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Try our obligation-free quotes to find out how much money we can save you

If you are a business we can provide a fixed quote of our fees plus a promise of how much money we will save you. If we don’t meet that promise then our fees reduce to zero!

This is a quick and easy service that can be done completely by email and phone.

Office closure 2022-2023

Our offices will be closed from 24 December 2022 to 10 January 2023. We will attend to all inquiries when we re-open. For emergencies please email info@bentleyaccounting.com.au

We wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

All directors must now obtain a director ID

If you want to become a director or are already one, you need a director ID. If you fail to meet this obligation you may face civil or criminal penalties and be issued an infringement notice.

Paying too much super = extra tax

If your superfund has received contributions totalling over the cap then you will be charged an extra tax called “Excess concessional contribution charge”. If this has happened to you the Tax Office will send you a letter detailing what has happened. The end result is that the excess super contributed causes a tax liability.

However, you have an opportunity to elect to have this excess paid out of your super fund balance (which will be included in the letter sent by the ATO.

Employers must use single touch payroll

Single touch payroll (STP) is a requirement of reporting tax and super information to the Tax Office as you pay wages.

  • If you need to report, you will need to use special complying payroll software
  • There is an exemption for closely held employees for the 2020 financial year and quarterly reporting afterwards (the Tax Office may change this plan in the future)
  • All other employees must have their wages reported every time they are paid (ie weekly, fortnightly or monthly)
  • There are numerous software options available
    SuperStream – a new mandatory system for paying and receiving superannuation

    SuperStream is the way businesses must pay employee superannuation guarantee contributions to super funds. With SuperStream money and data are reported electronically by the employer.

    Small Business Employers – Make sure that you are paying super using the SuperStream system.

    Self Managed Superfunds – Make sure that you are registering to use SuperStream in order to report the receipt of contributions to the Tax Office.

    The importance of using a certified practising accountant

    A Tax Agent who is also a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) is a person who has extensive academic qualifications including 7 years of tertiary studies, as well as years of hands on experience in the accounting field. It is also someone who is bound by law as well as by CPA Australia’s Ethical Code of Conduct.

    Materials to provide for your tax returns and activity statements

    We have created a list of items that we will need from you in order to prepare your Tax Returns and Activity Statements.

    You can send these items to us by post and email.

    Methods to send your documents and files to us

    We discuss the different options available to you, from posting to sending via your mobile phone.

    Extra compliance requirement for businesses in the building industry

    Every year businesses in the construction industry that have made payments to contractors for building and construction services will need to lodge a “Taxable payments annual report” listing the details of each building/construction contractor that has been paid during the year, by 28 August of that year.

      Tax returns by phone Australia-wide

      Bentley Accounting can prepare your tax returns over the phone. This is the same level of service you get when coming to a face-to-face meeting with a professional accountant.

      You don’t need to have any knowledge of Tax Law whatsoever, and you don’t need to know how to prepare a tax return.

      Sending your documents to us

      In order to provide our services over the phone we may need to receive certain information from you. If you are having concerns about providing this information, or if the idea of a guaranteed Refund Quote sounds too good to be true, this article will attempt to address your concerns.

      Key dates and important compliance issues

      Our clients should keep themselves updated on their obligations regarding tax, superannuation, workers compensation insurance and other relevant issues.

      We have attempted to present this information in a clear and concise way in our Key Dates page. However you may have further obligations which are not covered in this page (including obligations to your employees under Fair Work, the full range of obligations as Directors of a company under the Corporations Act and requirements to keep your workplace safe in line with Workplace Health and Safety Laws).

      You can use our Links page to explore your other obligations

        Personal superannuation contributions

        Making a personal superannuation contribution to be claimed as a deduction can be a great tax strategy, as long as you follow the correct procedure.

        In order to claim a deduction for your personal superannuation contribution you must

        for example if in May 2019 you made a personal superannuation contribution you must lodge the form before 30 June 2020 or before the lodgement date of your 2019 tax return, whichever date comes first.

        • Receive confirmation of receipt of that notice from your superfund.

        Interesting Articles from External Sources

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        Compulsory Superannuation under Labor will gradually increase to 12 percent, starting in July 2013

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        Higher Super: What it means for low-income earners

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        A Coalition government is likely to keep super at 9 percent

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        ATO benchmarks catch out small businesses

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        ATO uses new systems to find tax cheats who keep their funds offshore