Maisey Tax and Accounting

24/10/2026

05/10/2026

💳 Card payment surcharges are now banned.

From 1 October 2026, businesses can no longer add a surcharge when customers pay by EFTPOS, Visa or Mastercard, whether debit or credit.

What this means for you:

✅ Turn off surcharging in your EFTPOS terminal, online checkout and booking systems.
✅ Update your invoice settings, plus any payment links. Remove any automatic card fee lines.
✅ Don't rename it. Charging the same thing as an "admin fee" or "processing fee" is still a breach.
✅ Review your pricing. You can still cover your card costs, but they now need to be built into your prices rather than added as a surcharge.
✅ Check your merchant fees. The RBA has also lowered interchange fees, so your card costs should fall. Ask your provider whether you're getting the benefit.
✅ Update your signage, website and terms of trade so customers aren't told about a surcharge that no longer applies.

What hasn't changed? Weekend and public holiday surcharges and booking fees.

14/08/2026

🌟𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.🌟

Tips to help your cash flow and profitability:

➡Late payments are a cash flow killer – eInvoicing lets businesses exchange invoices digitally through a secure network, cutting out paper, PDFs and manual data entry. The result? Faster payments, fewer errors, and less admin. If you use Xero or MYOB, you may already have access to this feature

➡Cash flow levers to review - What costs can you reduce? Do you need to adjust your pricing? Can you negotiate better credit terms? Are you carrying the right amount of stock?

➡Managing tax debt - If your business has a payment plan with the ATO or is behind on obligations, the cost of that debt has gone up. The general interest charge — what the ATO charges on overdue tax — is no longer tax deductible. That means it's worth reviewing whether you have other cheaper options available.

If you would like to chat about how to run your business smarter, give us a call.

10/08/2026

Did you follow the news last week about Operation Flint - a joint ATO, Fair Work and Australia Border Force investigation into shadow activity in the horticultural industry.

The real message isn't about horticulture. The real message is that regulators are sharing data, using risk profiles and sophisticated analytics. Adding to the data are tip offs from the community.

If you run a business and employ staff, now is a good time to ask yourself some honest questions:

➡ Are you paying wages and super correctly and on time?
➡ Are your payroll records complete and accurate?
➡Is your STP reporting consistent with what is actually happening?
➡ Are the people you call contractors really contractors?
➡ Are cash payments happening outside your usual system?
➡ Are you using PAYG, GST or super as working capital?

If any of these questions make you pause, it's worth having a conversation with your accountant before the ATO comes to you. Getting ahead of the problem is always cheaper than dealing with one.

20/07/2026

⭐⭐2025/2026 Tax Returns⭐⭐

Bookings now open for 2026.

Whether you’re an individual, sole trader, investor, or business owner, we are here to help make tax time simple and stress free.

08/07/2026

**Employers** - you have until 14th July to finalise Single Touch Payroll (STP) for your employees