Trusted Tax Accountants Werribee for Tax Returns and Business Advice

Getting your paperwork ready before your appointment speeds up the whole process.

• Your tax file number and prior-year tax return, if available
• Income statements (PAYG summaries) or your myGov income details
• Receipts for work-related deductions, including uniforms, tools, or training
• Bank interest statements and any rental property income records
• Private health insurance statement, if applicable

Bring what you have. We can track down most missing documents through the ATO portal once you are a client.

Costs vary based on complexity, not on which suburb the work happens in. A simple individual tax return costs less than a sole trader return, and a sole trader return costs less than a company return with multiple income streams.

Most firms quote a flat fee for standard tax returns and a separate fee structure for ongoing bookkeeping or BAS work, since those are billed monthly or quarterly. Ask for a fixed quote before engaging any accountant, since open-ended hourly billing can become unpredictable for complex tax situations.

A sole trader return includes everything a standard individual return covers, plus your business income and expenses on top.

• You report business income alongside any wages or investment income
• You claim business-specific deductions, such as equipment, vehicle use, and home office costs
• PAYG instalments may apply once your business income reaches a certain level
• GST registration becomes compulsory once turnover reaches $75,000 in any rolling 12-month period
• Record keeping standards are higher, since the ATO reviews sole trader claims closely

Treat your sole trader return as a business document, not only a personal one.

The ATO requires most tax records to be kept for five years from the date you lodge the related return, covering income, expenses, and any asset purchases relevant to depreciation claims. This applies to invoices, receipts, bank statements, and payroll records, whether stored physically or digitally.

Digital record keeping through accounting software reduces the risk of lost paperwork and makes quarterly BAS preparation faster. If you are still managing records in a shoebox or a basic spreadsheet, moving to cloud accounting software is one of the highest-value changes a Werribee business owner can make this year.

Missing a BAS deadline triggers a Failure to Lodge penalty that grows the longer the statement stays outstanding.

• The penalty is calculated using the ATO’s penalty unit system, based on how many days overdue and the size of your entity
• Interest can accrue on any GST amount owed once it is overdue
• The ATO will generally warn you by phone or letter before applying a penalty
• Businesses using a registered tax or BAS agent may be covered by safe harbour provisions, which can protect you from a penalty if the agent caused the delay
• Penalty remission can be requested, but the outstanding lodgement must be submitted first

Contact a tax agent as soon as you know you will miss a deadline, not after the notice arrives.

Yes, and this is a more common situation than most people expect. We pull your income history directly from the ATO, so missing payslips are not a blocker to getting started, and returns are lodged in order, starting with the oldest outstanding year.

Penalties for late lodgement are sometimes reduced once a registered agent is involved, particularly for a first-time lapse. If you owe the ATO money once your returns are current, a clear payment plan can usually be arranged rather than a single lump sum demand.

Yes. For the 2025-26 income year, the ATO’s fixed rate method allows a claim of 70 cents per hour worked from home, covering electricity, internet, phone, and computer consumables in one rate.

• The fixed rate method needs a record of every hour worked from home across the full year
• The actual cost method lets you claim the real work-related portion of expenses instead
• The actual cost method usually produces a larger deduction if you work from home full-time
• You can still separately claim decline in value on equipment like a desk or monitor under the fixed rate method
• You must choose one method and apply it for the whole income year, since switching mid-year is not allowed

A tax accountant can run both calculations against your actual numbers and recommend whichever method suits your situation.

These terms get used interchangeably, but the distinction affects what someone is legally allowed to do for you. A registered tax agent is licensed by the Tax Practitioners Board to prepare and lodge tax returns on your behalf, while an accountant may hold a CPA or Chartered Accountant qualification without holding that separate registration.

Only a registered tax agent can legally charge a fee to prepare your tax return, and agents also receive extended lodgement deadlines that individuals filing on their own do not get. Many practitioners hold both an accounting qualification and a tax agent registration, so it is worth confirming both before engaging anyone for paid tax work.

Many small businesses in Werribee use one firm for both functions, and this works well when the firm has dedicated bookkeeping staff alongside its accountants.

• Bookkeeping covers day-to-day transaction recording, bank reconciliation, and payroll processing
• Accounting covers tax planning, financial statement preparation, and business advice built on that bookkeeping data
• Combining the two badly means accounting fees get spent on bookkeeping-level tasks
• A well-run firm prices bookkeeping and accounting separately
• You should only pay accounting rates when you actually need accounting-level judgment

Ask any firm you are considering how they separate these two cost structures before signing on.

An ATO audit usually begins with contact from the ATO explaining the review process, the areas being examined, and the records required.

• The ATO contacts you by letter, phone, or other official communication methods to outline the audit scope
• You provide relevant records, such as BAS, tax returns, invoices, bank statements, and payroll documents
• The ATO reviews the information and may request further details or clarification
• A registered tax agent helps manage communication with the ATO, reviews records, and assists with responses when authorised
• The ATO provides an outcome, which may include no changes, adjustments, additional tax obligations, penalties, or a refund where applicable

A tax accountant cannot prevent an audit, but proper preparation and accurate records help the process run more smoothly.