Preparing For The Financial Year End

Effective planning and preparation is critical for all taxpayers as the end of financial year approaches.

This is the perfect time of the year to seek advice from your accountant to maximise your tax savings for 2018-19 and start planning fresh for next year.

Single Touch Payroll (STP) is changing the way employers report their workers’ tax and super information to the ATO.

Parliament has passed legislation to extend STP to now include businesses of any size. There are separate guidelines and due dates in place for different sized businesses.

Businesses with 20 or more employees:

As STP for businesses with 20 or more employees started on 1 July 2018, relevant businesses should already be reporting through STP or have applied for a deferral.

Businesses with 5-19 employees:

Reporting can start anytime from 1 July to 30 September 2019. If you already use payroll software which offers STP, you can update your product and start reporting early.

Businesses with 1-4 employees:

Micro employers with four or less employees who don’t currently use payroll software can report STP information in other ways. The ATO has listed software developers who offer no-cost and low-cost STP solutions to make the transition smoother.

The Instant Asset Write-Off Scheme has been extended to 30 June 2020 for assets purchased under $30,000.

The scheme affects small to medium businesses with a turnover of up to $50 million a year, allowing business owners to immediately deduct assets costing up to $30,000 which can then be claimed for tax return in that income year. The new rules will apply from 2 April 2019 and are set to remain in place until 30 June 2020.

Staying on top of record-keeping all year round can save time, reduce stress for small business owners and help to maximise your tax return.

Essential business records that must be kept include:

1. Year-end records
2. Income and sales records
3. Bank records
4. Fuel tax credits
5. Payments to employees and contractors

As the end of the financial year approaches, it is important to be aware of changes to compliance obligations for small business owners.

New penalties for business’ pay-as-you-go (PAYG) withholding and reporting obligations will commence 1 July 2019, with businesses now prevented from claiming deductions for payments to employees and certain contractors if they fail to comply. The new laws will prevent an employer from claiming a deduction for payments to employees if they fail to withhold an amount as required under PAYG withholding rules or report a withholding amount to the ATO Businesses will also have to ensure they obtain a valid ABN from their suppliers and withhold at the top marginal rate if an ABN is not provided. Voluntarily disclosing mistakes to the ATO before an audit or other compliance activity in regards to your tax affairs can allow your business to retain their deduction.

Written for Duralift by AURA ACCOUNTANTS PTY LTD. Business Taxation & Advice, SMSF Administration, Tax & Advice, Individual Tax Advice and SMSF Audit services.

Visit www.auraaccountants.com.au for more information.

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