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Super is generally one of the most considerable assets we have. Yet, we see many individuals (including SME business owners) who see superannuation as just a ‘compliance requirement’ – instead of the immense opportunity it can be.

Making voluntary superannuation contributions can help you plan for your retirement and minimise your taxes (amongst other things). However, we see many business owners who don’t make the most of the opportunities that come with voluntary superannuation contributions. 

Personal superannuation is an asset for business owners that offers more certainty than investing in your business alone. 

But, we often see SME business owners fail to pay into their own super account. Around 20% of self-employed workers have no super at all, contrasting to less than 10% of employees. This isn’t not sensible, given the vast upside to building and managing your superannuation for your retirement. 

Voluntary superannuation contributions are one of the simplest ways to access a sizeable tax reduction for you. While the precise nature of the tax savings will vary depending on whether you make concessional (before-tax) or non-concessional (after-tax) contributions, adding to your superannuation should be an essential part of your overall tax strategy. 

Some of the effects of making superannuation contributions include: 

• Reducing your taxable income. 
• Boost your superannuation balance for retirement.
• Purchase your business premises via a self managed superannuation fund.
• Allow your wealth to grow in a low tax rate environment.

The number of Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs) in Australia is increasing everyday, given that they offer you greater control over the management of your super and the potential for you to access further tax minimisation strategies. The rules relating to self-managed super funds in Australia also offer several advantages for business owners. These include:

• The potential to reduce capital gains tax.
• Tax rates are generally much lower than in other structures (income tax capped at 15%)
• The potential to purchase your business premises in your SMSF 
• The potential to earn ongoing income in retirement through business operations or rental income (or both).

However, despite the potential advantages, an SMSF is not suitable for every business owner. Therefore, deciding whether to set up an SMSF is a major decision. It is a decision that should not be taken lightly or before seeking professional advice. If you’d like to make the most of the superannuation contribution benefits and opportunities, reach out. 

Are you still using pen and paper for all your budgets, payslips, and inventory
management? Or maybe you’re still using Excel or Google Docs? Even the latter is
considered superfluous now that you can advance your accounting and bookkeeping
needs with cloud based, online bookkeeping software.
Worried about how you’ll make the switch? Don’t be.

Why is cloud accounting important for a
small business?

Bookkeeping is essential for small business owners because it is how you can
remain compliant to taxation laws, maximise your profits, and write your business
some sound financial budgets and plans with ease. Proper bookkeeping is the
backbone of accounting, as bookkeeping is the process of working for your business
to storing your Client and Supplier invoices, collating your business’ financial data, helps you
keep track of your debtors and creditors and maintain your stock levels, plus tells you how your
business is performing.

The best way to carry out processes like these is by using cloud-based, online
accounting software. This is simply because you can’t lose information that’s stored
on a trusted system and cloud-based software streamlines all your daily
transactions.

There are several cloud based accounting programs out there these days and each
of these software has its own benefits. We recommend small business accounting software to
you based around:

 How many employees you may have
 How accessible you want the system to be to your staff
 Your budget – there are spectrums in terms of pricing, so this is an important question
 How knowledgeable you are in the world of accounting software
 How many modules do you want in your software
Therefore, there is no straight answer to which software is the best for your small
businesses.

What is the relationship between
bookkeeping and accounting?

Accounting and bookkeeping actually work hand-in-hand. Accountants need
Bookkeepers and Bookkeepers need Accountants. Think of bookkeeping as the day-
to-day management and recording of your business’ income and expenses.
Accounting is a broader and more long-term assessment of a business, including
things such as algorithms, projections, and – of course – ATO & Government
compliances. Therefore the numbers and data prepared by a bookkeeper assists
accountants. There is no battle of accounting vs. bookkeeping; each as important as
the other, and both dedicated to helping your business succeed.

What accounting software should I use for a small business? Reach out to us here at
Larkin Partners, as we can talk you through your needs for the best outcome.

It was tax planning season 12 weeks ago – and personally, our favourite time of year as we like to save you money. BUT, why wait to May or June next year, when you can be doing things NOW when it comes to tax savings in the lead up to 30 June 2023? 

‍What is tax planning we hear you ask?

Tax planning is something us accountants generally think about when we enter the final quarter of the financial year – those April to June months… but that does not mean you shouldn’t be thinking about it NOW and ongoing throughout this fiscal year. 

This would then give you more than enough time up your sleeve to implement some smart, clever strategies to minimise your tax payable resulting from all those glorious profits your kickass business is going to be making. Here’s some tips:

​How to spend money to save on tax

The big question here is – is a tax deduction in your business’ best interest? Remember, to save $1, you must spend $4 – so is that worth considering doing it sooner rather than later? 

This comes down to what you’re looking to buy. Do you need that new car, or are you just buying it to save on tax? If there’s a piece of plant/equipment that you’ve been eyeing off and you have the cash or finance ready to go, and the business will benefit from it, then sure, you need to consider whether to buy this (and have it installed and ready for use) before 30 June to maximise your tax deductions.

Got some cash to splash?! Here are some ideas on what you can spend your money before 30 June!

Instant Asset Write Off – to infinity and beyond – it goes until 30 June 2023

The good news here is, if you’re looking at some new equipment, there is no limit on how much we can write off (immediately depreciate) for small business entities (SBE’s). Not an SBE?? – No worries! You also have the option to use temporary full expensing – which means you can still write off the full cost of that asset. Full disclosure – Capital works are excluded.

Prepayments 

Review your payment dates for things like insurances, rent, consulting and accounting fees, can you build into your cashflow now, to park funds aside to make some prepayments? 

By prepaying these items, you can bring that tax deduction forward into the 2023 financial year – keeping in mind this means the next year you won’t have it, so this is really just kicking the problem  to next year! But you can also sometimes get a handy discount on some services by offering to pay upfront, which then adds to your pocket.

Putting funds into Super – Businesses & Sole Traders

If you’re looking for an extra deduction in 2023, then consider paying your employees outstanding super before 30 June 2023, BUT also keep in mind to be paying it as you are going along each month, as it helps with cashflow, and, maybe don’t wait for that BIG quarter hit, which may put you off paying it. 

Sole traders can contribute up to $27,500 into super during the 2023 financial year, so consider doing this as you go along. Remember this includes employer SGC contributions, so for those of you that are receiving salary/wages your employer will already be using up some of that cap!

Key takeaway here is that the fund must receive and process the funds before 30 June 2023!

Is it time for you to restructure your business entity?

Different entity types pay different rates of tax. Eg, trading companies that operate as Small Business Entities enjoy a lower tax rate of just 25%. So, if your Sole Trader business’ net profit tends to go up and down significantly between different financial years – then a different business entity structure may provide you some tax relief from these swings and roundabouts.

Trusts on the other hand can’t retain profits like companies can – but they can distribute profits out to individuals/companies in a tax effective way … so thinking about whether it’s time to change is worth a call to us to discuss.  9853 4754 or info@larkinpartners.com.au

Remember – plan early so your cashflow can take advantage of what options you have.

In our day to day work here at Larkin Partners, we’ve noticed that people’s default report when it comes to knowing their numbers is their Profit & Loss. Profit & Loss is, of course, a critical indicator of your business’ health, but if cash is king- and spoiler alert, it is – then your cashflow report is your go to. It is sad, however, that fewer reports that come from your accounting software seem to strike as much fear in the hearts of beleaguered business owners as the cashflow report.

Managing your cash flow realistically is absolutely essential for your business, regardless of whether you’re thriving or struggling. For many, it’s the key piece of pie to know your business survival. It’s not unusual for business owners to discover they’ve used a lot of their start-up investment cash, leaving them with a cash crisis that then prevents them from paying their loans, suppliers, buying the materials they need to earn income and even being able to pay wages or take out their own drawings. The time delay between the time you having to pay your suppliers and the time you receive money from your customers could be a problem. The solution? It’s cash flow management. But what even is cash flow management?

Important Cash Flow Basics

Put simply, cash flow is basically the movement of funds (cash) in and out of your business. There are essentially two kinds of cash flows in most businesses:

• Positive cash flow: This occurs when the cash entering your business from sales, accounts receivables/debtors, etc. is more than the amount of the cash leaving your businesses through accounts payable, monthly expenses, employee salaries, etc.
• Negative cash flow: This occurs when the outflow of cash in your business is greater than your incoming cash. This generally means trouble for a business, but there are steps you can take to fix the negative cash flow problem and get into positive zone. Cutting down on your business expenses is one of the quickest fixes.

Profit Does Not Necessarily Equal Good Cash Flow

You can’t just review your Profit and Loss statement (P&L) and think you’ve got a handle on your business cash flow. Many other metrics feed into factoring your cash flow, including your accounts receivable, inventory, accounts payable, any capital expenditures and your tax obligations. Effective cash flow management requires an individual focus on each of these drivers of your business cash, in addition to your Profit or Loss. Those old rules of accounting define Profit simply as “revenue minus expenses”. However, a smart business owner will understand that whether you earned a profit is not the same as knowing what happened to your cash.

Business owners usually learn one principle early in their professional life – “cash is king”, because building, and keeping, an adequate stockpile of buffer cash provides you maximum opportunity and flexibility in your business while enabling you to sleep soundly at night. Without cash in the bank, your net profit is meaningless. Many profitable businesses on paper have ended up in bankruptcy because the amount of cash coming in doesn’t compare with the amount of cash going out. You need to have good cash flow to survive. Enter the cash flow report.

Typically, businesses track cash flow either weekly, monthly or quarterly. These critical numbers tell you just how much is coming in and how much is going out of your business. Making more than you’re spending? It’s all good. Cash flow regularly edging into the negative zone? Not so good.

Cash flow is, bottom line, a clear indicator of the health of your business. If you’d like some specialist support moving across from P&L to cash flow reporting, please reach out to us at info@larkinparnters.com.au or call the office 03 9853 4754. Knowledge is power, after all!

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Of course being prepared for EOFY is very important for ensuring you make the best of your business’ tax return. But, here’s something to think about ……..Would you skip a visit to your dentist and remove your own infected molar?

It’s not unusual for business owners to be uncertain around their financials. So, with end of financial year right around the corner, this is the time for you to be getting organised with your business financials and trying to understand your numbers and, then, if you can’t work out your debtors from your creditor, your assets from your liabilities, then your Accountant is here to help.

To begin with, here is a small checklist for businesses & sole traders to assist you in preparing for EOFY deadlines, so you know where you can claim business tax deductions.

Businesses can claim a tax deduction on most costs incurred in running your business, such as: 

• Home Office Expenses
• Office Equipment, Software & Supplies
• Mobile Phone Expenses
• Motor Vehicle Expenses
• Business Travel expenses
• Machinery, tools or computer expenses
• Rental Property Expenses
• Accounting Costs 

Quick Tip – You need to have a thorough evidence of these as business purchases – the better your records, the easier this process will be for you, your Bookkeeper and your Accountant. 

Getting on to your yearly tasks & paperwork

Get your paperwork up to date and check what tasks you need to complete and. Small businesses may need to complete the following tasks yearly: 

• Ensure you have a summary of income and expenses
• Conduct a stocktake as at 30 June, if required for your business
• Review your debtors and creditors for accuracy
• Collate records of any asset purchases
• Reconcile all purchases & expenses in your accounting software or a spreadsheet 

• Prepare & check you have lodged all your Business Activity Statements
• Write off any bad debts
• Check you have meet your superannuation requirements for your employees
• Run your Single Touch Payroll Finalisation report

• Prepare EOFY reports for your Accountant
• Prepare your budgets for 2022/2023, based on the results of this year.

Quick Tip – Make digital copies of any paper records and have a backup. The ATO require you to keep thorough records to support your claims for at least 5 years, therefore having digital copies and a backup is important. 

Instant asset write-off extension/temporary full expensing

Businesses with an aggregated turnover of less than $500 million can continue to claim an immediate deduction for assets that cost less than $150,000 up to June 20^th 2023.

Quick Tip – Now could be the time to upgrade your office equipment and have the cost written off by the ATO. If there are any work-related purchases you are planning to make, you should do it before June 30th to save on taxes. 

Claiming Home Office Expenses

Given that COVID-19 has driven so many of us to remote working, it’s likely you’ve invested in some new home office equipment, whether that’s new computer equipment, furniture, other technology, or stationery. Good news, it’s all claimable. 

Quick Tip – The ATO has separate guidelines for working from home, running your business from home and small businesses. For more guidance, read what you can claim on home office expenses and how to calculate tax deductions. https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/Deductions-you-can-claim/Working-from-home-expenses/

The EOFY relief will then come from you receiving expert, qualified support and the lodgement of your business return. We’ve worked with people who have never sought out the experts (for various reasons), and have found themselves exposed to breaching their obligations. 

Knowing you’re on the right track with your EOFY activities will be priceless, and will hold you in good steed for your 2022/2023 year. So, need help to get clear and ready and don’t think you can do it yourself? We’re here for you, drop us an email info@larkinpartners.com.au or pick up the phone 03 9853 4359.

With the Australia Federal Budget having been delivered, we thought we’d help out with some of the terminology they used in the news cycles, and we thought how appropriate it might be that we define some common accounting terms that may be useful for you in your everyday business life, as well as when we post specific details about the Budget, so feel free to print this little glossary out and have it handy to refer to.

Everyone knows we love working with small businesses and new entrepreneurs. One thing that we come across often when working with clients, however, is that we spend a lot of time going over basic accounting terms and concepts before getting into the essential work of tax planning, forecasting, bookkeeping coding and so on, so let’s get stuck in with defining some terms for you:

A

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• Accounts payable – a record of all unpaid short-term (less than 12 months) invoices, bills and other liabilities. Examples of accounts payable include invoices for goods or services, bills for utilities and tax payments due.
• Accounts receivable – a record of all short-term accounts (less than 12 months) from customers you sell to but are yet to pay. These customers are called debtors and are generally invoiced by a business.
• Accrual accounting – an accounting system that records transactions at the time they occur, whether the payment occurs now or in the future.
• Amortisation/Depreciation – the process of offsetting assets such as goodwill and intellectual property over a period of time. 
• Assets – things you own. These can be cash or something you can convert into cash such as property, vehicles, equipment and inventory.
• Audit – a check by an auditor or tax official on your financial records to check that you account for everything correctly.

B

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• Bad debts – money that is unlikely to be paid in the near future.
• Balance Sheet – a snapshot of a business on a particular date. It lists all of your assets and liabilities and works out the net assets.
• Balloon payment – a final lump sum payment due on a loan agreement. Loans with a larger final ‘balloon payment’ have lower regular repayments over the term of the loan.
• Bank reconciliation – a cross-check that ensures the amounts in your cashbook match the relevant bank statements.
• Benchmark – a set of conditions against which you can measure a product or business.
• Benchmarking – the process of comparing your business to similar businesses in your industry.
• Bill of sale – a legal document for the purchase of property or other assets that details the purchase, where it took place, and for how much.
• Bootstrapping – where a business funds its growth purely through personal finances and revenue from the business.
• Bottom line – also called Net profit.
• Break-even point – the exact point when a business’s income equals its expenses.
• Budget – a listing of planned revenue and expenditure for a given period.

C

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• Capital – wealth in the form of money or property owned by a business.
• Capital cost – a one-off substantial purchase of physical items such as plant, equipment, building or land.
• Capital gain – the amount gained when an asset sells above its original purchase price.
• Capital growth – an increase in the value of an asset.
• Cash – includes all money available on demand, including bank notes and coins, petty cash, certain cheques, and money in savings or debit accounts.
• Cash accounting – an accounting system that records transactions at the time you actually receive money payment.
• Cash book – a daily record of all cash, credit or cheque transactions received or paid out by a business.
• Cash flow – the measure of actual cash flowing in and out of a business.
• Cash incoming – money that is flowing into the business.
• Cash outgoing – money that is flowing out of the business.
• Chart of accounts – an index of the accounts a business will use to classify transactions. Each account represents a type of transaction such as asset, liability, owner’s equity, income, and expense.
• Chattel mortgage – similar to a hire-purchase agreement although the business owns the asset from the start. Chattel mortgages require regular ongoing payments and typically provide the option of reducing the payments through the use of a final ‘balloon’ payment.
• Contingent liability – a liability where payment is made only if a particular event or circumstance occurs.
• Cost of goods sold – the total direct costs of producing a good or delivering a service.
• Credit – a lending term for when a customer purchases a good or service with an agreement to pay at a later date. This could be an account with a supplier, a store credit card or a bank credit card.
• Creditor – a person or business that allows you to purchase a good or service with an agreement to pay at a later date. A creditor is also anyone who you owe money to, such as a lender or supplier.
• Current asset – an asset in cash or something you can convert into cash within 12 months.
• Current liability – a liability that is due for payment within 12 months.

D

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• Debit – in double-entry bookkeeping, a debit is an entry made on the left-hand side of a journal or ledger representing an asset or expense.
• Debt – any amount that you owe including bills, loan repayments and income tax.
• Debt consolidation – the process of combining several loans or other debts into one for the purposes of obtaining a lower interest rate or reducing fees.
• Debt finance – money provided by an external lender, such as a bank or building society.
• Debtor – a person or business that owes you money.
• Default – a failure to pay a loan or other debt obligation.
• Depreciation – the process of offsetting an asset over a period of time. You can depreciate an asset to spread the cost of the asset over its useful life.
• Disbursements – money that a business spends.
• Discount – a reduction applied to a full priced good or service.  
• Double-entry bookkeeping – is a bookkeeping method that records each transaction in 2 accounts, both as a debit and a credit.
• Drawings – personal expenses paid for from a business account.

E

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• Employee share schemes-  where you give your employees the opportunity to buy shares in your company. Other terms include an ’employee share purchase plan’ or an ’employee equity scheme’.
• Encumbered – an encumbered asset is one that is currently put forward as security or collateral for a loan.
• Equity / Owner’s Equity – the value of ownership interest in the business, calculated by deducting liabilities from assets. 
• Equity finance – money provided to a business in exchange for part ownership of the business. This can be money invested by the business owners, friends, family, or investors like business angels and venture capitalists.
• Excise duty – an indirect tax levied on certain types of goods produced or manufactured in Australia including petrol, alcohol, tobacco and coal.

F

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• Facility – an arrangement such as an account offered by a financial institution to a business (such as a bank account, a short-term loan or overdraft).
• Finance – money used to fund a business or high value purchase.
• Financial year – a 12-month period typically from 1 July to 30 June.
• Financial statement – a summary of a business’s financial position for a given period. Financial statements can include a profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow statement.
• Fixed asset – a physical asset used in the running of a business.
• Fixed cost – a cost that is not part of producing a good or service.
• Fixed interest rate – when the interest rate of a loan remains the same for the term of the loan or an agreed timeframe.
• Forecast – a list of future financial transactions. Forecasts help to plan a more accurate budget.
• Fringe benefits – non-monetary benefits, such as company cars and mobile phones, included as part of a salary package.
• Fully drawn advance – is a long term loan with the option to fix the interest rate for a period. These loans are usually secured and can help fund a new business or equipment.

G

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• Goodwill – an intangible asset that represents the value of a business’s reputation.
• Gross income – the total money earned by a business before you deduct expenses.
• Gross profit (also known as net sales) – the difference between sales and the direct cost of making the sales.
• Guarantor – a person who promises to pay a loan in the event the borrower cannot meet the repayments. The guarantor is legally responsible for the debt.

H

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• Hire-purchase – a type of contract where you purchase a good through an initial deposit. You then rent it and pay the balance off in instalments plus interest charges. When you make the final payment, ownership of the good transfers to the purchaser. 

I

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• Insolvent – a business or company is insolvent when they cannot pay their debts as and when they are due.
• Intangible assets – non-physical assets with no fixed value, such as goodwill and intellectual property rights.
• Interest – the cost of borrowing money on a loan or earned on an interest-bearing account.
• Interest rate – a percentage used to calculate the cost of borrowing money or the amount you will earn. Rates vary from product to product and generally the higher the risk of the loan, the higher the interest rate. Rates may be fixed or variable.
• Inventory – a list of goods or materials a business is holding for sale.
• Investment – the purchase of an asset for the purpose of earning money such as shares or property. 
• Invoice – a document to a customer to request payment for a good or service received.

L

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• Liability – any financial expense or amount owed.
• Line of credit – an agreement allowing a borrower to withdraw money from an account up to an approved limit.
• Liquidate – to quickly sell all the assets of a company and convert them into cash.
• Liquidation – the process of winding up an insolvent company. An appointed administrator will do this by ceasing business operations, selling assets, and paying creditors and shareholders.
• Liquidity – how quickly you can convert assets into cash.
• Loan – a finance agreement where a business borrows money and pays it back in instalments (plus interest) within a specified period of time.

M

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• Margin / Profit Margin – the difference between the selling price of a good or service and the profit. Margin is generally shown as a gross margin percentage which shows the proportion of profit for each sales dollar.
• Mark down – a discount applied to a product during a promotion or sale for the purposes of attracting sales or for shifting surplus or discontinued products. 
• Mark up – the amount added to the cost price of goods, to help determine a selling price. Essentially it is the difference between the cost of the good/service and the selling price. It does not take into account what proportion of the amount is profit.
• Maturity date – when a loan’s term ends and all outstanding principal and interest payments are due.

N

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• Net assets (also known as net worth, owner’s equity or shareholder’s equity) – the total assets minus total liabilities.
• Net income – the total money earned by a business after tax and other deductions.
• Net profit (also known as your bottom line) – the total gross profit minus all business expenses.
• Net worth – see Net assets.

O

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• Overdraft facility – a finance arrangement where a lender allows a business to withdraw more than the balance of an account.
• Overdrawn account – a credit account that has exceeded its credit limit or a bank account that has had more than the remaining balance withdrawn.
• Overheads / Fixed Costs – the fixed costs associated with operating a business such as rent, marketing, utilities and administrative costs. 

P

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• Personal property – covers any property someone can own, except for land, buildings and fixtures. Examples include goods, plant and equipment, cars, boats, planes, livestock and more.
• Personal Property Security Register (PPSR) – registers of security interests. It provides a single national noticeboard of security interests in personal property.
• Petty cash – cash for small miscellaneous purchases such as postage.
• Plant and equipment – a group of fixed assets used in the operation of a business such as furniture, machinery, fit-out, vehicles, computers and tools.
• Principal – the original loan amount borrowed or the remainder of the original borrowed amount that is still owing (excluding the interest portion).
• Profit – the total revenue a business earns minus the total expenses. 
• Profit and loss statement (also known as an income statement) – a financial statement listing sales and expenses. Use it to work out the gross and net profit of a business.

R

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• R&D – stands for ‘research and development’. Businesses conduct research and development to innovate, create new products and find better ways of doing things.
• Receipts – a document given to a customer to confirm payment and to confirm the sale of a good or service.
• Record keeping – the process of keeping or recording information that explains certain business transactions. Record keeping is a requirement under tax law.
• Refinance – when a new loan helps to pay off an existing one. Reasons to refinance include: extending the original loan over a longer period of time, reduce fees or interest rates, switch banks, or move from a fixed to variable loan.
• Rent to buy / Hire Purchase – a finance arrangement where you purchase something through an initial deposit and then ‘lease’ it while pay it off. After the final payment, the purchaser has the option (but no obligation) to buy the good or continue leasing. S
• Retention of title – a clause in contracts where a buyer may receive property, but doesn’t take legal ownership until the full price is paid.
• Return on investment (ROI) – a calculation that works out how efficient a business is at generating profit from the original equity from the owners/shareholders. It’s a way of thinking about the benefit (return) of the money you invest into the business. To calculate ROI, divide the gain (net profit) of the investment by the cost of the investment. The ROI then becomes a percentage or a ratio.
• Return on investment (ROI) formula example – Annie buys $1000 worth of stocks and sells the stocks a year later for $1500. The net profit is $500. ROI = (500/1000) = 0.5 x 100 = 50%. Annie’s ROI on the stocks is 50%.
• Revenue (also known as Turnover) – the amount earned before expenses, tax and other deductions.

S

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• Security (also known as collateral) – property or assets that a lender can take ownership of when repayment of a loan does not occur.
• SMSF – self-managed superannuation fund . An SMSF is a way of saving for your retirement. Unlike other super funds, an SMSF is self-managed, which means you’re responsible for making sure the super fund complies with super and tax laws. 
• Stock – the actual goods or materials a business currently has on hand.
• Stocktaking – a regular process involving a physical count of merchandise and supplies actually held by a business, to verify stock records and accounts.
• Superannuation – money set aside for retirement that must go into a complying superannuation fund for employees, some contractors and business owners. 

T

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• Tax invoice – an invoice required for the supply of goods or services over a certain price. You need a valid tax invoice when claiming GST credits. 

V

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• Variable interest rate – when the interest rate of a loan changes with market conditions for the duration of the loan.
• Variable cost – a cost that changes depending on the number of goods produced or the demand for the products or service.

W

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• Working capital – the cash available to a business for day-to-day expenses.

In those good old days of accounting, keying in manual bank statements, reconciling cashbooks, printed workpapers all filed in a manilla folder; nice and neat, real old school.

This generally meant that no matter how hard the Larkin Partner team worked, we were behind and struggled to get our client files done. It was a scramble to get the end of year work done by the ATO deadlines and we were telling our clients how well they did months ago…and then telling them the news about how much tax they had to pay.

Client catch ups were frustrating for both us, as your accountants, and clients. Simply because if we had got you to take certain actions earlier, opportunities to deliver clients solid tax savings would have occurred and those actions needed to happen, happen.

With the introduction of GST in the 2000’s, came the requirement for most businesses to update their accounting activities and report to the ATO every quarter, sometimes monthly. For many businesses this also created a new and, of course, beneficial opportunity for their Larkin Partner Accountant to review, forecast and tax plan for their business.

Tax Planning and Income & Expense Forecasting should be done by every business, every year, if not more frequently. Having the information to hand to just know where your business is at, and where your business is going, helps you, as the owners, to plan and make more informed decisions.

Larkin Partners also made a bold business decision to start putting all clients onto cloud- based accounting software, such as MYOB’s suite of products and Xero. This move to cloud-based software combined with our greater focus on tax planning as one of our key services, has enabled our team of Larkin Partners Accountants to get on the front foot with clients and forecast both business performance and potential tax implications around the outcomes.

Planning or Forecasting offers you, and your business, so many benefits. The key is that it is proactive rather than reactive, forward thinking rather than playing catch up in the understanding of your business finances. As a minimum it provides your business with an estimate of profit for the year and therefore how much tax is going to need to be paid. At its absolute best, planning can provide you with various options to help minimise tax by making changes in the business before the end of the financial year – before its actually too late.

What’s the difference?

Planning and Forecasting are essentially the same thing, however there are some notable differences – Tax forecasting involves us working with you to predict how much tax is going to be paid at the end of the financial year. Generally, this is once all the options to help minimise tax have already been exhausted.

Tax Planning involves firstly forecasting and then reviewing the various options available including, but not limited to deferring income, prepaying expenses, ensuring lower tax thresholds are utilised, acquiring deductible assets, restructuring and maximising your deductible super contributions.

Not all scenarios result in tax savings. In some case, it simply allows for greater flexibility and improved decision making. For our clients where we have been doing tax planning and forecasting for many years, this process is all about just knowing where they are at and that everything that can be done is getting done at the right time. It rally is just simply good, strategic business practice that you should consider doing, if you are not already.

Many small business owners are finding it increasingly difficult to manage their debtors. With payment times in Australia being some of the longest in the world, it’s more important than ever for small business owners to take proactive steps to protect their cashflow. But, let’s be honest, no one likes making those phone calls.

So, before you need to make that uncomfortable call, let’s look at some simple steps you can take to avoid debtor issues:

• Perform credit checks on prospective customers to identify any red flags
• Know who you are dealing with – a quick ASIC search can help
• Get your contracts water tight and in order with clear payment terms and consequences for late payment
• Go electronic and get your invoices out quickly, and automate payment reminders in your accounting system
• Make paying easy – introduce credit card payment abilities – you can always pass on the fee – or register for a direct debit facility.

But, from time to time, you may have no choice but to make a call to get your invoice paid. Here are three simple steps to ensure your phone call results in a debt paid.

Step 1 – Preparing yourself to make the call

Before calling make sure you have all the relevant information – invoice details – number, what was done, amounts owing, your payment terms, previous attempts to collect and so on, as well as the contact name and phone number.

Step 2 – Actually making the call

It’s so important to be confident and identify yourself clearly and confirm that you are speaking to the right person who will authorise payment. If no one answers, leave a message or send a follow up text but don’t necessarily indicate  that the call is about an unpaid debt.

Stay as calm and professional as you possibly can, try and not get too emotional. Be prepared to listen, try not to argue or judge, stay focussed in your endeavour to recover your debt.

Never underestimate the power of silence at your end. Use it to put the burden of conversation back onto the debtor. For instance “I need your payment no later than the end of the month, as you are past our agreed trading terms.” Then pause. Don’t say another word. You are applying pressure in the most potent way possible to get what you want at the end of the call – which is an agreement to pay the invoice.

Step 3 – Getting the debt paid

Once you have established payment is overdue, ask for payment in full. If you have an EFTPos machine, offer to take a credit card payment over the phone then and there. If that is not possible, ensure you get a confirmation of when payment will be made. Make sure you follow-up this agreement in a letter or email, as if payment is not received you have a trail of your communication if you have to take further action.

What should you do if they can’t pay in full? Offer up a payment plan. Start with offering to break the invoice up into two or three payments with firm dates. Suggest weekly or bimonthly payments, as opposed to monthly payments, as this will help your cash flow and also get the debt paid off and, possibly more quickly, but also show you are empathetic and supportive to their predicament.

SMS Reminders

No one likes picking up the phone and calling debtors, its uncomfortable and awkward. So you can try a number of things first. Sending statements and reminders via email before calling, can be the prompt a forgetful customer just needs. Phone calls are more unpleasant than snail mail or email, but usually get a more immediate response, so don’t avoid them. Some businesses are now using SMS reminders with overdue debtors, which do tend to have a higher success rate in prompting payment than email reminders – inboxes are getting busier and busier, your reminder email can get lost in traffic.

The fastest way to resolve a cash flow crisis is to call the people who owe you money.  … but the reverse also applies. Do you owe money? To free up some cashflow, perhaps reach out to your suppliers and arrange suitable plans.

Why should you, as an employer, lodge an FBT return where no FBT is payable? For the simple reason that it turns on the three-year deadline for the ATO to commence audit activities on your business.

Examples of fringe benefits include:

• allowing an employee to use a work car for private purposes
• giving an employee a discounted loan
• paying an employee’s gym membership
• providing entertainment by way of free tickets to concerts
• reimbursing an expense incurred by an employee, such as school fees
• giving benefits under a salary sacrifice arrangement with an employee.

Without an FBT return being lodged, the ATO has the discretion to launch an audit into activities as far back as a business has had employees – past, current and future. Without the evidence (e.g. signed declarations, logbooks, meal entertainment records, etc.) that FBT was NOT payable in each year the ATO is likely to raise FBT liabilities even where the employee who enjoyed the benefit no longer works for the business. Thereby making it impossible for the business to recoup anything from the past employee.

A Common Error

Where you believe you have done everything in accordance with legislation, people can make mistakes. A common error made is where an employee is provided with a car and the private use is worked out using the operating cost (logbook) method. A part of using the logbook method is working out deemed depreciation each year. Many accountants overlook this or work it out incorrectly by relying on the depreciation claimed on the business’ financial statements. This mistake can give rise to an FBT liability where the calculated employee contribution is insufficient to remove the car’s taxable value.

If a mistake like this is identified the ATO is likely to review the entire period that the car was owned by the business. Lodging an FBT return would limit the length of time the ATO can audit the business to three years.

Another common mistake is not maintaining a register of which employees are the recipient of meal entertainment benefits. Not all meal entertainment benefits are treated the same which is why you maintaining a register is vital.

Employers can generally claim an income tax deduction for the cost of providing fringe benefits and for the FBT they pay. Employers can also generally claim GST credits for items provided as fringe benefits.

We’ve been supporting SMEs for over 25 years now and knowing the importance of having one eye on profitability at all times, we want to give our clients some strategies around where they’re making money – and where they may not be – with the following insights around project management.

1. Use your past data as a guide to accurate direct cost estimates

For a job to be profitable when it ends, it should start with an accurate estimate that includes the cost of the various individual job components, plus the amount for your markup. However, even the best of us can fall into that old trap of underestimating our costs especially if we don’t have good visibility across the project.

Underestimating your costs across a project and committing to delivering projects at prices that are too slim, will eat away at your profit margin. Less profit could result in less overall money on projects, which means less wiggle room if something blows out and has a negative effect on your cash flow. Worst case scenario in the long term, it could send your business into insolvency.

While it is appealing to rely on your personal past experiences and assessments to come up with your cost estimates, a project management system can speed up this lengthy process. It takes away any speculation, and gives you invaluable financial and non-financial information so that you future estimates can be as accurate as possible, giving your business the appropriate margins you need to be profitable and have that ‘wiggle room’ if something goes wrong.

Comparing your estimates and finished project reports can help you find the ‘why’. Do you have the best processes in place so your team knows exactly what’s expected of them? Was a new employee or contractor working on the job and maybe they needed more training prior to starting? Are you pricing your services far too low? Did you have to go to the client more than once to get all the information you needed to start? Do we need a better brief tool.

Having historical information available and using it for future estimates can lead to better profit margins for you, and fewer issues in the longer term with your clients.

2. Try to value your team’s hourly rates to recover at a minimum your costs plus your margin per hour

By reviewing these numbers in a project management system, you can check employee and contractor performance and their ability to complete work according to the projections made at the beginning of the project. It actually does help your team for them to have clear expectations and information on how long a piece of work should take them, and you can also keep them up to date on their progress and encourage them to notify you if they think they’re going to go over the allotted time and dollar budget. This insight helps you get ahead of issues before they eat into your profit margins.

3. Keep the team updated as to what has been signed off on by the client for the project and ensure that they know they need to itemise out-of-scope works

As you’ve probably experienced, clients can sometimes request additional tasks or services that are not included in the original job scope. These could be the agreed deliverables and associated costs or rejigging the allocated resources and timelines that you have agreed upon. Even if these requests appear minor, they can add up, using a lot of your allotted time and create an inclination for similar requests from the client as the project progresses. These out-of-scope works could end up costing your business time and money and have a major impact on the profitability of the project and potentially put your relationship with the client in a difficult position.

Your team need to be kept informed and be permitted to voice their thoughts and opinions to protect you, your business and the project against these out-of-scope requests so you can address them with the client immediately. Having a core business value where every staff member and contractor feels empowered to speak up is so key to keeping the project and the client relationship on track. That means having your staff

tracking their time accurately against the project proposal, the client understanding their own responsibilities, and the business checking the project progress regularly to ensure all tasks are delivered on time, within the proposal price and within scope.

So, the tip here is to get your team together before finalising the proposal and discuss the work to be delivered and the estimated costs. Seek ideas and feedback from the team on how long they think their tasks will take and if they see any potential concerns and ensure there is a clear pathway for them to identify out-of-scope works to the project leader.

4. Manage your team time tracking

For many businesses, your workforce is the biggest cost to your projects. To maximise your profit, it’s essential that you accurately track, monitor and report on your team’s time.

When you’ve set-up, filled-in and got this timesheet data, you can look at where you might be missing out on any profit. Is someone spending time on the initial project assessment that you didn’t include in your estimate? Do any of the team need more support to complete their work more efficiently so you can keep your costs down and your profits up?

Project management tools also let you track your projects while they’re in progress to make sure that the workforce component of your billable work is staying on budget. We’re talking about the time and expenses that have been recorded against the project, but not yet billed to your client.

If you’re looking like you’re spending more than your proposal value, you can adjust for the next proposal. These changes can include increasing your proposal price; revising your workforce management strategy and streamlining your processes; and removing any barriers to increase efficiencies and get the work completed more cost-effectively.

5. Ensure you are accounting for all related projects costs

It’s always good to ensure that you are checking that your proposals and outgoing invoices include everything you do for a client within the scope of the project. Those out-of-scope costs can add up and if you don’t manage them properly, you can under quote and eradicate your profit margin before you know it and can stop the outflow.

Make sure you are costing your items in your project management system, you can choose from your pre-existing list and easily add new items that will be visible for all projects in the future. Include every relevant cost when you initially quote and then when you are sending out your progress invoices out to ensure your revenue stays on track.

Lay the groundwork early for more profitable projects for your business.

By considering your desired profit before you begin any project and setting up your proposals, your client expectations and your teams’ responsibilities with this profit in mind, you have the pathway to achieving the margins you want at projects end.