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100 Australian accounting questions

Find the records, calculations and steps for Australian tax and business questions. Each topic page carries 10 answers, a search box and a checklist download.

Open the business calculators or try the fictional Newcastle cash flow workbook.

The questions are grouped by topic, not ranked by search volume. Tax guidance must match your year and circumstances.

Editorial review: 11 September 2026. Last reviewed 26 September 2026.

Tax returns

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Use the income year and residency facts for the return being prepared.

  1. What will my income tax bill be?
  2. Which expenses reduce my taxable income?
  3. What steps are involved in completing a return?
  4. Where can I obtain or recover my TFN?
  5. What dates govern the annual tax cycle?
  6. Which methods can I use to settle my tax bill?
  7. Which earnings are taxable?
  8. How long will the tax return process take?
  9. Where can I submit a completed return?
  10. Which tax rules changed from 1 July 2026?

Deductions

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Check eligibility and record requirements for the income year of the expense.

  1. How do I calculate my working-from-home deduction?
  2. What records do I need to support my working-from-home claim?
  3. Should I use the cents-per-kilometre or logbook method for car expenses?
  4. How do I keep a valid vehicle logbook?
  5. How do I calculate the work-related share of phone and internet expenses?
  6. Can I deduct a laptop or tools immediately, or must I depreciate them?
  7. Which work clothing, uniforms and laundry expenses can I claim?
  8. Can I claim course fees, professional memberships and self-education expenses?
  9. What can I claim if I have lost the receipt?
  10. Does my business qualify for the instant asset write-off this financial year?

Starting a business

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Use the entity, activity and income year being assessed.

  1. Do I need an ABN for freelance or contracting work?
  2. How do I apply for an ABN, and what information do I need?
  3. Is my activity a hobby or a business for tax purposes?
  4. Should I operate as a sole trader or a company?
  5. How much should I set aside for income tax as a sole trader?
  6. Do I need a separate business bank account?
  7. How do I pay myself and record drawings as a sole trader?
  8. Do the personal services income rules apply to my contracting income?
  9. How do I report income from a side hustle, delivery work or online sales?
  10. Can I offset a business loss against my salary or other income?

GST and BAS

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Use the BAS period, GST accounting basis and account due date being reviewed.

  1. How do I add GST to a price or extract GST from an inclusive amount?
  2. When must my business register for GST?
  3. What is the difference between GST-free and input-taxed sales?
  4. Do I charge GST when selling to overseas customers?
  5. What information must appear on a valid tax invoice?
  6. How do I prepare a BAS from my accounting records?
  7. When is my BAS due, and when must I pay it?
  8. Should I account for GST on a cash or accrual basis?
  9. Why does my BAS GST figure differ from the GST balance in Xero?
  10. How do I correct a mistake in a BAS I have already lodged?

Payroll and super

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Use the pay date and applicable payroll rules. Super questions distinguish the regime from July 2026.

  1. How much super must I pay, and which earnings count towards it?
  2. By what date must a super contribution reach the employee’s fund?
  3. What should I do if a super payment is late, rejected or missing?
  4. Do I have to pay super for a contractor who invoices through an ABN?
  5. How much PAYG tax should I withhold from an employee’s pay?
  6. How do I finalise Single Touch Payroll at year-end?
  7. How do I calculate an employee’s final pay, including unused leave?
  8. When does my business become liable for payroll tax in NSW?
  9. Do contractor payments count towards NSW payroll tax?
  10. What does an employee cost after super, leave, insurance and other on-costs?

Bookkeeping and close

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Use the same reporting date and accounting basis for all reconciliations.

  1. Why does my Xero bank balance differ from my bank statement?
  2. How do I identify and fix duplicate bank transactions in Xero?
  3. How do I correct a customer payment matched to the wrong invoice?
  4. How do I record a personal purchase paid from the business account?
  5. Which business records should I keep, and for how long?
  6. How should I organise my chart of accounts?
  7. How do I split a loan repayment between principal and interest?
  8. Should a purchase be recorded as an asset or an expense?
  9. Why do my aged receivables or payables differ from the general ledger?
  10. What should I reconcile and check before closing the month or financial year?

Cash flow

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Planning method for the dates entered. Include obligations in their expected payment weeks.

  1. How do I build a 13-week cash flow forecast?
  2. Why is my business profitable but short of cash?
  3. How much cash should I reserve for BAS, payroll and super payments?
  4. What happens to my cash balance if a major customer pays 30 or 60 days late?
  5. Can my business afford another employee?
  6. What would buying equipment outright versus financing it do to my cash flow?
  7. How much working capital or overdraft capacity will I need next quarter?
  8. How can I reduce overdue customer balances and get paid sooner?
  9. How do I plan for seasonal cash shortages?
  10. How do I update my forecast each month using actual results?

Management reporting

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Compare the same reporting period and basis; historical benchmarks retain their published years.

  1. How much must I sell each month to break even?
  2. What is the difference between gross margin and markup?
  3. What hourly rate should I charge to cover costs and earn a target profit?
  4. Which customers, jobs or service lines are making money?
  5. Why are my actual results different from my budget?
  6. Which financial reports should a small business owner review each month?
  7. How do my business expenses compare with ATO small business benchmarks?
  8. How do I value and report work in progress and unbilled work?
  9. Why has my gross margin fallen even though sales have increased?
  10. How do I turn Xero data into a useful Excel or Power BI management dashboard?

Companies and trusts

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Use the entity and relevant income or FBT year; linked tools have separate supported periods.

  1. Does my company qualify for the lower company tax rate?
  2. How should I record money paid to a director as wages, dividends or a loan?
  3. Does taking money out of my company create a Division 7A problem?
  4. How do I calculate the minimum yearly repayment on a complying Division 7A loan?
  5. Which payments count as repayments of a Division 7A loan?
  6. What must a family trust document before distributing income at year-end?
  7. How do dividends and franking credits affect my tax return?
  8. Does providing a company car or paying an employee’s private expenses create FBT?
  9. What information do I need to prepare an ATO payment plan proposal?
  10. Could my related businesses be grouped together for NSW payroll tax?

Investments and NSW

Reviewed 11 September 2026. Use the relevant disposal, income or NSW assessment year.

  1. Which expenses can I claim for a rental property?
  2. Is work on my rental property a repair, an improvement or a depreciating asset?
  3. How do I work out the capital gain when I sell an investment property?
  4. How do capital losses and the CGT discount affect tax on shares I sell?
  5. Do I owe tax when I sell, swap or spend cryptocurrency?
  6. How do I report ETF distributions and their tax adjustments?
  7. What records does my accountant need for an SMSF annual return and audit?
  8. When does an investment property become liable for land tax in NSW?
  9. Does a Hunter Valley coal mining employer pay the Coal LSL levy?
  10. How do I choose a Newcastle accountant who can help with Xero and cash flow reporting?

The linked repositories have different scopes and supported periods. A preparation checklist or an unevaluated agent workflow does not establish a tax conclusion. I do not take on professional engagements through this site.

Written by Ryan Duguid in his own time and on his own equipment. He is a Provisional CA ANZ Member. CA ANZ has not endorsed this site or its tools.

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Ryan Duguid is not a registered tax agent or BAS agent. Nothing here is tax, legal or financial advice. Computational outputs are review aids for a qualified professional, not compliance determinations, and lodgement decisions stay with a human.

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Ryan Duguid, ABN 59 834 031 764

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