Getting records ready before a BAS period ends

A BAS is only as good as the records behind it. Tidy records mean your registered BAS or tax agent spends their time on your situation instead of chasing missing pieces.

This is general information about records, not advice about what to report or claim.

Start with the bank

Reconcile every bank and card account up to the last day of the period. An account that is a week short will show up later as a puzzle for someone else to solve. If a feed has been disconnected, reconnect it or load the statement.

Match what is owed and what is owing

Check that supplier bills and sales invoices line up with payments. Unmatched items are the usual source of late questions.

• Open supplier bills entered with the right dates
• Sales invoices matched to the payments that cleared them
• Anything unpaid listed, with a note on why

Look at the unusual items

Scan for transactions that do not fit a pattern: a large one-off purchase, a refund, a payment to a person rather than a business. Add a plain note on what each one was. Your agent decides how they are treated.

Keep the paperwork findable

Receipts should be attached to the transaction or filed where your agent can reach them. A folder that is organised by month is enough.

Write down your questions

Keep one list of things you are unsure about and hand it over with the records. One list is easier to answer than a string of emails.

Leave the decisions to your agent

Your registered agent decides what is reported and what is lodged. Rules, dates and thresholds change, so check the ATO website or ask your agent rather than relying on a general article like this one.

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