Finance articles

Guidance on bookkeeping, BAS, payroll, cash flow and the numbers that run the business, written for Australian owners.

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58 articles, newest first.

The Pre-Christmas Cash Squeeze: Why December Profits Hide January Problems. Photo: Sporting Goods at work

The Pre-Christmas Cash Squeeze: Why December Profits Hide January Problems

8 Oct 2026

October Means BAS Again: Building a Quarterly Rhythm That Runs Itself. Photo: Recording Studios at work

October Means BAS Again: Building a Quarterly Rhythm That Runs Itself

2 Oct 2026

Inventory and Job Costing: Where Service Businesses Leak Margin. Photo: Glaziers at work

Inventory and Job Costing: Where Service Businesses Leak Margin

30 Sept 2026

Cash Flow Forecasting in One Spreadsheet: A 13-Week Model Anyone Can Run. Photo: Motorcycle Dealers and Service at work

Cash Flow Forecasting in One Spreadsheet: A 13-Week Model Anyone Can Run

22 Sept 2026

Margin by Customer, Margin by Product: The Report That Changes Decisions. Photo: CrossFit and Functional Training at work

Margin by Customer, Margin by Product: The Report That Changes Decisions

14 Sept 2026

The Debtor Days Metric: How Fast You Get Paid Decides How Fast You Grow. Photo: Event Venues and Function Centres at work

The Debtor Days Metric: How Fast You Get Paid Decides How Fast You Grow

8 Sept 2026

The September Check-In: Is Your FY27 Budget Surviving Contact With Reality?. Photo: GP Practices at work

The September Check-In: Is Your FY27 Budget Surviving Contact With Reality?

2 Sept 2026

Fringe Benefits Tax for SMEs: The Everyday Perks That Catch Owners Out. Photo: Restaurants at work

Fringe Benefits Tax for SMEs: The Everyday Perks That Catch Owners Out

28 Aug 2026

The Mid-Quarter Cash Check: One Hour That Stops the 28 October BAS Surprise. Photo: Auto Electrical at work

The Mid-Quarter Cash Check: One Hour That Stops the 28 October BAS Surprise

26 Aug 2026

Working Capital Explained for Owners Who Hate Accounting Jargon. Photo: Commercial Builders at work

Working Capital Explained for Owners Who Hate Accounting Jargon

20 Aug 2026

The Real Cost of Doing Your Own Bookkeeping. Photo: Sporting Clubs and Associations at work

The Real Cost of Doing Your Own Bookkeeping

14 Aug 2026

TPAR in Plain English: Who Has to Lodge by 28 August and What It Actually Reports. Photo: Aged Care Facilities at work

TPAR in Plain English: Who Has to Lodge by 28 August and What It Actually Reports

12 Aug 2026

Single Touch Payroll: What STP Actually Reports and Why Accuracy Matters. Photo: Trucking and Haulage at work

Single Touch Payroll: What STP Actually Reports and Why Accuracy Matters

11 Aug 2026

Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks: Choosing (or Changing) Your Accounting Platform. Photo: Timber and Woodworking at work

Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks: Choosing (or Changing) Your Accounting Platform

7 Aug 2026

The Three Numbers to Check Every Monday Morning. Photo: Pharmacy at work

The Three Numbers to Check Every Monday Morning

5 Aug 2026

The Overdue Invoice Playbook: Chasing Payment Without Burning the Relationship. Photo: Pubs and Bars at work

The Overdue Invoice Playbook: Chasing Payment Without Burning the Relationship

28 July 2026

Tax Planning Isn't a June Activity: What to Set Up in July Instead. Photo: Marketing Agencies at work

Tax Planning Isn't a June Activity: What to Set Up in July Instead

23 July 2026

What a Monthly Management Report Should Actually Tell You. Photo: Renovations at work

What a Monthly Management Report Should Actually Tell You

18 July 2026

The 28 July BAS Deadline: A Calm Person's Guide to the June Quarter. Photo: Aged Care Facilities at work

The 28 July BAS Deadline: A Calm Person's Guide to the June Quarter

12 July 2026

How to Set a Revenue Budget You'll Actually Use This Financial Year. Photo: Catering Companies at work

How to Set a Revenue Budget You'll Actually Use This Financial Year

10 July 2026

Your FY26 Books Are Closed. Now What? A New Financial Year Checklist. Photo: NDIS Service Providers at work

Your FY26 Books Are Closed. Now What? A New Financial Year Checklist

2 July 2026

Payday Super Is Here: How to Know Your Business Is Compliant. Photo: Sporting Clubs and Associations at work

Payday Super Is Here: How to Know Your Business Is Compliant

2 July 2026

Receipt Management: Simple Systems That Actually Work. Photo: Sporting Clubs and Associations at work

Receipt Management: Simple Systems That Actually Work

8 June 2026

The Real Cost of Falling Behind on Your Books. Photo: Food and Beverage Manufacturing at work

The Real Cost of Falling Behind on Your Books

1 June 2026

Tax Planning Strategies for the Second Half of the Financial Year. Photo: Engineering Consultancies at work

Tax Planning Strategies for the Second Half of the Financial Year

25 May 2026

How the ATO Uses Data Matching to Catch Tax Errors. Photo: Accounting Firms at work

How the ATO Uses Data Matching to Catch Tax Errors

18 May 2026

Capital vs Revenue Expenditure: Getting the Tax Treatment Right. Photo: Nannies and In-Home Care at work

Capital vs Revenue Expenditure: Getting the Tax Treatment Right

17 May 2026

Profit Margin vs Markup: Are You Pricing Right?. Photo: Project Homes at work

Profit Margin vs Markup: Are You Pricing Right?

17 May 2026

PAYG Withholding vs PAYG Instalments: Know the Difference. Photo: Cafés at work

PAYG Withholding vs PAYG Instalments: Know the Difference

16 May 2026

Instant Asset Write-Off: What Still Qualifies in 2026. Photo: Garden Centres & Nurseries at work

Instant Asset Write-Off: What Still Qualifies in 2026

11 May 2026

Fuel Tax Credits: Money Most SMEs Leave on the Table. Photo: Roofers at work

Fuel Tax Credits: Money Most SMEs Leave on the Table

4 May 2026

How to Handle a BAS Revision Without Panicking. Photo: Family Day Care at work

How to Handle a BAS Revision Without Panicking

27 Apr 2026

FBT Explained: Fringe Benefits Tax for Growing Businesses. Photo: Food Trucks and Mobile Vendors at work

FBT Explained: Fringe Benefits Tax for Growing Businesses

20 Apr 2026

Tax Deductions Every Australian SME Misses. Photo: IT Services & MSPs at work

Tax Deductions Every Australian SME Misses

18 Apr 2026

Common BAS Mistakes That Trigger ATO Audits. Photo: Hairdressers at work

Common BAS Mistakes That Trigger ATO Audits

13 Apr 2026

Quarterly vs Monthly BAS: Which Reporting Cycle Is Right for You?. Photo: Cafés at work

Quarterly vs Monthly BAS: Which Reporting Cycle Is Right for You?

6 Apr 2026

GST Registration: When Your Business Hits the $75K Threshold. Photo: Broadacre Cropping at work

GST Registration: When Your Business Hits the $75K Threshold

30 Mar 2026

How to Read Your BAS Statement Without an Accounting Degree. Photo: GP Practices at work

How to Read Your BAS Statement Without an Accounting Degree

23 Mar 2026

BAS Due Dates 2026-27: Every Deadline Australian SMEs Need to Know. Photo: Flooring Installers at work

BAS Due Dates 2026-27: Every Deadline Australian SMEs Need to Know

21 Mar 2026

What Actually Triggers an ATO Review of Your BAS. Photo: Hairdressers at work

What Actually Triggers an ATO Review of Your BAS

20 Mar 2026

BAS Agent Fees in Australia (2026): What You Pay For and Why, Valont insight for Australian SMEs

BAS Agent Fees in Australia (2026): What You Pay For and Why

15 Oct 2026

BAS Lodged Late? How to Avoid ATO Penalties and Get Back on Track. Photo: Trucking and Haulage at work

BAS Lodged Late? How to Avoid ATO Penalties and Get Back on Track

1 Mar 2026

Best Payroll Solution for Modern Award Compliance in Australia. Photo: Pest Control at work

Best Payroll Solution for Modern Award Compliance in Australia

1 Mar 2026

Bookkeeper vs BAS Agent vs Accountant: Which Does a Small Business Need?, Valont insight for Australian SMEs

Bookkeeper vs BAS Agent vs Accountant: Which Does a Small Business Need?

15 Oct 2026

How Much Does Outsourced Bookkeeping Cost in Australia? [2026 Pricing]. Photo: Panel and Paint Shops at work

How Much Does Outsourced Bookkeeping Cost in Australia? [2026 Pricing]

1 Mar 2026

How to Choose a Payroll Provider in Australia [2026 Comparison Guide]. Photo: Hairdressers at work

How to Choose a Payroll Provider in Australia [2026 Comparison Guide]

1 Mar 2026

How to Choose an Outsourced Bookkeeping Service in Australia [2026 Guide]. Photo: Accounting Firms at work

How to Choose an Outsourced Bookkeeping Service in Australia [2026 Guide]

1 Mar 2026

Moving from DIY Payroll Software to Managed Payroll Services. Photo: Timber and Woodworking at work

Moving from DIY Payroll Software to Managed Payroll Services

1 Mar 2026

My Bookkeeper Is Behind on My Books — What to Do. Photo: Sporting Clubs and Associations at work

My Bookkeeper Is Behind on My Books — What to Do

1 Mar 2026

Payday Super from 1 July 2026: What Changes for Employers, Valont insight for Australian SMEs

Payday Super from 1 July 2026: What Changes for Employers

15 Oct 2026

Payroll Errors Every Pay Run? Here's How to Fix It Permanently. Photo: Furniture & Homewares at work

Payroll Errors Every Pay Run? Here's How to Fix It Permanently

1 Mar 2026

Cost of Payroll Outsourcing in Australia [2026 Complete Guide]. Photo: Renovations at work

Payroll Outsourcing Cost Australia: 2026 Pricing

1 Mar 2026

Payroll Tax Thresholds by State, 2026-27: One Table, Eight Jurisdictions, Valont insight for Australian SMEs

Payroll Tax Thresholds by State, 2026-27: One Table, Eight Jurisdictions

15 Oct 2026

Signs You've Outgrown Your Bookkeeper | When to Upgrade Your Back-Office. Photo: Livestock (Beef and Sheep) at work

Signs You've Outgrown Your Bookkeeper | When to Upgrade Your Back-Office

1 Mar 2026

Single Touch Payroll Phase 2: What Australian Employers Need to Know. Photo: Dairy Farming at work

Single Touch Payroll Phase 2: What Australian Employers Need to Know

1 Mar 2026

Switching from Offshore Bookkeeping to Australian-Based Finance Support. Photo: Civil Construction at work

Switching from Offshore Bookkeeping to Australian-Based Finance Support

1 Mar 2026

What Is Managed Payroll? How It Differs from Payroll Software. Photo: Nannies and In-Home Care at work

What Is Managed Payroll? How It Differs from Payroll Software

1 Mar 2026

What Is Outsourced Bookkeeping? Complete Guide for Australian Businesses. Photo: Home Care Providers at work

What Is Outsourced Bookkeeping? Complete Guide for Australian Businesses

1 Mar 2026

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