What is PAYG Withholding and What Employers Must Know?

Many of you may be unaware of the PAYG system and how it can affect your business. The ATO has some methods to help you make tax season easy for you each year. One of the most common methods is known as Pay As You Go (PAYG). If you don’t know about it, you can ask your experienced tax accountant. If you don’t have a tax accountant, then you can also hire near your area by searching for ‘small business accountants near me.’ In today’s blog, we’ll discuss PAYG withholding and other related aspects to it. Let’s get started:

What is Pay As You Go (PAYG)?

PAYG or Pay As You Go is a system where the ATO allows you to pay some portion of future liability in advance to minimise the amount, which the ATO owns at the end of the financial year. If you pay regularly throughout the year, it can minimise the risk of paying a large tax bill later on and help businesses manage their cash flow in a better way. There are two types of PAYG, such as:

• PAYG Withholding (or PAYG – W) is a pre-payment on your employees’ behalf for their personal income tax obligations.

• PAYG Instalment (or PAYG – I) is a pre-payment for the business for its own income tax obligation.

What is PAYG Withholding?

PAYG is a withholding tax that you need to pay incremental amounts of the income of your business to the ATO. And, it is the tax payment you make throughout the year on the behalf of contractors, employees, and other payees. When you are allowed to make partial payments, you can protect yourself from paying a large amount on tax bills at the end of the financial year. Apart from this, if you want someone with vast knowledge of accounting, you can hire a chartered accountant. If you are living in Victoria, then you can also search for ‘chartered accountant near Victoria.’

Do You Need to Pay PAYG Withholding?

Many of you may have a question about whether you need to pay PAYG withholding or not. Well, if your organisation pays any of the following, then you have to pay PAYG withholding:

• Company directors

• Employees

• Members of parliament (Office holders)

• Businesses that don’t quote their Australian business number

The following are a few things you need to keep in your mind:

• You need to register for PAYG withholding before you pay which is subject to withholding. It is needed even if you don’t withhold an amount from a payment that is made.

• You must cancel your PAYG withholding registration if you stop to be an employer.

• Before you sign the work agreement, you have to check that the worker can work in Australia legally.

• PAYG withholding is not the same as payroll tax, which is a state tax.

Moreover, you can also ask your tax agent about these guidelines because they always keep themselves updated with these laws. If you don’t have an accountant, then you can also search for ‘accountants near me’ to know what accountants are near your location so you can choose one.

What are Your PAYG Obligations?

Being a business owner, you would have an obligation under the ATO rules to get tax from the payments you pay to employees and businesses to make sure that they fulfil their end of the financial year requirements. To check whether you have a withholding obligation or not, check if the following conditions apply:

• You are an employer

• You hire other workers, such as contractors and both of you enter into a voluntary agreement to withhold amounts from your payments to them

• You pay businesses that don’t quote their ABN

In addition to this, to know more about each and every factor of tax-related matters, you can hire a tax accountant. If you are living in Melbourne, then you can also look for tax accountants near Melbourne.

Conclusion

As an employer, it is important to know about PAYG withholding to know whether you should pay PAYG withholding or not. The blog also shares information on what will be PAYG withholding obligations. To know more about it, you can also contact Reliable Melbourne Accountants.

What Happens If You Fail to Lodge A Tax Return On Time?

Regardless of whether you are a small business owner or a big enterprise owner, if you lodge a tax return after the due date, then you may get into trouble. The ATO has stringent rules and regulations and everyone has to follow all those rules. If someone tries to break those rules, then they may have to pay fines or penalties. 

In the case of the taxation process, if you are filing a tax return late or forget to lodge a tax return due to any reason, then the ATO (Australian Taxation Office) will issue a failure to lodge (FTL) notice. If you are managing a company’s tax returns on your own, then it might become difficult for you to manage everything on your own when your business starts growing. Thus, it would be better to hire accounting services for businesses. Keep reading this blog to know why you may receive FTL notice and what can be done at a later stage.

What is Failure to Lodge (FTL) Notice?

A failure to lodge is a notice issued by the Australian taxation office (ATO) to those who are required to file a tax return, report or statement by a specific date but fail to do so. Australians who fail to lodge their tax returns on time could face this issue. However, every time you don't need to pay fines or penalties because of late lodgment of the tax return. Generally, the ATO consider personal circumstances before deciding on issuing FTL or taking further action.

On the other hand, if you have a professional tax accountant, then you can be sure that your company’s tax returns will be paid on time, and you don’t need to worry about it. For this reason, many business owners and individuals opt for accounting services in Melbourne so they can avoid paying unnecessary amounts on taxes.

Why Would You Receive a Failure to Lodge Notice?

If your tax return has not been filed on the agreed date to the ATO, you will receive a warning, and the warning can be either in writing or on the phone to notify you that you haven’t lodged your tax return. FTL penalties can be applied to the lodgments written below:

• FBT returns

• Tax returns

• Penalty for not lodging activity statement on time

• Single touch payroll reports

• Taxable payment annual reports

• Annual GST returns

Additional manual penalties or fines can be applied if taxpayers ignore requests for lodgment. To avoid paying these types of penalties, you should pay taxes on time, or you can hire accounting solutions for your company near your area by searching ‘accounting services near me.’

How is FTL Penalty Calculated?

FTL penalties can vary, and it will depend on the size of the entity and the length of time that has passed after the due date for lodgment.

• Small Entities

At the rate of a single penalty unit, FTL penalties are calculated for each 28-day period that the tax return is overdue. The penalty can be applied up to 5 penalty units.

• Medium Entities

For medium entities, the penalty unit which is applied to small entities is multiplied by 2. Medium entities are considered medium withholders for PAYG, which have assessable income or GST turnover of more than $1 million, but it would be less than $20 million.

• Large Entities

In the case of large entities, the penalty unit is multiplied by 5. A large entity is defined as a large withholder for PAYG, which has assessable income or GST turnover of $20 million or more.

• Significant Entities

For significant entities, penalties are multiplied by 500. Such penalties have applied on or after 1 July 2017 to significant entities that have failed to lodge approved forms on a specified date.

If you have already prepared financial transaction records, then it will be easy for accountants to lodge a tax return on time. For this purpose, you should take help from the Melbourne bookkeeper to record all financial transactions so they can give those records to the accountant for taxation process.

Can You Ask for a Remission for FTL Penalties?

A taxpayer can reduce or avoid penalties by requesting FTL penalty remission. Remissions are of two types:

• In full

• In part, if there are exceptional or extenuating circumstances – for instance, if you fail to lodge a tax return on time because of a natural disaster or serious illness.

Once taxpayers’ outstanding statements or returns have been lodged, they can request FTL remission. The ATO can reduce or remit the penalty based on individual circumstances. The best method to avoid paying penalties is by lodging tax returns on time and if you don’t have time, then you can opt for accounting services where your accountant will do it for you.

Conclusion

The blog shares information on failure to lodge notice and what can be done if you receive this type of notice from the ATO. For further detail regarding this, you can also contact Reliable Melbourne Accountants.

What do You Need to Know about PAYG Instalments?

When it comes to different types of taxes that every business owner must know, then many business owners consider Pay As You Go (PAYG) tax instalments self-explanatory. However, there are some important points that you need to consider as a business owner, especially if you are new to the system. If you are a startup business owner, then it might seem difficult for you to manage PAYG tax instalments, but you don’t need to worry about them if you have a reliable tax accountant. If you don’t have one yet, then you can look for a professional tax agent Melbourne.

The ATO has different methods that taxpayers use to pay their annual taxes. Generally, the PAYG scheme was introduced to create tax instalments on regular basis for individuals that meet specific criteria. As a result, it can be considered controlled and manageable tax payments. To know more about PAYG instalments, keep reading this blog:

What are Pay As You Go (PAYG) Instalments?

PAYG instalments are referred to as payments that you make on taxes for business and investment income. In simple words, if you are running a business or investing and making above the annual income threshold, then you need to opt for PAYG instalments. To keep a healthy cash flow, it is important to plan ahead for the end of the financial year. In this situation, PAYG instalments can help you. You can also ask a tax agent about PAYG instalments if you are unaware of them. For this, you can also search for ‘tax agent near me’ to find a tax agent near your location to lodge your tax returns.

How do PAYG Instalments Work?

Generally, you need to pay PAYG instalments once every 3 months. The amount that you need to pay will be based on your investment and business income. As a result, you can avoid large tax bills after you file your income tax return. If you pay PAYG instalments even then, you have to file an annual income tax return. You can plan ahead, manage your cash flow, and budget for tax costs.

Usually, PAYG instalments are made during the year to evaluate and check whether the company owes more tax or is due for a tax refund. The sum of tax liability is calculated when the yearly income tax return is determined at the end of the financial year. The ATO will notify companies and people who have to pay PAYG instalments. If you have an experienced tax agent, then they can keep you updated regarding this. However, if you haven’t hired one, then you can search for the best tax agent Melbourne.

PAYG Withholding vs. PAYG Instalments

Basically, there are two kinds of PAYG tax payment methods – PAYG withholding and PAYG Instalments. You need to understand the basic difference between PAYG instalments and PAYG withholding for tax purposes.

• PAYG Instalments or PAYG – I: in this type of tax payment, an employer is responsible for withholding an employee’s tax and pays the tax on the behalf of the contractor or employee to the Australian Tax Office.

• PAYG Withholding or PAYG – W: in this type of tax payment, a business owner or sole trader makes payments once every 3 months to the ATO and this payment will be based on their investment or business income.

You can also search for an online tax agent Melbourne to get details about tax returns, PAYG instalments, PAYG withholding, etc. You can also take help from them to know how you can pay PAYG instalments.

How to PAYG Instalments?

There are two methods that you can use to pay the PAYG instalments:

• Automatic Entry

If you surpass an income threshold, then you will be automatically liable to PAYG instalments. The ATO will notify you that you have been enrolled in PAYG. They will also notify you about how much you have to pay and the date when you have to file your tax returns.

• Voluntary Entry

You will be liable to voluntary entry when you sign up for PAYG before you get enrolled for the PAYG by the ATO automatically. The individual can plan and enroll in the PAYG instalments before they meet the ATO thresholds. Voluntary entry is relevant for firms or sole traders who got a huge profit or are new to the business.

Before you pay any type of tax, it is important to have an accurate financial transaction record, and the Melbourne bookkeeper can better do it for you. These records are used by tax accountants to prepare and lodge a tax return.

Conclusion

The blog is all about PAYG instalments and now, you may have an idea about what exactly PAYG instalments are and how they can benefit you. Moreover, for more details, you can also contact Reliable Melbourne Accountants.

How Taxation Accountants Can Benefit You When Filing Taxes?

Many business owners find tax season stressful, especially when they have to manage everything on their own without taking help from a tax return accountant. Therefore, if you don’t want to make your tax season stressful, then it would be beneficial for you to hire a tax accountant. If you are not aware of possible tax deductions, then you may be paying more than necessary. However, tax accountants are experts in managing taxes and have wealth of knowledge regarding tax deductions to help you save money. In today’s blog, we’ll talk about what benefits you can get by taking help from a tax accountant for your business.

Let’s get started:

Methods through Taxations Accountants can Benefit Your Business

With greater accuracy, less stress, and optimised funds, we understand every business owner is hiring a tax accountant for their business. No matter whether you are a startup business owner or have already a large business, if you want to grow your business, then you need to focus on each and every business activity but if you are only focusing on business accounts and taxes, then it would become difficult for you to focus on business growth, right? What if you hire a taxation accountant for your business? Well, if you hire someone to look after your tax returns, then you are more likely to grow your business without concern about taxes. Take a look at the following section to know how a tax accountant can benefit you:

·        Reduce Your Taxes

An experienced business accountant knows tax rules and regulations and will use the wealth of knowledge to help you reduce the taxes that you have to pay. As a business owner, you will have several opportunities to reduce your taxable income, but the thing is that you need to grab those opportunities. However, many business owners don’t know what and how to grab opportunities to minimise their taxable incomes, this is where tax accountant Melbourne can help you.

·        Increase Tax Deductions

When you hire a tax accountant for your business, then you will notice that your tax deductions and tax refunds are increased. Business accountants who are specialised in helping small business owners will know how they can help businesses get the most from their tax returns. A professional accountant also helps you in spotting all the tax deductions that you are entitled to. They will help you with potential tax deductions to help you pay less.

·        Up-To-Date with Tax Laws

Can you confidently say that you are up-to-date with Australian tax laws? If you are not, then this is the time when a small business accountant in Melbourne can help you because accountants understand that this is not your field of expertise. Everyone knows that Australian tax laws are continuously changing. If you are not aware of these new tax laws, then you could accidentally go against those laws. If you don’t want to pay penalties or fines for accidentally violating tax laws, then you should take help from a tax accountant. As a result, a tax accountant can save the business money.

·        Avoid Errors

As a startup business owner and if you are managing your taxes on your own, then there is the possibility that you could commit some mistakes. When you have to maintain a work-life balance simultaneously, then the chances of mistakes occurring double. In addition to this, if you don’t have enough time to look after your business books and business accounts, then you need to get a bookkeeper service as well as an accounting solution.

·        Save You Time

Nothing can beat the convenience of hiring a professional accountant to get your accounting job done accurately the first time. Hiring a tax accountant for a tax return is a good idea. Many of you may think that why hire a professional tax accountant if you can do it on your own, right? Well, you can do it on your own only if you have sufficient time, but business owners, who want to grow their business and don’t have enough time to prepare and file taxes, are required to hire a tax professional for their business. You can save time and invest your precious time in making a robust business strategy to boost your business growth.

Conclusion

If you are confused about whether you should hire a business accountant or not, then you can read all the above benefits of hiring a tax accountant. Moreover, you can get accounting solutions for your business by reaching Reliable Melbourne Accountants.

7 Ways Taxation Accountants Increase Business Profit

Many business owners may think that they are saving business money by managing business accounts and financial matters on their own. While it is important to look after bookkeeping for small businesses, cash flow management, and tax obligations, most often, business owners find it difficult to consider these things at the same time when they are focusing on their business strategy to grow their business. This is the reason why they should hire a tax accountant to save the business money and grow their business. In today’s blog, we’ll talk about the responsibilities of an accountant for businesses and how they can help you grow your business and increase profit.
Let’s get started.

7 Ways Taxation Accountants Use to Save Business Money

Have you ever reviewed your business profitability? Do you feel that you are making money but have little in your account? Keeping an eye on business goals and business finance at the same time might be confusing. Most business owners don’t have enough time and find difficulty in managing their business books and accounts simultaneously. For this reason, they must take help from a business accountant to take care of their business finances.

·        Check Your Expenses and Areas Where You Can Save Money

Being a business owner, you need to keep track of your business expenses and make sure you are not spending too much money on unnecessary things. Accountants can help you to spot areas where you could save money and they also act as financial advisors and offer you advice on how you can cut costs without compromising the products or services quality.

You can take help from a tax agent Melbourne as they are skilled and experienced in managing your business taxes and offer customised advice to help you maximise your profits.

·        Help You Set Up a Budget

If you are like all business owners and want to increase business profit, then you must take help from an accountant to set up a realistic budget. Many businesses fail because they don’t know exactly where the money is going. Business accountants can help you keep track of your business expenses and also create a budget plan to help you save the business money. In addition to this, they can advise on how to minimise expenses and increase your profits.

·        Assist You with Tax Deductions You are Eligible for

When it comes to increasing business profit, a tax return accountant plays an important role. One of the effective methods an accountant can use is by suggesting possible tax deductions you are eligible for. Various tax deductions are available that you can claim and an experienced tax accountant can help you increase your deductions. As a result, there will be a considerable reduction in your tax bill. Subsequently, you can better stay on track in terms of business finances and make the right decisions regarding where to assign your resources.

·        Give Advice for Increasing Revenue

As a business owner, you may be curious to know how an accountant can help you increase business profit, right? Well, there are numerous ways to achieve this as you may have to make a few strategies for your business. For instance, accountants can advise you to expand your services or products and reach out to new markets. No matter what strategy you follow to increase your revenue, accountants in Melbourne can help you make a plan and keep track of your progress to make sure that you are achieving what you want.

·        Avoid Tax Penalties

Tax accountant Melbourne acts as a trusted advisor when it is a matter of staying up to date with the new tax rules and regulations. They can help you with expert advice on how you can increase business profit and reduce your taxes each year. They will prepare and lodge a tax return on time to prevent you from paying penalties or fines to the ATO.

·        Help You Keep an Eye on Business Finances

Many small business owners struggle in managing business finances. This is where accountants come to play their role. They can help you give a picture of the financial condition of your business, including expenses, income, and profits. This information is beneficial in making the right business decision about how to assign resources in the right way and increase your profits. An accountant can help make a financial and budget plan.

·        Fix the Cash Flow

Many businesses fail because they overlook the benefits of cash flow management and as a result, they run out of money. If payments are not made on time, then even profitable business won’t last long. Small business accountants know how to manage cash flow and help you estimate the impact on cash flow and provide strategies to manage the situation.

Conclusion

The blog shares information on the benefits of taking help from an accountant to grow your business. If you are looking for accounting solutions for your business, then you can contact Reliable Melbourne Accountants. 

Do You Need Taxation Accountants to Lodge Your Tax Return?

Most probably, every business owner knows that lodging a business tax return is a difficult task when you are not aware of what documents are important during tax season. If you have a tax return accountant by your side, then it will become easy for you to lodge your tax return. Tax accountants are experts in filing tax returns of a specific industry, and some are experts in a specific area of tax. Thus, make sure to choose one that matches your business requirements. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss what benefits you can get if you hire a tax accountant to lodge your tax return. Let’s get started:

Why You Should Take Help from Taxation Accountants to File Your Tax Return?

If you are confused about whether you should manage your tax yourself or hire a tax accountant. The answer would be tricky. However, taxes are not simple as you may think and for individuals who are weak in managing numbers, then filing taxes would be difficult and stressful for them. Thus, it would be best to seek help from a professional tax accountant to file your tax return. You have to pay a fee for hiring a tax accountant, but expert tax accountants for small business can save you from paying penalties or fines because of late or incorrect filing of tax returns.

Here are some advantages that you can get by taking help from a tax accountant:

·        No matter how carefully you file your tax returns, it is common to make mistakes that could lead to fines or an audit. However, a tax accountant who has a wealth of knowledge and experience in filing tax returns with less likely to make mistakes, so it would be easy for you to manage other business tasks.

·        If you don’t know what expenses you can claim or what are possible tax deductions for businesses, then it is a sign that you need to hire an expert tax accountant who knows about potential tax deductions for businesses.

·        A qualified tax accountant who is specialised in working with taxes can be a blessing for you during tax season. When you hire an expert tax accountant for your business, then you can be sure that everything will go smoothly.

·        Budgeting is extremely important when you want to grow your business. An experienced tax professional can easily assist you in forecasting a business budget that will help you achieve your business goals. Accountants can help you predict future revenues and costs by using their access to your financial data so you can make the right business decision.

·        The biggest advantage of hiring tax accountants is that they not only help you with filing tax returns but are also good financial advisors. They work closely with your business and know what you aim for, they offer you relevant business advice to grow your business.

Documents You Need to Give to Your Tax Accountant for Tax Return

Well, in the below section, we have given a checklist of documents that you need to provide to your tax accountant for your tax returns:

Basic Documents

·        Tax File Number (TFN)

·        Bank details

·        Your Medicare number for medical expenses

·        Children and spouse details

·        Income Tax Assessment of last year

Your Earnings

·        Payment summaries from the place where you’ve received your income

·        Details regarding foreign earnings

·        Details or statements on earnings from managed funds

·        Any interest you received from building societies or banks

·        If you have a spouse, then you need details of their expenses and earnings

·        Any other income received

Deductions

·        Receipts for donations and gifts

·        Medical receipts

·        The super contribution you want to claim as your deductions

·        Expenses for managing taxes, i.e. tax professionals

·        Information regarding your income protection insurance

·        If you are self-employed, then contributions to superannuation, to name a few

All of the above-mentioned documents are some important documents that you need to give to your tax accountant while lodging your tax return. The thing that you need to keep in your mind is that ask your tax accountant about possible tax incentives to increase your tax deductions. Your tax accountant will work to help you get maximum tax deductions. Moreover, before proceeding to tax season, it is necessary to focus on your business books. The most important part is bank reconciliation which is performed by an expert bookkeeper because accurate transactions are important while filing tax returns. Thus, you need to reconcile your bank accounts before your tax accountant proceeds further to lodge your tax return.

Wrapping Up

The blog shares information on the importance of hiring a tax accountant when it is time to lodge business taxes. Apart from this, you also came to know what information or documents are required to give to your accountant to help him/her file taxes. Further, you can get more details on taxes by contacting Reliable Melbourne Accountants.  

Significance of a Taxation Accountant for a Startup Business

If you are a startup business owner, reducing unnecessary expenses and increasing profits are probably your topmost priority. For this reason, they need to have well-maintained books of accounts, just in case an investor likes to check the profit statements. This is where an accountant comes to play his/her role. Hiring an accountant to deal with business finances would help you in the long run. To manage your business taxes and other legal tasks, it is better to take help from taxation accountants.

Many small business owners like to manage their business taxes and business accounts on their own, but if you hire a tax accountant for your business, then you can save money in the long run. In today’s competitive world, it is quite challenging for business owners to do their own taxes and look after bookkeeping and accounting. Thus, it is important to hire accountants so they can make a strong business strategy to gain more profit.

Importance of Taxation Accountants in a Business

Ensuring your business is following all the tax rules and regulations is one of the most important responsibilities of a company’s accountant. Furthermore, a professional and experienced accountant will offer you more than preparing financial statements. The following are core responsibilities of a tax accountant:

·        Financial Operations

A professional accountant will be responsible for performing financial tasks, including:

o   Gathering and recording finances

o   Analysis of business finances

o   Showing financial reports

o   Making sure the accuracy of financial reports of a business

In a small business, an accountant gathers financial data, performs financial entry, and generates a report. In a big company, an accountant may need to be a financial advisor and show financial data within and outside the company. Furthermore, an accountant can also help manage third parties, such as clients, vendors, and other institutions.

·        Financial Advisor and Analysts

Accountants are great financial advisors and analysts. It means they can help you make the right business decisions, from basic order supply to bill payments. In addition to this, they can also advise you on business functions, expenditures, revenues, and financial commitments. Tax agent Melbourne can help you know where you can save money or reduce taxes.

 

Accountants’ suggestions help you develop relevant procedures, resources, and strategies to deal with a particular financial issue or situation. Despite this, accountants also help evaluate the feasibility of investments. Before an investment, there is a need for proper analysis of costs and estimation for future cash flow.

 

·        Look after All the Financial Transactions

If you are running a business, then you must know what comes in and out of your business in the form of finances. If you are unaware of these financial transactions, then you won’t be able to prepare and file for business taxes. A tax accountant understands your business needs and guides you accordingly. Despite this, bookkeeping services are also important to track each financial transaction because, with accurate bookkeeping, a bookkeeper can help an accountant to proceed further. Thus, accounting and bookkeeping for small business, both aspects are essential to run business smoothly.

 

·        Help You with Business Planning

An effective business plan will guide you on how to achieve your business goals and help you secure funding. Accountants will make sure your business plans are realistic, achievable, and updated.

 

·        Projection of Budget Expenses

During the starting phase of your business, it is important to lower your expenses as much as you can. With the help of a cash flow statement, you can regulate the flow of money and understand where to invest. A tax accountant Melbourne will help you understand how you can manage your expenses legally to gain benefits as per the work you do and the niche you work in.

 

Well, nothing is fixed in the business, and everything gets changed according to the market environment, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t estimate your earnings. An accountant can help you with financial prediction and keep you better organised for what is going to happen next.

 

·        Suggestion of Possible Tax Deductions

When it comes to increasing business profit, then you must take help from an accountant to get accounting services. An accountant can help you get potential tax deductions. Tax accountants know different tax deductions that businesses can claim. An experienced and professional accountant can help you increase your deductions. As a result, you can get a considerable reduction in your tax bills.

 

·        Manage Business Growth

Accountants help small business owners effectively increase their profits. They can help you by suggesting different ways to reduce unnecessary costs and increase revenue. They can also help you identify new markets for your services or products.

Conclusion

Accountants are responsible for considering internal as well as external factors of your business to help you increase profit. They can help you by keeping your financial records accurate, offering you valuable advice, and managing your business finances. If you want to stay on top of business accounts, then you can contact Reliable Melbourne Accountants.