End Of Financial Year Project Plan

Is it that time of year already? 

The end of the financial year is fast approaching, which means getting all your paperwork ready.

Before End of Year – Review Business Progress

• Review Profit & Loss to end March/April   – Check with your trusted advisor (accountant & bookkeeper) on how you are doing for the financial year.  Mark it in your diary to do this every April/May!
• Review Superannuation for Directors – maximum contribution is currently $27,500. Discuss with your Accountant.
• Review the list of Assets & remove obsolete or defunct items
• Review cash flow for additional tax deductable pre-30 June purchases
• Review the Integrated Balance Account (monies owed to the ATO)– can this be paid off by 30^th June
• Review if changes are required to business process/procedures – so timelines can be established  & work completed– eg software upgrade/change

Before End of Year – General Tax Checks

Maximise those deductions

If the business’s cash flow is good then it may make sense to spend on extra expenses before June 30 to maximise deductions.

• Get the cars serviced and replace the tyres
• Service Equipment
• Pay the membership fees, subscriptions
• Pay the insurance bills etc
• Get a discount on rent by prepaying for a period
• Pay yourself additional wages and superannuation

 Ensure last year is finalised

• Last year tax return is lodged and you have a copy
• Are all adjustments from last year processed?
• Have you adjusted the data file for any impact of the end of the FBT year?
• Have you adjusted the data file for any adjustments by the accountant?

Private usage adjustments

A once a year adjustment for private expenses – yes you can. The tax agent may have included an adjustment in last year’s final tax returns for disallowing private expenses – has the GST adjustment been made?

It is absolutely acceptable to claim all GST on all taxable purchases for a business or enterprise during the year, if turnover is less than $2m, even if a portion of the expenses are for private use.

The ATO allows a once a year adjustment to reduce the amount of GST claimed. When the Tax Agent has completed the end of year tax returns and informed the amount of private expenses, then make a GST claim reduction in the next BAS. Therefore you will have only claimed back the GST on the business portion. So if you are advised there was $1100 of private expenses, then reduce your next GST claim by $1100/11 = $100. You do not have to inform the ATO, just keep the records.

If you post the totally private expenses to the loan account and don’t claim any GST back at the time of purchase that is okay as well.

Stock / Inventory

• Review stock list in detail including when the item last sold and at what price
• Consider sale at discount of items that are slow – realise the cash
• Write off the value of stock that won’t sell
• Take a full stock count at 30 June and enter through Stock Count and Inventory
• Adjust as required

Existing Plant and Equipment

• Obtain the list of assets the accountant uses to calculate depreciation
• Review the list and remove items that no longer exist or are obsolete
• Highlight, to the bookkeeper and accountant,  any items sold

New Plant and Equipment

• Businesses are permitted to write off Plant and Equipment that cost less than $100 (incl. GST)
• Business with turnover less than $2m using Small Business Entity Concessions; highlight assets bought under $20,000 to bookkeeper and accountant for the financial year.

Before End of Year – Payroll Checks

Ensure you check the maximum amounts of superannuation

If you are processing the payroll for businesses, it is wise to check that no employee receives more than the maximum superannuation contribution, unless instructed by the employee’s financial planner or accountant to do so.

Superannuation cap is $27,500.

If employees or owners appear to be near or over the maximum the bookkeeper should notify the person in question.

Maximise those tax deductions – Superannuation

While Superannuation Guarantee is not due till the 28th of July, in order to get the income tax deduction in this financial year, the superannuation must have been paid through your bank account before 30 June.

Effective technique: use the ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Cleaning House (SBSCH)