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  Business Support Fund – Tax Consequences   A government payment to assist a business to continue operating is included in assessable income. This will include assistance provided as a one-off lump sum or a series of payments. For businesses operating on:   an accruals accounting method – the income will be derived when the right to the government payment arises a cash accounting method – the income will be derived when the government payment is received.   Generally, you do not have to pay GST on grant funding unless you provide something of value in return for the payment. Providing something of value for the payment can include entering into a binding legal obligation to do something or refrain from doing something in order to receive the payment.   Example – Cash payment for running business   Bharat operates a local café which employs five full time and 10 casual workers. As a result of COVID-19 the café is closed for two months ...

JobKeeper – Business monthly declaration If you have enrolled for the JobKeeper Payment and identified your eligible employees, you need to make a business monthly declaration to the ATO. You will be able to do this from the 1st to the 14th day of each month, to receive reimbursements for the payments you have made to your employees in the previous month. For example, the business monthly declaration for reimbursement of JobKeeper payments for the month of May needs to be completed by 14 June. Each month every business enrolled for Job Keeper payment must reconfirm their reported eligible employees. Every business must also provide information regarding their current and projected turnover. This is not a re-test of your eligibility, but rather an indication of how your business is progressing under the JobKeeper Payment scheme. If your eligible employees change or leave their employment, you will need to notify ATO through your monthly declaration. Conta...

Superannuation guarantee amnesty bill passed Parliament on 24 February 2020 and has now received Royal Assent and is law. This law change provides a number of incentives for employers to pay any unpaid historical superannuation guarantee (SG) amounts relating to the period 1 July 1992 to 31 March 2018. Superannuation guarantee amnesty benefits   Provided superannuation guarantee charge (SGC) relating to the period above is paid during the amnesty period of 24 May 2018 until 6 months after the date of Royal Assent (6 September 2020), eligible employers will receive the following benefits:   The SGC will be deductible The SGC, which is usually non-deductible, is comprised of the following amounts: Ø   The total SG shortfall – that is, the total of the SG shortfalls for each affected employee. Ø   Interest on SG shortfalls – currently 10% per annum on each individual SG shortfall; and Ø   An administration fee – usually $20 pe...

Feeling charitable in the lead up to the festive season?  Whether you’re digging deep to support your favorite charity or dropping five bucks into a donation bucket, hang onto those receipts! You might be able to claim a deduction next tax time. For your donation to be deductible, it must be for $2 or more and made to what’s called a ‘deductible gift recipient’ (DGR). Organizations entitled to receive tax-deductible gifts are called 'deductible gift recipients' (DGRs). You can only claim a tax deduction for gifts or donations to organizations that have DGR status. The person that makes the gift (the donor) is the person that can claim a deduction. What is a DGR? A deductible gift recipient (DGR) is an organization or fund that can receive tax-deductible gifts. Not all charities are DGRs. For example, in recent times crowdfunding campaigns have become a popular way to raise money for charitable causes. However, many of these crowdfunding websites ...

TAX TIME MYTHS VS FACTS Here are some of the most common MYTHS relating to tax deductions – Myth:  I can claim home to work travel because I need to get to work to earn my income. Fact:  For most of us, home to work travel is a private expense. Myth:  Everyone can automatically claim $150 for clothing and laundry, 5,000km under the cents per  kilometer  method for car expenses, or $300 for work-related expenses, even if they didn’t spend the money. Fact:  There is no such thing as an “automatic” or “standard deduction”. Substantiation exceptions provide relief from the need to keep receipts in certain circumstances. While you don’t need receipts for claims under $300 for work-related expenses, $150 for laundry expenses (note: this is for laundry expenses only and does not include clothing expenses) or if you are claiming 5,000km or less for car expenses under the cents per kilometer method, you still must have spent the money, i...

Own an investment property? Planning to buy an investment property? Not sure how negative gearing works and how it can benefit you? Then you must read this. Negative gearing means that the interest you are paying on the investment loan is more than the income. As a result you are making a loss. The Positives of Negative Gearing So, if negative gearing means that you’re making a loss, how can that be positive? Nobody wants to get into property investment to lose money. Even though most properties you buy will be negatively geared i.e. rental income is less than the interest repayments, the real benefit comes from the capital growth i.e. increased value of the property. Negative gearing can work if the money you make from the capital growth is greater than the loss you make in rental shortfall. And with negative gearing, you will still reap the benefits of tax reduction by offsetting negative gearing amount against your other income. Example John pays $20,000 i...

Expenses may be deductible for periods when the property is not rented out, providing the property is genuinely available for rent – that is: • The property is advertised, giving it broad exposure to potential tenants • Considering all the circumstances, tenants are reasonably likely to rent the property.   The absence of these factors generally indicates the owner doesn’t have a genuine intention to make income from the property. Factors that may indicate a property is not genuinely available for rent include: • It is advertised in ways that limit its exposure to potential tenants – for example, the property is only advertised: o    at your workplace o    by word of mouth outside annual holiday periods when the likelihood of it being rented out is very low • The location, condition of the property, or accessibility of the property, mean it is unlikely tenants will seek to rent it • You place unreasonable or stringent conditions ...

Updating your name with the ATO If you need to lodge tax returns under a new name that is not current on Australian Tax Office (ATO) records, the details will need to be updated before your tax return is lodged. The ATO has issued instructions regarding the steps necessary to change your name for Individuals and Sole Traders. You cannot change your name via the front page of the tax return, as you have in the past. If you do not follow the procedure mentioned below, processing of your tax return will be delayed by ATO.   You can do this by telephone or online: The quickest way to update your name is by using the online services for individuals. All you need is a myGov account linked to the ATO. Alternatively, you can call ATO to get this done quickly over the phone. Phone 13 28 61 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday, and ask to be transferred to ‘Personal Tax Enquiries’. Whether you make the change online or by phone, make...

Made a mistake on your tax return? If you have made a mistake or need to amend your tax return, it is important you lodge an amendment as soon as you’ve realized the error made on your original return. It is important to note that time limits apply for lodgment of amendments. The law sets time limits for amending your tax assessment. For individuals and small businesses the time limit is generally two years, and for other taxpayers four years, from the day after ATO has issued you the notice of assessment for the year in question (generally taken to be the date on the notice or, if ATO doesn’t issue a notice, the date the relevant return was lodged). For example, you’re a sole trader and receive a notice of assessment dated 8 th  December 2015. Your two-year amendment period starts on 9 th  December 2015 (the day after the date on the notice) and ends two years later, on 8 th  December 2017, so you have until that day to lodge a request for an amend...