Archives for Tax
Tax
Practical guidance for Melbourne business owners on tax.
Can You Claim Motor Vehicle Expenses If the Registration Is Not in Your Name?
Yes, a business owner can claim motor vehicle expenses even when the registration is in someone else's name, provided a private arrangement…
Read More →Year-End Tax Planning Checklist for Australian Small Businesses (2026–27)
Year-end tax planning checklist for Australian small businesses 2026–27 — trust resolutions, super, asset write-offs and prepayments before 30 June.
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Can You Renovate or Upgrade a Warehouse in Your SMSF?
Yes, but the funding source decides what is allowed. The repair versus improvement line, what an LRBA blocks, and the non-arm's length…
Read More → Owner Drawings vs Paying Yourself a Real Wage
If your own labour is not costed into your profit and loss, your business looks profitable when it is not. How to…
Read More → Why Paying Down Your Loan Does Not Reduce Your Tax
Only the interest on a business loan is deductible. The principal is not. Why that catches owners out, and how to plan…
Read More → Card Surcharge Ban 2026: What It Means for Your Business and Your Prices
From 1 October 2026, Australian businesses can no longer add a surcharge when a customer pays by eftpos, Mastercard or Visa, whether…
Read More → Division 7A Loan Agreement: What You Need and the Deadline That Cannot Be Fixed Later
A Division 7A loan agreement must be in writing before your company's lodgment day, at the ATO benchmark rate of 8.77% for…
Read More → Family Trust Benefits: The Real Advantages and the Traps Nobody Mentions
The genuine advantages of a family trust, and the section 100A, land tax, loss and vesting traps that rarely make the marketing…
Read More → Unpaid Present Entitlement Explained: What a UPE Is and How It Works
An unpaid present entitlement is trust income a beneficiary is legally entitled to but has not been paid. A Melbourne CPA and…
Read More → What Is a Bucket Company? A Complete Guide for Australian Business Owners
A bucket company caps surplus trust income at 25% or 30% instead of 47%. What decides the rate, whether to pay the…
Read More → Retained Earnings: Why the Profit Is There but the Cash Is Not
Retained earnings is the profit you have kept, not money you can spend. Where it actually went, and when you can legally…
Read More → Offset Account vs Savings Account: The Tax Difference
Savings interest is taxed. Offset savings are not income at all. In 2026-27 a savings account needs to pay 8.12% to 10.42%…
Read More → The CGT 6 Year Rule: How It Works When You Own Two Homes
The CGT 6 year rule lets you treat a former home as your main residence for up to six years while it…
Read More → GST on NDIS Therapy Services: Music Therapy and the Table 2 Trap
Most NDIS therapy is GST-free only if it is a listed health service under section 38-10. Why music therapy, art therapy and…
Read More → Bendel and Division 7A: Your Bucket Company UPE Is Safe, Your Drawings Never Were
After Bendel [2026] HCA 18, a bucket company UPE left outstanding is not a Division 7A loan. Money a shareholder actually draws…
Read More → Borrowing From Your Company to Fund Your Offset Account
A loan from your trading company to fund your home loan offset is a Division 7A loan. When it must be repaid,…
Read More → Buying an Investment Property for the Tax Deduction? Plan for the Gain Instead
Every investment property eventually turns positively geared and produces a capital gain. Why the ownership structure you choose before you buy matters…
Read More → GST Cash vs Accruals: Which Accounting Method Should You Use?
Cash or accruals for GST? How each method works, who is eligible, what it does to your cash flow and BAS, and…
Read More → Selling a Car Above the Car Limit: GST and Income Tax Explained
Selling a business car that cost more than the car limit? How the car limit affects the GST on your sale and…
Read More → Debtor Management: How to Get Paid Faster and Write Off Bad Debts
Most cash flow problems are debtor problems. How to invoice on time, build a follow up system, diagnose why clients are not…
Read More → Property vs Your Business: Is the Capital Gain Real Wealth, or Just Inflation?
Much of a property capital gain is inflation, not real wealth, and you are taxed on it. A Melbourne CTA on real…
Read More → How to Pay Yourself From Your Company Tax-Effectively
Salary, franked dividends, Division 7A loans and trust distributions explained: how to pay yourself from your company at the lowest overall tax…
Read More → GST on Commercial Property: Going Concern & Margin Scheme Explained
When GST applies to commercial property, how the going concern exemption and margin scheme work, claiming input tax credits, GST on commercial…
Read More → SMSF Property Investment: Buying Residential Property in Your Super
Can your SMSF buy a residential investment property? The rules, the 2026 borrowing change (LRBAs now business real property only), tax, and…
Read More → Company Held in a Family Trust: Franking Credits and the 45-Day Rule
Why a company held inside a family trust usually needs a family trust election, and any interposed entities an interposed entity election,…
Read More → Buying an Investment Property in a Trust: The 2026 Australian Guide
Should you buy an investment property in a trust or your own name? A 2026 guide to asset protection, land tax, negative…
Read More → How to Value a Business in Australia: What Really Drives the Number
How to value a business in Australia: the earnings multiple, discounted cash flow and asset methods, what really drives the multiple, and…
Read More → The R&D Tax Incentive Explained: How Australian Businesses Claim It
How the R&D Tax Incentive works in Australia: what it is worth, who is eligible, what activities qualify, and how to register…
Read More → Buying a Business in Australia: Due Diligence, Structure and Tax
A buyer's guide to acquiring a business in Australia: asset versus share purchase, what due diligence must cover, how to structure the…
Read More → Buying Your Business Premises Through Your SMSF: The Business Real Property Strategy
How established business owners can buy their commercial premises through an SMSF using the business real property exception, lease it back at…
Read More → The Electric Vehicle FBT Exemption for Business Owners
How the electric vehicle FBT exemption works for Australian business owners: which cars qualify, the PHEV change, the luxury car tax limit,…
Read More → Section 100A and Trust Reimbursement Agreements Explained
Section 100A explained for family trusts: what a reimbursement agreement is, the ATO green and red risk zones, safe versus risky distributions,…
Read More → Selling Your Business in Australia: The Exit and Succession Planning Guide
A complete guide to selling your business in Australia: CGT small business concessions, the 15-year exemption, structuring for sale, timing, and succession…
Read More → Division 296: The New $3m Super Tax for Business Owners and SMSF Trustees
Division 296 is now law from 1 July 2026. What the $3m and $10m super tax tiers mean for business owners and…
Read More → Signs You’ve Outgrown Your Accountant
Seven clear signs you have outgrown your accountant, what a better relationship looks like, and how to switch accountants without the stress.
Read More → How Much Does an Accountant Cost in Melbourne? (2026)
How much does an accountant cost in Melbourne? Real 2026 fee ranges, what drives the price, fixed vs hourly, and why the…
Read More → How to Choose the Best Small Business Accountant in Melbourne (2026)
How to choose the best small business accountant in Melbourne: what to pay, the questions to ask, red flags to avoid, and…
Read More → How to Get an ABN in Australia: Eligibility, Application and Common Mistakes
How to get an ABN in Australia: what an ABN is, whether you're entitled, how to apply for free, ABN vs ACN,…
Read More → Single Touch Payroll (STP): The Employer’s Guide for Australian Business
Single Touch Payroll explained for employers: what you report, STP Phase 2, the 14 July finalisation deadline, and where businesses go wrong.
Read More → GST Registration in Australia: When and How to Register
When must you register for GST in Australia? The $75,000 threshold, the 21-day rule, voluntary registration, and how to register — explained…
Read More → Company Tax Rate in Australia: Is It 25% or 30%? (Base Rate Entity Explained)
Is your company taxed at 25% or 30%? A plain-English guide to the base rate entity test, the passive income rules, six…
Read More → Payroll Tax in Victoria Explained: Thresholds, Rates and What Growing Businesses Must Know
A plain-English guide to payroll tax in Victoria for 2025-26 — the $1 million threshold, the 4.85% rate, grouping, and what to…
Read More → Capital Gains Tax Explained: How CGT Works for Australian Business Owners
A plain-English guide to how capital gains tax works in Australia — how it's calculated, the 50% discount, and the concessions that…
Read More → The End of ATO Leniency: Debt Collection and Director Penalty Notices Are Ramping Up (2026)
The ATO's pandemic-era patience is over. Director Penalty Notices, credit-bureau debt disclosure and garnishees are ramping up in 2026. What Melbourne owners…
Read More → ATO Crackdown on Personal vs Business Deductions: What’s Under the Microscope in 2026
The ATO is data-matching deductions in real time. Here are the personal-vs-business claims most likely to trigger scrutiny in 2026, and how…
Read More → ATO Payment Plans and Refund Offsetting: What Business Owners Need to Know
Expecting an ATO refund that never arrived? Here is how ATO offsetting applies credits across your accounts, what it means for a…
Read More → TPAR: Who Must Lodge, the New Pre-Fill and the 28 August Trap
Who must lodge a Taxable Payments Annual Report (TPAR), how the new contractor pre-fill works, why to wait until after 28 August,…
Read More → Classes of Shares Explained: A Business Owner’s Guide to Getting Your Share Structure Right
The different classes of shares in an Australian company explained for business owners, why they matter, the risk of getting your share…
Read More → Small Business Tax Deductions Australia: The Complete 2026-27 Guide
Complete guide to small business tax deductions in Australia 2026–27. Vehicles, home office, super, asset write-offs — know what you can claim.
Read More → I Have Two Businesses Under One ABN. Do I Charge GST on Both?
Running two businesses under one ABN? GST registration applies to the entity, not each activity. Learn how the $75,000 threshold works across…
Read More → Does a Family Trust Need to Register for GST on Residential Rent?
Family trusts earning residential rent are generally not required to register for GST. Learn when GST applies, when it doesn't, and the…
Read More → How to Pay Less Tax Legally in Australia: 8 Proven Strategies for Business Owners
8 legal strategies to pay less tax in Australia — family trusts, bucket companies, super contributions and year-end planning for business owners.
Read More → Superannuation Strategies for Business Owners: How to Use Super to Cut Your Tax Bill
Superannuation strategies for Australian business owners 2026 — concessional contributions, catch-up, SMSF, business property and Division 293.
Read More → CGT Discount and the 50% Rule: What Australian Business Owners Need to Know
Australia's CGT discount and small business CGT concessions explained — 15-year exemption, active asset reduction, retirement exemption and rollover.
Read More → The CGT 15-Year Exemption: How to Sell Your Business and Pay Zero Capital Gains Tax
If you have owned and run your business for 15 consecutive years and are aged 55 or over, the CGT 15-year exemption…
Read More → The CGT Retirement Exemption Explained: How to Use It to Reduce Tax When You Sell Your Business
The CGT retirement exemption allows eligible business owners to exclude up to $500,000 of capital gains from tax when selling a business…
Read More → How to Minimise Fringe Benefits Tax: A Guide for Australian Business Owners
FBT is one of Australia’s most misunderstood taxes — and at 47%, it’s also one of the most expensive. Learn what triggers…
Read More → How to Start a Business in Australia: The Complete Guide (2026)
Everything you need to start a business in Australia — structure, registrations, tax, super, premises, insurance and more. Mina Baselyous CPA +…
Read More → CGT Small Business Concessions Explained: The 4 Concessions That Could Save You Hundreds of Thousands
The 4 CGT small business concessions could reduce your capital gain to zero. Learn who qualifies, the basic conditions, and how to…
Read More → Director Penalty Notice ATO: What Every Director Must Know
Received a Director Penalty Notice from the ATO? You could be personally liable for your company's PAYG, super, and GST debts. Learn…
Read More → Super Guarantee Charge Explained: What Every Employer Needs to Know
Paid super one day late? The Super Guarantee Charge (SGC) kicks in immediately and is not tax deductible. Learn exactly how SGC…
Read More → Do You Have to Pay Super for Contractors? A Business Owner’s Guide
Hiring contractors? Learn when super (SG) obligations apply, what the ATO's results test means, and the cost of getting it wrong. Melbourne…
Read More → Company vs Trust: Which Business Structure Is Right for You in Australia?
Company vs trust in Australia — tax treatment, asset protection and flexibility compared. Choose the right business structure with confidence.
Read More → What Is a Testamentary Trust? The Estate Planning Strategy Most Australians Overlook
A testamentary trust is created by your will and lets minor beneficiaries receive income at adult tax rates — one of Australia’s…
Read More → Division 7A Interest Rate 2025-26: What Business Owners Need to Know
The Division 7A benchmark interest rate for 2025–26 was 8.37% per annum. Learn how this rate is set, how to apply it,…
Read More → How to Avoid a Division 7A Deemed Dividend: 5 Strategies That Work
A Division 7A deemed dividend is avoidable with the right planning. These 5 ATO-compliant strategies protect Melbourne business owners from unexpected tax…
Read More → Division 7A Loan Repayments: How They Work and What Happens If You Miss Them
A detailed guide to Division 7A minimum annual repayments — how they are calculated, the consequences of missing them, and how to…
Read More → What Is Division 7A? A Plain-English Guide for Business Owners
Division 7A explained in plain English — who it applies to, what triggers it, what a deemed dividend means, and how to…
Read More → Family Trust vs Bucket Company: The Tax Strategy Most Business Owners Miss
Discover how combining a family trust with a bucket company can save Australian business owners $40,000–$100,000+ in tax each year. Learn the…
Read More → Virtual CFO vs In-House CFO: Which is Right for Your Business?
Compare Virtual CFO vs in-house CFO for Australian businesses. Real costs, pros, cons and when to make the switch — from Pinnacle…
Read More → Family Trust Distributions: Rules, Strategies and ATO Compliance
Learn how family trust distributions work, the ATO's 30 June resolution requirements, income splitting strategies, Section 100A rules, and common mistakes to…
Read More → What Does a Virtual CFO Do? (And Does Your Business Need One?)
A Virtual CFO provides CFO-level financial oversight without the full-time cost. Learn what a Virtual CFO does, what they don't do, and…
Read More → Tradie Tax Deductions: The Complete Australian Guide
The complete guide to tradie tax deductions in Australia — tools, vehicles, clothing, phone, training and more. Maximise your refund with this…
Read More → Fringe Benefits Tax Australia: What Business Owners Must Know
Confused about fringe benefits tax in Australia? Learn what FBT is, what counts as a fringe benefit, how it's calculated, key exemptions…
Read More → How to Set Up a Family Trust in Australia: The Complete Guide for Business Owners
Learn how to set up a family trust in Australia the right way — trustee selection, trust deed drafting, ATO registration, bank…
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Division 7A Explained: The Complete Guide for Australian Business Owners
Division 7A is an Australian tax rule that stops private company owners and their associates from taking money out of the company…
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$20,000 Instant Asset Write-Off Is Now Permanent: How to Use It Before 30 June
The $20,000 instant asset write-off is now permanent for businesses under $10M turnover. Here is what qualifies, what does not, and how…
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Payday Super Starts 1 July 2026: What Melbourne Employers Must Do Right Now
From 1 July 2026, employers must pay super with every pay run — not quarterly. The Small Business Super Clearing House is…
Read More → Why Your Accountant, Not Your Bookkeeper, Should Lodge Your BAS
Your accountant, not just your bookkeeper, should review and lodge your BAS because they can catch GST coding errors, ensure the numbers…
Read More → What Are the Biggest Tax Mistakes People Make in Australia?
The biggest tax mistakes Australians make include poor record keeping, missing deductions, lodging late, using the wrong business structure, forgetting to set…
Read More → Common Xero Errors That Cause Problems in Business Tax Returns
Common Xero errors that cause problems at tax time include unreconciled bank accounts, incorrect GST coding, duplicated transactions, misallocated expenses, and unclaimed…
Read More → What Is the Most Overlooked Tax Break in Australia?
Some of the most overlooked tax breaks in Australia include carry-forward super contributions, the small business CGT concessions, depreciation on property and…
Read More → Can the ATO Audit You After 7 Years?
Yes, the ATO can review or audit you after seven years, but standard amendment time limits are shorter: generally two years for…
Read More → Division 7A Eliminating the Loan: An Essential Melbourne Business Tax Guide
You can eliminate a Division 7A loan by repaying it in cash, offsetting it with a fully franked dividend, or placing it…
Read More → Division 293 Tax Explained: What High-Income Earners Need to Know
Division 293 tax is an extra 15% tax on concessional (before-tax) super contributions for high income earners. It applies when your income…
Read More → What Are Employee Entitlements? A Guide for Australian Employers
Learn what employee entitlements are in Australia — wages, superannuation, leave, PAYG and termination pay. A practical guide for Melbourne employers from…
Read More → What Is an IAS (Instalment Activity Statement)?
An Instalment Activity Statement (IAS) is a form used to report and pay certain tax obligations to the ATO, such as PAYG…
Read More → Mid-Year Tax Planning 2026: What to Do Now to Maximise Your EOFY Tax Outcome
Mid-year tax planning means reviewing your position well before 30 June so there is time to act. By assessing your likely profit,…
Read More → ATO Tax Depreciation Schedule: Why Property Investors Miss Out on Bigger Australian Tax Refunds 2026
Many property investors miss thousands in tax refunds because they do not claim depreciation on their investment property. Without a tax depreciation…
Read More → Top 5 Critical Division 7A Loan Traps To Avoid Now
Are you a company director or business owner looking to withdraw funds from your company? You might be considering loans, dividends, or…
Read More → Business Tax Planning 2026: Essential Strategies for Australian Business Owners
Business tax planning means arranging your affairs before year end to legally minimise tax, through the right structure, timing of income and…
Read More → NDIS Support Worker Tax Deductions: What You Can Claim
Discover essential tax deductions for NDIS support workers, a crucial aspect to enhance your financial well-being while helping Australians with disabilities. Running…
Read More → How your Small Business Accountant can save you money now?
A good small business accountant saves you money by planning tax before year end, choosing the right structure, claiming every legitimate deduction,…
Read More → Tax Rates Simple Guide You Need To Understand today
Australian residents pay income tax at progressive marginal rates: nil on the first $18,200, then 16% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37%…
Read More → BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP – 10 TAX CONSIDERATIONS
When starting or growing a business, the key tax considerations include choosing the right structure, registering for an ABN and GST, understanding…
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