THN & Samios Partners

PAYG Instalment Variation Guide for Sydney Businesses 2026

Your quarterly tax bill shouldn't feel like a surprise attack on your bank balance. Many Sydney business owners assume the amount the ATO asks for is set in stone, but that is a myth that often hurts...

📖 Read more: https://samiospartners.com.au/payg-instalment-variation-guide-for-sydney-businesses-2026/

𝗥&𝗗 𝗧𝗮𝘅 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀?

Last month we introduced the R&D Tax Incentive.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲: what actually qualifies?

The test is not whether your business looks like a laboratory. It is whether you undertook experimental activities where the outcome could not be known in advance, following a systematic progression from hypothesis to experiment to conclusion, in order to generate new knowledge.

In practice that can include developing new software or algorithms, engineering a product that did not previously exist, or creating a new manufacturing process where established methods would not work.

Supporting activities directly related to that core work can also count.

Eligible companies with turnover under $20 million can access a refundable offset of 43.5%. Records must be kept as you go, and registration with AusIndustry is required.

If your business has spent this year solving a problem nobody had solved before, let us assess whether the incentive applies.

𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲: 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸

The first quarter of FY27 closes on 30 September, and it is the most valuable checkpoint of the year.

Three months of trading is enough to reveal whether the year is unfolding to plan, and early enough that course corrections are still straightforward.

We recommend our business clients ask five questions before quarter end:
Is revenue tracking to forecast?
Have margins absorbed the July wage increases?
Has cash flow settled under payday super?
Do you have a realistic estimate of your tax position?
And is your structure still working for you?

Our team is holding Quarter One review sessions throughout September. Contact our office to reserve yours.

𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

https://maps.app.goo.gl/gdnXN9SFxaZAkHh58 Feedback like this means a great deal to our team. To every client who has entrusted us with their affairs this financial year, thank you for your continued confidence. If we have been of service to you recently, a short Google review is a meaningful way to support our firm and helps others find advice they can rely on.

Thank you for being part of our story. https://g.page/r/CYJLAcCkrw6mEAI/review

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗲, 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁: time. Self lodgers must submit their returns by 31 October.

Clients of a registered agent, in most cases, receive an extended lodgement deadline reaching well into the following year, along with the assurance that an experienced professional has reviewed every element of the return.

To access the extension, you must be registered with an agent before 31 October. If you have been considering making the move, we would welcome the opportunity to act for you.

Contact our office to get started. https://samiospartners.com.au/contact-us/

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗔𝗦: 𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝟮𝟭 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁

A brief reminder for clients who lodge monthly: your July activity statement is due with the ATO this Friday, 21 August.

If your BAS is prepared, no action is needed.

If it is outstanding, or if monthly deadlines are becoming a burden, contact our office and we will assist, and put arrangements in place so future months run smoothly. https://samiospartners.com.au/contact-us/

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄? 𝗥&𝗗 𝗧𝗮𝘅 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀

Did you know your business could be rewarded for innovating? The Research and Development Tax Incentive provides a tax offset for eligible R&D activities, and it is not reserved for laboratories.

Software development, engineering improvements, new manufacturing processes and product development can all qualify where the work meets the eligibility criteria. The rules are detailed, registration runs through AusIndustry, and claims are made through your company tax return, so experienced guidance makes a genuine difference.

We are pleased to now offer R&D Tax Incentive advisory as part of our services. If your business is building something new, talk to us about whether your work may qualify. https://samiospartners.com.au/contact-us/

𝗙𝗬𝟮𝟳 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵

With July complete, the first real data of FY27 is on the table, and it rewards close attention. Wage costs have lifted under the 4.75% award increase.

Superannuation now flows out with every pay run rather than quarterly, changing the shape of your cash flow. This is the ideal moment to test whether your pricing, forecasts and margins remain sound for the year ahead, while there is ample time to adjust.

We are currently booking business health reviews for August and September. Speak with our team to arrange yours. https://samiospartners.com.au/contact-us/

𝗧𝗣𝗔𝗥 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 𝟮𝟴 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁

A reminder for business clients who engage contractors. If your business operates in building and construction, cleaning, courier or road freight, information technology, or security services, the Taxable Payments Annual Report for 2025-26 must be lodged with the ATO by 28 August.

The report details payments made to contractors during the year and is used for data matching, so accuracy matters and penalties can apply for late lodgement.

If you are uncertain whether TPAR applies to your business, or would prefer we prepare and lodge on your behalf, please contact our office this week.

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱?

You may have noticed a little extra in your take home pay since 1 July. That is the Government's latest tax cut, delivered through reduced withholding each payday.

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: the return you lodge this tax season covers the 2025-26 year, before the new cut took effect, so the cut will not change this year's refund.

Your refund this season comes down to last year's income, deductions and the tax withheld along the way. If your assessment does not look the way you expected, we are happy to review it with you before you draw any conclusions. https://samiospartners.com.au/contact-us/