Content updated 8 October 2026
Originally published 13 February 2023 · About Bradley Stewart
Browse our small business tax resource hub for related guides and accounting services.
Good tax compliance is an ongoing routine, not a once-a-year resolution. Keep current records, assign responsibility and use a calendar of the deadlines that actually apply to your business. This checklist replaces the former 2023 tax-resolutions article.
1. Keep the accounts useful
Reconcile bank and loan accounts regularly, attach source documents and separate private spending. Review unpaid invoices and unexpected balances while the transactions are still fresh. A current profit report and cash forecast help you plan tax payments and identify problems early.
Agree who completes the bookkeeping and who reviews it. The business owner remains involved even where a bookkeeper or accountant does the processing. See our bookkeeping and payroll services.
2. Monitor GST and BAS obligations
Track turnover when assessing whether GST registration is required; the tests are not simply annual taxable profit or the balance in your bank account. Read our GST registration guide.
Before lodging a BAS, reconcile the reporting period, GST codes, invoices and payroll withholding. Use the due date shown for your actual reporting and lodgment arrangement. Keep evidence for adjustments and discuss cash-flow difficulties before the payment deadline.
3. Review payroll and contractor arrangements
Check worker classifications, super fund details and pay categories when someone starts and when their arrangement changes. Reconcile payroll reports to accounts and fund receipts. Our contractor super guide explains why an ABN does not settle super obligations.
Current Payday Super requirements mean employer contributions need attention with pay runs, rather than an old quarterly-only routine. Use our employer super checklist and record who investigates returned or rejected payments.
4. Maintain company, trust and registration records
Check that business registrations and contact details remain accurate. Companies should review ASIC statements, company records and directors’ obligations. ASIC’s annual review guidance explains the annual review process.
Trusts need deed and trustee records as well as accounting entries. Track distributions and related-party transactions. Make sure important documents can be located when a lender, adviser or regulator requests them.
5. Set a planning and records routine
- Maintain one calendar for BAS, payroll, super, returns and company obligations.
- Assign an owner and a backup for each recurring task.
- Keep evidence of lodgment, payment and receipt where relevant.
- Arrange a planning meeting before year end and before major transactions.
- Retain source records and readable backups for the applicable period.
Use our year-end planning checklist for the annual review and tax return records checklist before providing documents. A clear routine makes it easier to spot missing information before a deadline.
Discuss your circumstances
Stewart Private Accounting helps business owners in Perth and across Australia with accounting and tax support. Contact our team to discuss the records, scope and fees for your work.
This guide provides general information current at the update date. The treatment depends on your circumstances and the applicable income or FBT year.
