Taxation and compliance, AustraliaA dedicated, university-qualified graduate accountant keeps the records behind every tax obligation current: GST coded and reconciled, PAYG withholding matched to payroll, super tracked against each payday, fringe benefits recorded and a year-end file ready for your registered tax agent. Your bookkeeper is based in the Philippines and works in your Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file during Australian business hours.
The short answer
Tax compliance means meeting each obligation the tax system places on a business: registering for the right taxes, reporting the right figures and paying by the due date. Tax compliance bookkeeping is the record keeping that makes this possible. Every sale, purchase, pay run and benefit is recorded, coded and reconciled as it happens, so the figures exist before anyone needs them.
The work is shared. Your bookkeeper keeps the records and prepares the figures and workpapers. Your registered tax or BAS agent reviews them, lodges them and gives the advice. In Australia only a registered agent can provide BAS or tax agent services for a fee (Tax Practitioners Board), and FreeMyCloud works alongside the agent you already have.
What the tax system asks of a business
Each one runs on its own cycle. The rules below are as published by the ATO and were checked on 29 September 2026.
A business must register for GST once its GST turnover reaches $75,000, or $150,000 for a not-for-profit (ATO). The BAS then reports GST on sales and GST credits on purchases, quarterly for most businesses.
Tax withheld from wages is reported and paid on a cycle set by the yearly amount withheld: quarterly at $25,000 or less, monthly above $25,000 and up to $1 million (ATO).
The super guarantee rate is 12% for 2026-27 (ATO). For earnings paid from 1 July 2026, the contribution must be received by the employee's fund within 7 business days of payday (ATO).
Salaries and wages, PAYG withholding and super information are reported through payroll software on or before each payday (ATO).
FBT applies to benefits such as a car or a gym membership provided to employees. Employers self-assess for the FBT year, 1 April to 31 March, and the FBT rate is 47% (ATO).
PAYG instalments are regular prepayments of the expected tax on business and investment income (ATO). The tax return itself is prepared and lodged by your registered tax agent from the year-end accounts.
Key dates
These are the standard due dates for a business that lodges for itself. Different dates can apply when a registered tax or BAS agent lodges for you.
| Obligation | Period | Standard due date |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly BAS | July to September 2026 | 28 October 2026 |
| Quarterly BAS | October to December 2026 | 28 February 2027 |
| Quarterly BAS | January to March 2027 | 28 April 2027 |
| Quarterly BAS | April to June 2027 | 28 July 2027 |
| Monthly BAS | Each month, required at GST turnover of $20 million or more | 21st of the following month |
| Super guarantee | Each payday, for earnings paid from 1 July 2026 | Received by the fund within 7 business days of payday |
| Single Touch Payroll | Each pay run | On or before payday |
| FBT return | FBT year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 | 21 May 2027, or generally 25 June when a tax agent lodges it electronically |
| Taxable payments annual report | Year ending 30 June, for businesses in the industries that must report | 28 August |
Dates as published by the ATO at 29 September 2026: BAS due dates, Payday Super deadlines, Single Touch Payroll, FBT return and TPAR. If a due date is on a weekend or public holiday, the ATO allows until the next business day. Confirm your own dates with your registered agent.
Get in touch
Tell us a little about your business and what you need looked after. We reply within one business day, Australia-wide, and fifteen minutes on the phone is enough to say whether a dedicated bookkeeper suits you and what it would cost.
Prefer to talk? 1300 66 88 14
Who does what
| Task | Your FreeMyCloud bookkeeper | Your registered tax or BAS agent |
|---|---|---|
| GST and BAS | Codes GST on every transaction, reconciles the GST accounts and prepares the BAS figures and workpapers | Reviews and lodges the BAS |
| PAYG withholding and payroll | Prepares pay runs for your approval and reconciles tax withheld to the payroll reports | Advises on withholding questions and lodges where engaged to |
| Super | Works out the contribution for each pay run and tracks the date each payment is due | Advises on super guarantee questions |
| Fringe benefits | Keeps the register of benefits provided, with invoices and logbook records filed | Works out the FBT payable, prepares and lodges the FBT return |
| Income tax | Closes the year, reconciles every balance sheet account and assembles the year-end file | Prepares and lodges the tax return and gives tax advice |
| ATO letters and requests | Finds and organises the records that are asked for | Responds to the ATO on your behalf |
FreeMyCloud is not a registered tax agent and does not prepare or lodge tax returns. If you do not yet have a registered agent, the Tax Practitioners Board keeps a public register where you can find one.
What is handled
One person working in your accounting software, to a routine that follows the tax calendar.
Bank feeds coded, supplier bills entered and every account reconciled, with GST treated correctly at the time of entry.
Pay runs, tax withheld and super prepared for your approval, and reconciled to the ledger after each pay.
BAS figures and workpapers prepared each quarter or month for your registered BAS or tax agent to review and lodge.
Benefits recorded as they are provided, so the FBT year can be handed to your tax agent in April without a search.
Reconciled accounts, a fixed asset register, loan balances and supporting schedules assembled for your tax agent.
Profit and loss, balance sheet and the amounts set aside for GST, withholding and super, so tax payments are expected.
Software
FreeMyCloud bookkeepers are able to work with Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and Reckon. There is no need to change platforms, and you decide what access your bookkeeper has.
Your registered agent keeps their own access to the same file, so figures are reviewed where they were prepared.
Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or Reckon, whichever the business already uses.
Pay runs and payroll reports prepared in the system you have set up.
Bills and receipts collected through tools such as Dext or Hubdoc and filed against each entry.
User permissions set by you, removable by you, with a signed NDA in place.
Your bookkeeper is a university-qualified graduate accountant with Australian experience, employed by FreeMyCloud and based in our Manila office. The same person works on your file every day and is ready to start within three business days.
FreeMyCloud is Australian owned and was founded in 2010, with offices in Melbourne and Manila. Clients range from individual operators to ASX-listed companies.
A dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper typically costs about 50% less than a local equivalent. The figure for your business depends on hours, the number of employees and transaction volume.
Getting started
Four steps, with no change to your software or your tax agent.
You describe the business, your software, your reporting cycles and what is behind.
We match a graduate accountant to your software and workload.
The NDA is signed and you invite your bookkeeper into your accounting file.
Books every week, reports every month, BAS figures every quarter, a year-end file every July.
Guides and related pages
FreeMyCloud provides bookkeeping to businesses in every state and territory, from individual operators to ASX-listed companies. Because the work is done inside your cloud accounting file, it makes no difference where the business is based.
The ATO asks a business to keep most records for 5 years, in English or in a form that can be easily converted to English (ATO, as at 29 September 2026). Records kept every week meet that rule as a matter of course, and they give your tax agent what is needed at each due date.
Accounting practices also use FreeMyCloud bookkeepers to prepare client files ahead of each lodgement, with the registered agent in the practice reviewing and lodging.
Frequently asked questions
Tax compliance means registering for the taxes that apply to the business, reporting the correct figures and paying by each due date. For most Australian businesses that covers GST and the BAS, PAYG withholding on wages, super for employees, fringe benefits tax where benefits are provided, and income tax at year end. All of it depends on accurate records.
For a business that reports quarterly, the ATO's due dates are 28 October, 28 February, 28 April and 28 July. A monthly BAS is due on the 21st of the following month. Different dates can apply when a registered tax or BAS agent lodges for you. See the ATO's BAS due dates page (as at 29 September 2026).
The ATO requires a business to register for GST when its GST turnover is $75,000 or more, or $150,000 or more for a not-for-profit organisation. GST turnover is gross business income, not profit, and excludes GST. The rule is set out on the ATO's Registering for GST page (as at 29 September 2026).
It depends on how much the business withholds in a year. The ATO sets three cycles: quarterly at $25,000 or less, monthly above $25,000 and up to $1 million, and within 6 to 8 days of each pay above $1 million. See Paying and reporting withheld amounts (as at 29 September 2026).
The FBT year runs from 1 April to 31 March. The ATO's due date to lodge the return and pay is 21 May, or generally 25 June when a tax agent lodges it electronically. An employer with an FBT liability must lodge a return. See Lodging your FBT return and paying and How fringe benefits tax works (as at 29 September 2026).
No. Only a registered BAS agent or tax agent can provide those services for a fee in Australia (Tax Practitioners Board). Your FreeMyCloud bookkeeper keeps the records and prepares the figures and workpapers. Your registered agent reviews and lodges them, and gives any tax advice.
Your registered agent responds to the ATO. Your bookkeeper finds the records that are asked for and sets them out in order, which is quick when the accounts have been reconciled every week and each entry has its document attached.
A dedicated FreeMyCloud bookkeeper typically costs about 50% less than a local equivalent, with no setup fee and no lock-in contract. The figure depends on hours, the number of employees and transaction volume. The cost page explains how it is worked out.
Most clients are running within three business days of the first call. The steps are a 30-minute call, matching a bookkeeper to your software and workload, signing the NDA and inviting your bookkeeper into your accounting file.
This page is general information about Australian bookkeeping and reporting obligations, current as at 29 September 2026. It is not tax, financial or legal advice. FreeMyCloud is not a registered tax agent and does not prepare or lodge tax returns. Rates, thresholds and dates change. Confirm your own position with your registered tax or BAS agent.
Fifteen minutes on the phone is enough to tell you whether a dedicated bookkeeper suits your business and what it would cost.
