up correctly, or the allocations are incorrect, you could find yourself believing that you owe Wayne Swan far more than you need.

So the next business day would be 2 March 2009, except that we’ve got a public holiday here in Western Australia, so the ATO has moved the deadline to 3 March 2009

Do you need help with your BAS lodgment?
We get many frantic calls from clients who are struggling to complete their Business Activity Statements. The few weeks leading up to the BAS deadline can be very hectic for freelance bookkeepers

Our mobile bookkeepers can come to your premises, or even better, you can simply send us your data files and we can review your work, run a few reports and make sure that you’ve got all the figures in the correct allocations.

Business Activity Statements can appear daunting. What many small business owners do not realise is that the completion of the BAS form is not where the problems can be. Where the challenge may in fact be, is the fact that the data entry is not correct.

Maybe you’ve been down to your local computer supply store and bought your accounting software at a Hardly Normal Sale. You’ve rushed home and wacked the CD into your PC and then followed the prompts thinking that everything will fall rapidly into place

If your chart of accounts is not set up correctly, or the allocations are incorrect, you could find yourself believing that you owe Wayne Swan far more than you need. And rest assured, our illustrious Treasurer will soon find a way of spending other people’s money. He’s had many years of experience at that as a Trade Unionist

If you need help with your BAS, and don’t want to pay the ATO more than is absolutely necessary, then contact us right now so we can help you out

The Rudd Government recently announced that it’s found a way to help small business owners.

Australian Government Reducing December Quarter PAYG by 20%

In an attempt to weather the global financial crises, The Australian Government is reducing by 20% the quarterly PAYG (Pay As You Go) instalment due for the December 2008 Quarter. If you make monthly payments, the PAYG is due on 21 January 2009, while most small businesses that report quarterly, this instalment is due on 28 February 2009

However, the information released by the ATO then adds a comment. Note that as the date falls on a long weekend in some states, the lodgement and payment deadline has been extended to 3 March 2009 Australia Wide)

You may have already received a letter from the Australian Taxation Office in relation to the December quarter PAYG reduction. Just be aware that it’s not a tax cut and it will all be adjusted at the end of the financial year

PS We are not registered Tax Agents and cannot give advise in such matters – Speak to you accountant to see how it affects you

12 Jan 2009The ATO advises that:” if you make monthly payments, the PAYG is due on 21 January 2009, while most small businesses that report quarterly, this instalment is due on 28 February 2009
Note that as the date falls on a long weekend in some states, the lodgement and payment deadline has been extended to 3 March 2009 Australia Wide)

With Christmas out of the way, and many small businesses returning to work, it’s time to get all your paperwork together and get it to your bookkeeper or outsourced bookkeeping service- to report on the 2nd quarter (1 September to 31 December 2008) to get your BAS lodged on time.

Maybe the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) does have a heart, after all. Rather than asking for lodgements on 28 January, they automatically give everyone an extension to the BAS lodgements to 28 February.

However, don’t be fooled by their grace, because there is NO WAY that they’ll consider granting an extension after that date. So you need to ensure that you have your Business Activity Statement lodged by 28 February 2009

If you are struggling and need help, if you do not have a bookkeeper, or are looking to outsource to a mobile bookkeeping service, then contact us now

Our bookkeeping Service has clients in and around Cockburn, Melville, Fremantle, Canning Vale, and South Perth, Western Australia. Contact us here for details

ATO Reviews Book/Record Keeping Of Small Businesses

The Australian Taxation Office have been engaged in extensive programs of visiting Small Businesses to check if they are keeping adequate bookkeeping records. Can your business survive a tax audit? Contact us for a review of your bookkeeping system

Section 262A of the ITAA 1936 requires that a person running a business to keep records that expalin and record all transactions. The documentation must be kept for a minimum of five years

If the ATO find that your bookkeeping is inadequate, then the taxpayer will be informed and advised to improve the record keeping operation, and your business will be revisited in six months.

The ATO has a list of records to be inspected and will contact you for a suitable time to review your bookkeeping and record keeping procedures

Can your business survive a tax audit? Contact us for a review of your bookkeeping system

Disclaimer: We are bookkeepers skilled in establishing and assisting with bookkeeping systems, we are not registered Tax Agents and cannot give advice in relation to tax matters.

Happy New Financial Quarter!

For some business owners the BAS is a pain in the A**

As we enter Q2 for 2008/09 the world of finance seems to be in turmoil, but guess what? The Australian Taxation Office still want you to lodge your Business Activity Statements.

Regardless of what’s happening (or not) in Wall Street or George Street, businesses around fremantle High Street and Marmion Street still need to get their bookwork sorted out for the quarter ending September 30 2008, to have the BAS done by 28 October 2008.

Are you struggling with your bookkeeping?

For some business owners the BAS is a pain in the A**, so they brush it aside and put it in that special place, the “TOO DIFFICULT Pile”

Trouble is, that really doesn’t fix the bookwork, and without a bookkeeper, or someone who’s got a handle on the bookkeeping, those Cockburn or North Lake business owners that are not addressing the problem may soon find that they get fan mail from the ATO.

Contact Us today, and we’ll help you get your bookkeeping sorted out

PS – We are not Registered Tax Agents, we are recognised BAS service providers by the ATO

A good bookkeeping system is recording Expenses and Income in appropriate accounts

The basic building block to a good bookkeeping system is recording expenses and income in appropriate accounts. The tricky part is to make certain that whoever enters the data understands the true nature of each and every expense, and is able to put it in its right place. Contact us NOW for a free appraisal of your book-keeping system

Data Entry
Businesses need to have up to date and accurate account of their business income and expenses. While concentrating on their core business, financial record keeping can easily become overwhelming for many business owners. Out of date or poorly prepared records can actually hinder their business.

Professionally prepared financial records provide powerful information tools that enable better management of the business.

These records and reports enhance any interactions with accountants and financial institutions, so the business owner has an accurate picture of the financial status to make better business decisions.

In any business, money comes in, and money goes out. Generally money that comes in (Income) is through sales of goods, products, or through providing a service (i.e being paid to do a job such as bookkeeping, for a client).

Need help with your bookkeeping?
Contact us NOW for a free appraisal of your bookkeeping system

Other money that may come in to a business could be through loans from the business owner (private funds), the Bank or financial institution, Grants or capital injection from other sources.

Money that comes out of the business can fall into a number of different categories also. This money may be classed as expenses, including purchasing raw materials / components/ products all involved in making up the goods being sold. Other reasons that money comes out of the business maybe for personal use (Drawings), wages or to pay back loans.

This is where a basic understanding of accounting is very important, and it is the where the skills of bookkeeping are truly recognised.

Not all businesses are the same, and where an item may be seen as an expense in one business (i.e cutlery for a catering business) would more likely be a personal expense in another business (i.e an electrician buying cutlery would most unlikely be using that cutlery to further his business).

When the tax office (ATO) comes to audit a business, claims for items that are not business related can result in heavy fines. A recent example has been with the Australian Taxation Office scrutinising owners of investment properties that have been making purchases for materials used in their family home and claiming them as a deduction for their investment properties.

Clients will often fill their work vehicle with fuel at a service station, and then buy confectionary, bread, milk and other grocery items at the same time, all in a single transaction. When that transaction is recorded, the bookkeeper must ensure that only the fuel component of the transaction is recorded as a business expense, and the other items would be reflected as a personal expense, (i.e Drawings).

Incorrect data entry would not only misrepresent the total spent on fuel at the end of the reporting period (which would affect calculations in costings and future budgeting) but it would also affect the total “Cost of Goods Sold” and “Profit and Loss” figures.

Contact us NOW for a free appraisal of your bookkeeping system