A Business Activity Statement (BAS) is a form that businesses must submit to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in order to report and pay their tax liabilities. A large part of BAS is related to GST. For example:rnrnYour business charges $50 for your goods or services so your customer will be charged $55. The additional $5 is the GST that needs to be paid to the ATO.rnYour business buys supplies, you will be charged 10% in GST which you can claim back from the ATO as a credit.rnWhen you complete a BAS form you are essentially reporting the goods and services tax amount you’ve collected on your sales minus any that you’ve paid on your purchases, with the difference being your refund or what you owe to the ATO.rnrnYour BAS can also include PAYG withholding and instalments, wine equalisation tax, fuel tax credit and fringe benefit tax if these apply to your business.

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What is BAS & how to lodge it online?

Q: How to do a BAS statement

There are three main steps to completing your BAS:rn1. Prepare your informationrnReconcile your accounts to ensure that all your information is accurate and up-to-date. This involves collating your business transactions such as receipts, invoices and ensuring they match your accounting information and there are no discrepancies.rnrn2. Calculate your totals and enter figuresrnNow that your information is accurate it’s time to calculate your totals. You can do this via a report in your accounting software or adding up all your numbers if you use a manual method (see GST calculation worksheet). Once you have your totals, transfer them to your BAS form.rnrn3. Lodge and updaternThere are three main ways to lodge your BAS:rnrnMail a hard copy of your BAS form to the ATO. Lodge BAS statement online through the ATO’s Business Portal. You can also engage a BAS or Tax agent lodge for you.rnWhichever option you choose make sure you save a copy of your BAS statement and update your accounting information with your figures.

Q: BAS lodgement due dates

Monthly: on the 21st of the following month (January - December)rnQuarterlyrn- July, August and September: 28 Octoberrn- October, November and December: 28 Februaryrn- January, February and March: 28 Aprilrn- April, May and June: 28 July

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What is BAS?

A Business Activity Statement (BAS) is a form that businesses must submit to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in order to report and pay their tax liabilities. A large part of BAS is related to GST.

Your BAS can also include PAYG withholding and instalments, wine equalisation tax, fuel tax credit and fringe benefit tax if these apply to your business.

How does BAS relate to GST?

When you complete a BAS form you are essentially reporting the goods and services tax amount you’ve collected on your sales minus any that you’ve paid on your purchases, with the difference being your refund or what you owe to the ATO.

For example:

Your business charges $50 for your goods or services so your customer will be charged $55. The additional $5 is the GST that needs to be paid to the ATO.
Your business buys supplies, you will be charged 10% in GST which you can claim back from the ATO as a credit.

Who has to lodge a BAS statement online?

If your small business is registered for GST you need to lodge a Business Activity Statement.

You must register for GST if:

Your business has a GST turnover (gross income minus GST) of $75,000 or more per financial year
Your non-profit organisation has a GST turnover of $150,000 or more per financial year
You are a taxi driver and ride-sharing driver no matter what your turnover is

BAS lodgement due dates

If your business has a turnover of $20 million or less you can choose to lodge monthly or quarterly (over $20 million must report monthly).

Monthly	Lodgement date
January - December	21st of the following month

Quarterly	Lodgement date
July, August and September	28 October
October, November and December	28 February
January, February and March	28 April
April, May and June	28 July

Choosing a method to complete your BAS Statement

There are two methods that are offered by the ATO to work out your GST:

Calculation worksheet method
Accounts method

The method you choose to complete and submit your BAS will depend on your business size, complexity, accounting skills, the time you can allocate to BAS preparation, and personal preferences.

Identifying your accounting basis to complete a BAS Statement

Accrual or cash basis? There’s a few accounting basis decisions you’ll need to make to undertake your BAS and general accounting. The way you choose to do your accounting will also come into play when you submit your regular BAS.

What do I need to submit? Each time you finish a pay run you need to send a report of the employee payroll information to the IRD. Your report will include the following information for each employee: Pay period, pay cycle (weekly monthly etc) and payday date The employee’s full name, IRD number and tax code The employee’s total gross earnings The amount of PAYE, including tax on scheduler payments Child support or student loan deductions if applicable KiwiSaver deductions KiwiSaver employer contributions if applicable Employer Superannuation Contribution Tax (ESCT) Start and finish dates if an employee starts or stops working for you during the pay period

BAS statement example

Business Activity Worksheet

This worksheet allows you to work out GST amounts for your BAS form.

How to do a BAS statement

There are three main steps to completing your BAS:

1. Prepare your information

Reconcile your accounts to ensure that all your information is accurate and up-to-date. This involves collating your business transactions such as receipts, invoices and ensuring they match your accounting information and there are no discrepancies.

2. Calculate your totals and enter figures

Now that your information is accurate it’s time to calculate your totals. You can do this via a report in your accounting software or adding up all your numbers if you use a manual method (see GST calculation worksheet). Once you have your totals, transfer them to your BAS form.

3. Lodge and update

There are three main ways to lodge your BAS:

Mail a hard copy of your BAS form to the ATO. Lodge BAS statement online through the ATO’s Business Portal. You can also engage a BAS or Tax agent lodge for you.
Whichever option you choose make sure you save a copy of your BAS statement and update your accounting information with your figures.

Reckon makes lodging your BAS easy

Run the Reckon One “Activity Statement (BAS)” report that will help you generate the exact figures to enter onto your business activity statement form. Save and mark as lodged to help you stay organised. All Reckon accounting products are Simpler BAS enabled including Reckon One.

Activity Statement BAS Report

Download your free Business Activity Statements guide

BAS Guide

This guide will lead you through everything you need to know about BAS, how it works, what it includes, how to complete it, and when you should submit.