Tax records and business money
Start with the document or explanation you need to find. These guides help you connect a payment to the purchase, activity or asset behind it.
The evidence templates show how to organise records and include ATO sources beside the example. Take the facts to your registered agent for the tax decision.
Prove an expense
Recover the document and explain what the payment was for. Start with the circumstances that are missing from the bank entry.
Record Keeping for Small Business: What to Keep and for How Long
How long must you keep business records in Australia? The ATO's 5-year rule, the 7-year company rule, what to keep, and whether photos of receipts count.
9 min readSmall Business Tax Deductions: The Complete Australian List
Every tax deduction an Australian small business can claim, category by category, with 2026-27 ATO rates, what's not deductible and the records to keep.
15 min readLost a Business Receipt? Rebuild the Evidence File
Recover a missing business receipt, connect it to payment and job records, and keep an honest evidence register for your bookkeeper or tax agent.
3 min readSole Trader Meal Records: Lunch, Travel and Client Meals
Separate ordinary lunch, overnight travel meals and client entertainment in your records, with a practical worksheet for the facts your agent needs.
3 min readDonation or Sponsorship? Keep the Right Payment Records
Record a community payment as it happened: recipient details, promised benefits, invoices and proof of payment, with gift and sponsorship checks kept apart.
2 min read
Track an asset
Follow equipment through purchase, changes and disposal, keeping accounting values separate from tax records.
How to Read a Balance Sheet (Small Business Edition)
How to read a balance sheet for a small business: assets, liabilities and equity in plain English, working capital, the quick ratio and what to check monthly.
9 min readAsset Register Template: Track Business Equipment
Keep each asset’s purchase, location, business use, book value, tax record and disposal evidence together in a practical register that you can copy.
3 min readRepair or Improvement? Gather the Facts Before Coding It
Document an asset before and after work, separate invoice components and collect the evidence your adviser needs to assess repairs and improvements.
2 min readSelling or Scrapping Equipment: Close the Asset Records
Record the sale or scrapping of business equipment, reconcile proceeds and fees, and keep the documents needed to close its accounting and tax history.
3 min read
Explain mixed use
Keep business and private activity visible in the records you take to your adviser.
Business Vehicle Records: Build a Logbook and Expense File
Organise vehicle journeys, odometer readings, private detours, running costs and ownership documents in one file before reviewing the claim method.
2 min readBusiness Trip and Private Holiday: Organise the Costs
Build a mixed-purpose travel file with the itinerary, actual activities, accommodation and transport costs, keeping uncertain allocations for review.
3 min read