Reviewing your Small Business - Info base

Info Base

Our Info Base is a collection of fact sheets, templates, downloadable forms, lodgement checklists, taxation details and other relevant information. 

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  • Resources

    • INFO BASE

      • Individuals

          Residents: Personal tax rates and thresholds

          These rates apply to individuals who are Australian residents for tax purposes:

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          Non-Residents: Personal tax rates

          Non-Foreign Resident Individual income tax rates

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          Rental Properties

          Purchasing a rental propertyWhen purchasing a financed rental property you may consider:o The interest on the debt is deductible in contrast to the interest on the debt for your main…

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          Motor Vehicle Deductions

          Since 1 July 2015 there are only two methods available for claiming a deduction for motor vehicle expenses:Logbook, orCents per kilometre All motor vehicle claims need to be supported by…

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          Private Health Insurance Rebate 2024

          Private Health Insurance Rebate 2023/24The private health cover rebate changed on 1 July 2023:It is income tested on a single income or family income basis.The…

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          The Medicare Levy, Medicare Levy Surcharge & Private Health Care Rebate 2024

          The Medicare Levy, Medicare Levy Surcharge & Private Health Care Rebate are all items administered via the taxation system that are affected as your level of taxable income changes.Medicare Levy:The…

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          Understanding PAYG Instalments

          What are PAYG Instalments?Pay As You Go (PAYG) instalments is a system for making regular payments towards your expected income tax liability. It generally only applies if you earn business…

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          Investment Properties - things to do, items to keep

          When purchasing a property for investment purposes or changing the status of your main residence to an investment property there are several important steps you should take and documents you…

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          How Cryptocurrency impacts your tax return

          Cryptocurrencies emerged as the first digital currency to be used as an alternative for the…

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          Airbnb Rental Income

          With the increase in people using the sharing economy to supplement their income, for instance with AirBnb and Stayz, it’s helpful to keep in mind the tax implications these sorts…

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          A guide to HECS-HELP

          What do you need to know about HECS-HELP? The Higher Education Loan Program (HELP, formerly known as HECS) is an Australian government scheme that helps students…

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      • Tax Rates

          Residents: Personal tax rates and thresholds

          These rates apply to individuals who are Australian residents for tax purposes:

          read more »

          Non-Residents: Personal tax rates

          Non-Foreign Resident Individual income tax rates

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          Weekly, Fortnightly & Monthly Tax Tables

          To calculate the Pay As You Go (PAYG) withholding tax amount for your employees download the weekly, fortnightly or monthly tax tables below, depending on your agreed pay frequency. These schedules incorporate the…

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      • Checklists and Downloads

          The AFYF Document Portal

          You may have noticed access to our old Portal is no longer active. We have been rolling out our new system over the past months, which also includes a…

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          Personal Tax Return Checklist

          All documents for your tax return can now be sent to us via your client portal, using the upload function. Please get in touch if you'd like instructions on how…

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          Company and Partnership Checklist

          All documents for your tax return can now be sent to us via your client portal, using the upload function. Please get in touch…

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          Super fund Checklist

          All documents for your tax return can now be sent to us via your client portal, using the upload function. Please get in touch…

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          Trusts Checklist

          All documents for your tax return can now be sent to us via your client portal, using the upload function. Please get in touch…

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          Tax Return Checklist for Rental Property Income

           Income ·         Rental income …

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          Spreadsheets - Business Income & Expenses

          It's not always necessary to purchase, install, create and update complicated accounting package programs when starting up a business. Sometimes a simple Excel spreadsheet can be more suitable, particularly with sole traders and…

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          Spreadsheet - Motor Vehicle Expenses

          This spreadsheet is a useful tool for monitoring and recording your motor vehicle expenses for your year-end tax return. Keep track of your quarterly expenditure, including lease payments and interest on loans…

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          Template - Motor Vehicle Logbook

          A logbook can help you get the most from your business or work-related motor vehicle use. Download this template so you can keep track of each business or work-related trip…

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          Share Register Spreadsheet

          This spreadsheet is a useful tool for recording your share purchases, sales and transfers. Keep track of share values over time and record the details necessary for capital gain or loss calculations…

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          Procedures for XERO

          If you’re ready to make the switch over to Xero and ready to invite us to your data file now, please download the PDF below for the instructions. 

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      • Superannuation

          The Super Guarantee Charge (SGC)

          The SGC is a penalty charge that applies to employers who don’t pay the minimum amount of super guarantee (SG) for their employees to the correct fund by the…

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          Consolidating your super

          There are numerous benefits to keeping your super in one place.  Apart from only paying one set of fees, you will also be able to keep track of your retirement…

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          Binding Beneficiaries Nominations

          Under superannuation law, the Trustee of your super fund has the discretionary power to decide which of your dependents receives your super if you die before you retire. The law…

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          Audit Requirements

          Below is the list of details needed for the annual audit of your SMSF:A copy…

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      • Estate Planning

          Template - Last Will & Testament

          A Will is a legal document that clearly sets out your wishes for the distribution of your assets after your death. Having a clear, legally valid and up-to-date Will is…

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          Templates - Power of Attorney, Enduring Guardianship, Advanced Care Directive

          There may come a time in your life when you need someone to make imortant decisions for you, whether it is in regards to your health, living situation or your…

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      • Starting a New Business

          10 Most Important Things for New Businesses

          1.  Business PlanBefore you register for an ABN and start trading it is vital to sit down and flesh out the finer points of your business idea: Consider the different…

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          Company & Trust Set Up

          If you decide on a company or trust structure for your new business AFYF can assist you in meeting the various legal, ATO and ASIC documentation necessary for registration and…

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          Registering a Business Name

          When you first get started in a business you should register your business name with ASIC. Registration of a business name lasts for either one or three years, depending on the…

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          Company & Partnership Agreements & Deeds

          When first setting up your partnership, company or trust there may be a requirement to draw up and sign an agreement or deed. These agreements can regulate the arrangements between partners,…

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          Invoicing - What to Include

          Invoices can be hand-written, carbon copies or computer generated from programs like Xero or MYOB, but they all need to include certain details.  For businesses registered for GST invoices need…

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          Family (Discretionary) Trusts - Pros & Cons

          You can use a family (discretionary) trust to facilitate investments, hold assets or as structure to facilitate the operation and ownership of a business. Trusts are often favoured for asset…

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          Understanding ASIC: Your Business's Regulatory Guide

          Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is an independent Australian government body that regulates Australian corporations, financial markets, consumer credit, and financial services.  Their…

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      • BAS & GST

          Requirements for BAS

          Below is a list of the detail required to be able to process BAS documentation for lodgement:Bank statements for the full BAS period – Make sure you have all the…

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      • Business Planning

          Business Planning

          A business plan is an essential tool in starting up your business. It allows you to set a clear direction for your business, to communicate planning objectives and strategies to…

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          Reviewing your Small Business

          Reviewing your small business practices and position is an integral part of running a business, particularly as it expands.Below is a checklist put together by the ATO to help you…

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      • Employing People

          Checklist for Employers

          1. Check Fair Work conditions Before you employ someone, you should read through the National Employment Standards as set out by Fair Work to ensure you can meet the necessary requirements.…

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          Job Descriptions with Various Templates

          The job description should be the very first step in the recruitment process. It provides a support for writing job advertisements, specifying necessary qualifications, interviewing candidates, planning job training and…

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          Contracts & Letters of Offer with Example Templates

          Contracts or letters of offer are important aspects when hiring a new employee as they outline the terms and conditions of the job being offered.Try to include as much detail…

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          Letters of Appointment & Example

          A letter of appointment is another aspect of the recruitment process that the employer should complete to confirm the details of employment. It generally only needs to be a short…

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          How Single Touch Payroll impacts Employers & Employees

          Single Touch Payroll (STP) has revolutionised how Australian employers report employee payroll information to the ATO. Introduced in stages, STP’s rollout began in July 2018 for larger employers (20+ employees)…

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      Reviewing your Small Business

      Reviewing your small business practices and position is an integral part of running a business, particularly as it expands.

      Below is a checklist put together by the ATO to help you analyse how your business is performing and to get ahead of any changes on the horizon:

      1. Business Structure 

      Even if your current business structure is working, it’s good to review this to see if a different structure would better suit your business needs. 

      There are various reasons for a business to change structure:
      • Changes in management, such as taking on a new partner
      • Changes in ownership, for example, when you buy into an operating business
      • Financial reasons, for example, to improve cash flow, profitability or to maximise tax benefits
      • Operational reasons, such as reorganising internal functions to improve the way the business operates
      • Business growth, to accommodate expansions in your business 
      • Economic downturn or downsizing, for example if you want to minimise your obligations or compliance requirements

      2. Bookkeeping and record keeping systems

      Keeping good records makes running your business easier and allows you to keep track of how your business is performing financially. 

      Depending on your industry, you might also need to keep certain records to meet ATO responsibilities or obligations. For example, annual reporting of contractor payments and details for those businesses in the building industry through the Taxable Payments Reporting process. 

      As your business grows you may find that your bookkeeping requirements will change as well. When you first start out, spreadsheet records or smaller bookkeeping programs may be sufficient, but as you expand your business and start employing staff, a bookkeeping system that allows for payroll and STP reporting will become essential.

      3. Current Financial Position

      Reviewing your business finances with AFYF or your bookkeeper can be integral to growing your business. This is important in assessing whether your business has the ability to pay outstanding debts and meet its ongoing commitments to creditors.

      Set targets and check on your performance regularly to determine whether you are meeting these targets. Reviewing your performance can allow you to modify practices and processes to better reach these goals. 

      The ATO also offers Small Business Benchmarks, so you can compare your business’s performance with similar businesses to yours.

      4. Registrations, licences and insurances

      Check you have the right insurance policies in place for your business, particularly if your situation has changed from when you first started out. 
       
      You may need to consider changes in location, expansion, new assets purchased, if you’re now employing staff, or if you’ve changed your business structure. 
       
      It’s also important to make sure your business holds the correct necessary licences or permits, and keeps these up to date. Generally business licences and permits are managed by state, territory or local governments.

      5. Business and marketing plans
       
      Your business plan is crucial to the ongoing growth of your business. As your business expands, you should regularly review and update your plans. See our article here for more details on business plans and a downloadable template.

      Reviewing your marketing plan through the different stages of your business is also important. The more you know about your business, customers and competition, the better you will be able to update your marketing plan to suit your needs.  

      6. Staffing and leave requirements

      When it comes time to employ staff for the first time, or if you need to hire a new employee, it’s good to first sit down and consider what you want to achieve by hiring or increasing staff. You can then decide on what type of employee you will need – casual, full-time, part-time, contractor, apprentice, etc. 

      There are numerous requirements when employing staff, so it’s important to understand your obligations and your employee’s entitlements first.

      One of these entitlements is leave and for small businesses it can be vital to have a leave policy in place. Particularly to avoid situations when multiple staff are on leave at the same time or making large payouts of unused leave that can impact your cash flow. 

      Read our checklist for employers here.

      7. Skills and training needs

      To keep up with or to create business growth, it’s important to make sure you’re continually developing your skills and those of your staff. 

      Attending training on new technologies, industry specific topics or internal processes like financial management, can help increase your profits, productivity, staff motivation and customer satisfaction. 

      8. Ability to innovate

      Keeping your business flexible and innovative can be vital to making your business successful. 

      Coming up with new ways of doing things will enable you to develop or create more effective processes, products and ideas for your business. 

      It is important to innovate as it can help you save time and money and help grow your business. 
       
       


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