HELP
Frequently Asked Questions
Prepare your tax and BAS information with confidence.
What information do I need for my individual tax return?
Prepare your identity and contact details, TFN, tax residency and dates of arrival or departure where relevant, bank details for any refund, and your previous return if you are a new client. Use the secure client form for sensitive information.
Provide all income records: employment income statements, bank interest, dividends, managed funds, rental income, business income, foreign income and sales of shares, crypto or property. ATO pre-fill may be incomplete, so check it against your records.
Provide deduction receipts and work-use calculations, private health insurance information, spouse/dependant details where relevant, and any personal super contribution acknowledgement. Tell GPA about changes in your circumstances.
Which work-related expenses may be deductible?
Common categories include work travel and eligible vehicle use, tools and equipment, work-related phone and internet use, working from home, occupation-specific or protective clothing, professional memberships and self-education related to your current work.
You must have paid the cost yourself without reimbursement, it must relate to earning your income, and you need evidence. Claim only the work portion. Ordinary commuting, everyday clothes and private meals are generally not deductible.
Keep receipts and the records required for your chosen method, such as a vehicle logbook or working-from-home hours. Equipment may need depreciation. An allowance or receipt exception does not automatically create a deduction. Ask GPA which method and income-year rates apply.
Do companies and trusts need to nominate a tax agent? How?
Entities with an ABN, including companies, trusts and partnerships, generally need to nominate a new registered agent or nominate when changing the authorisations of an existing agent. This client-to-agent linking process excludes sole traders. Individuals and sole traders still need to authorise GPA through the normal client engagement process.
An authorised person for the entity must complete the nomination. GPA can guide you but cannot nominate itself for you. Ask GPA for its registered agent number and check the agent details before submitting. Never share your myID login.
- Set up your personal myID with the required identity strength. myID is different from myGov.
- Link your myID to the business ABN using Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM), or obtain the appropriate authorisation. Follow ATO guidance if online linking is unavailable.
- Sign in to ATO Online services for business and select the correct entity.
- Open Profile, then Agent details. Under Agent nominations, choose Add and search using GPA’s registered agent number.
- Check the agent details, complete the declaration and submit. Save the confirmation.
- Tell GPA immediately after nomination. The ATO does not automatically notify the agent; GPA needs to complete the client linking within the nomination period shown by the ATO.
ATO: How to nominate your registered agent
What does a sole trader or company need to provide?
Provide the ABN and entity details, financial year, accounting software access or exported profit and loss, balance sheet and general ledger, sales and purchase records, and bank, credit-card and loan statements with reconciliations.
Include payroll and super records, asset purchases and disposals, finance agreements, stock at year end, debtors and creditors, business-use calculations, earlier tax returns and BAS, and details of grants or other income. Identify drawings, transfers and loan principal separately.
Sole traders also report their personal income in their individual return. Companies should provide director/shareholder details, shareholder or director loans, dividends and relevant resolutions. Tell GPA about private use or payments involving related parties.
What extra records do trusts and partnerships need?
Trusts should provide the trust deed and amendments, trustee and beneficiary details, distribution resolutions and entitlement records, prior returns and losses, and all business or investment records. Contact GPA before year end about distribution requirements; do not backdate documents.
Partnerships should provide their agreement, partner details, profit-sharing arrangements, capital and drawings accounts, financial records and any changes in partners. Partners may also need their own tax returns.
What documents are needed for GST and BAS?
Confirm the reporting period, GST registration and cash or non-cash accounting basis. Provide sales invoices and summaries, purchase tax invoices and credit notes, bank and credit-card statements, reconciliations and any previous adjustments.
Separate taxable, GST-free and input-taxed transactions and identify private-use portions. Include asset purchases or sales, imports and unusual transactions. GST credits depend on eligibility and evidence, not simply paying a business expense.
If relevant, provide payroll/PAYG withholding reports, PAYG instalment notices and records for other BAS labels. Download the workbook below if you do not have accounting software reports. GPA will check the correct reporting treatment.
Does uploading my information lodge my return or BAS?
No. GPA reviews the records, asks for missing information and obtains the required approval before lodgement. Contact us about your due date; it depends on the return, reporting cycle and your circumstances.
BAS Excel templates
Download the English BAS template for quarterly sales, expenses, capital purchases and GST, with an annual summary.
GST calculates automatically using category defaults. Use GST override for the actual invoice GST when needed, and adjust the eligible credit percentage. This workbook prepares records for GPA review; it does not lodge your BAS or calculate every BAS label.
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