Is your small business registered for GST? You might not be entirely confident of your projected earnings, so it’s fine to hold off until you’re sure you’ll hit the threshold. But it’s important to monitor your profit closely so that you don’t pay extra. #smallbiz #taxtalk

When you set up a new small business, you’ll have the option to register for GST. Here’s what you need to know about this responsibility.

The first thing you should do is decide whether you’ll register for GST immediately or wait until you hit the earning threshold of $75,000. When you start a new business, you might not be entirely confident of your projected earnings, so it’s fine to hold off until you’re sure you’ll hit the threshold. Once you do reach $75,000, you have 21 days to register.

Understanding your GST turnover

The $75,000 turnover figure represents your gross business income - not your profit. There are some exclusions, like sales outside of Australia, and any sales that are not for payment, meaning they aren’t taxable.

It’s important to monitor your profit closely because if you fail to register, you may have to pay GST on any sales since the date you were supposed to register. And because you won’t have included any GST in those sale prices, you could lose money. Additionally, there could be interest or penalties imposed.

Once you’re registered

When you’ve hit the threshold and you’re registered for GST, you’ll add the 10% amount to the price of your product or services. Don’t make the mistake of considering this money as part of your profit. You’re merely collecting it to pay to the ATO. It’s really important to establish good business accounting practices to make sure that you’re keeping this money separate.

We make dealing with GST simple - so you can focus on running your business. Make a time to talk to us about GST for your business.

Remote work is on the rise. 

Here's what you need to know.

Remote working has many benefits for your business and you may be offering it already. Make sure you have strong communication channels, and robust systems to support your flexible workers and ensure continued productivity for your business.

Remote working has become more and more common as developments in technology have allowed us to communicate and collaborate no matter where we are. In fact, most of us are already logging on from home or holiday already. In May 2018, Swiss serviced office provider IWG released a study that found that 70% of professionals work remotely at least once a week.

Sometimes called ‘telecommuting’, remote work is on the rise, and it’s challenging traditional ideas about where and when work should take place. Offering flexibility to your staff can be a valuable tool to both attract new talent and retain your existing team. But before deciding to offer remote work, you need to make sure you’re able to support this way of working.

Remote work has many benefits for a business. Offering this option can mean that you retain employees through a change in their circumstances, for example, becoming a parent or relocating to a different part of the country. When you’re recruiting, the ability to offer an entirely remote position can mean that you’re suddenly able to consider candidates from across the country, rather than limiting yourself to one area, or to people who are in the position to be able to relocate.

So what do you need to consider before introducing remote working?

When you’re working with a distributed team, communication is key, and as the employer, it’s your job to provide the resources and systems to make this happen. Typically, these might include:

With these essentials in place, the biggest factor in making remote work a success is workplace culture. Consider upskilling your management team to make sure they are ready to support your remote staff or even to give them the skills to allow them to do their roles remotely.

Remote working can be isolating for an individual and sometimes the meaning in email and text can be lost so it is important to factor in a regular face-to-face meeting or video conference to bring coworkers together, enable mutual understanding and to build the team culture.

If you’re planning to offer remote work to your team, talk to us to make sure you’re across all of the tax implications.