Your Biz Accounting & Bookkeeping

What can you claim on your 2025-26 tax return? (With receipts, of course!)

Here's a breakdown of the most common deductions Australians can claim - as long as you have the receipts to back them up. Swipe to find out what deductions you can possibly claim.

Find out more on the ATO website 👇
https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/income-deductions-offsets-and-records/deductions-you-can-claim/claiming-deductions

📅 BAS dates every small business owner needs to know for 2026-27

Save this one. 📌

Quarterly BAS due dates:
1. Q1 (July–September 2026) - due 28 October 2026
2. Q2 (October–December 2026) - due 28 February 2027
3. Q3 (January–March 2027) - due 28 April 2027
4. Q4 (April–June 2027) - due 28 July 2027

Lodge through a registered agent like us? You get extended deadlines:
1. Q1 extended to 25 November 2026
2. Q3 extended to 26 May 2027
3. Q4 extended to 25 August 2027

Q2 has no agent extension - the February date already includes a built-in Christmas concession for everyone.

Miss a deadline and the ATO can issue a Failure to Lodge penalty of $364 per 28-day period - up to $1,820 per late BAS from 1 July 2026.

Lodge on time, every time. We can help. 👇

The best investment you can make in your business is the investment of time. Don't spend hours doing your business accounting or bookkeeping - hire us!

Get more time to focus on what you do best - your business!

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.

It's tempting - get your tax return lodged and out of the way earlier. Maybe cash in that possible tax refund?

While you can doesn't always mean you should. The ATO and business are still collecting and submitting data such as income statements, interest earnt, investment income and much more.

Lodge before this data is ready you could end up with a different payable or return due to amendments. It is best to wait till your MyGov account shows a green 'Tax Ready'!

The midnight countdown might not involve fireworks, but for small businesses, July 1st is the ultimate fresh start.

The books for last year are now locked in, today is Day 1 of a new chapter.

Whether your goals for this financial year are to scale your business, stream line your bookkeeping, or feel more organised when tax time rolls around, we’re here to help you make it happen.

📅 Payday Super starts next week, here's what changes

From 1 July, super contributions must reach your employee's super fund within 7 business days of each payday. Every time. No exceptions.

What you need to check before July 1:

→ Is your payroll software updated?

→ Still using the ATO Clearing House? It closes June 30, best to find an alternative now

→ Do you have cash flow to support more frequent super payments?

→ Are your employees' super fund details correct?

The start date applies to every employer regardless of size or industry. One week to go. Don't get caught out! 💼 Get in contact if need help with your payroll and super

⚽ Nobody wins a World Cup with zero preseason.

But so many business owners try to "win" at tax time with zero prep all year?
Tax time can be a bigger win for the ones who did the work early, tracking expenses, keeping receipts, staying on top of their books quarter by quarter.

The ones who scramble every July are turning up to the final without playing a single qualifier. And it shows.

The good news? It's never too late to build better habits for next year.

- Start a system for your receipts and records
- Track expenses as they happen, not months later
- Stay across your BAS every quarter
- Have support in your corner all year round - not just at tax time

Preparation is the difference between lifting the trophy and watching from the sidelines. 🏆

Ever wondered why a round of drinks costs so much in Australia?
Spoiler: the ATO has a lot to do with it.

Here's the breakdown:

🍺 Beer - taxed on how strong it is. Full strength packaged beer sits at around $63.75 per litre of alcohol in excise. Draught beer gets a bit of a break - the government actually froze its tax increases until 2027. Your local pub earned that one.

🥃 Spirits - buckle up. Whisky, rum, vodka, gin - all taxed at $107.99 per litre of alcohol as of this year. Australia is the third highest taxed country for spirits in the world. Only Iceland and Norway pay more. Cheers to that. 🙃

🍷 Wine - here's where it gets interesting. Wine doesn't follow the same rules at all. It's taxed at 29% of its wholesale value - so the more expensive the bottle, the more tax is paid. A $10 cleanskin and a $100 shiraz are taxed very differently - not because of alcohol content, but because of price.

Cheers to the ATO's cut

No Tax Return Bookings in July

We don't open tax return bookings in July because we care about getting it right. First time.

The ATO needs time to process your PAYG, interest, dividends and other income - and rushing that process often means amendments later. We'd rather wait a few extra weeks and lodge a return that's accurate, complete, and working in your favour.

(If you have shares, a super intent to claim, or any other deductions, have those details ready. You'd be surprised how easy they are to forget come tax time! 😅)

2026 tax return bookings open in August.

Imagine being taxed for being single

It happened.

In the early 1900s, several US states introduced - or seriously tried to introduce - a bachelor tax. Unmarried men over a certain age were charged an annual fee simply for not being married.

The government's logic: single men weren't contributing to society the way married men were. No wife. No children. No tax break for you. Actually — extra tax for you.

Missouri passed one in 1821. Rome had a version of it under Augustus Caesar in 18 BC. The UK debated it multiple times. Even Australia had the conversation in the early 1900s.

It never became widespread - but for a while there, being single was genuinely a taxable condition.