Nicola Stafford - BAS Agent & Bookkeeper

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Nicola Stafford - BAS Agent & Bookkeeper BAS agent and bookkeeper, servicing the south east and eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Over 10 years' experience in bookkeeping. Diligent, accurate and reliable.

BAS agent registration number : 25492537

Xero Certified Advisor. QBO & MYOB. For all your bookkeeping needs, call me on 0423 974 500.

13/04/2023

Employers: The April 28 (SG) due date is just around the corner – don't miss it! 🫣 Make sure you’re super prepared.

It’s important to pay:
✔️ your employees in full, on time and to the correct fund. Remember that the current SG rate of 10.5% will increase to 11% on 1 July.
✔️ all eligible employees, regardless how much their earnings are.

⚠️ Remember, contributions are only considered ‘paid’ on the date the fund receives them. This means you’ll need to make sure they’re received by the fund on or before the due date – otherwise they’re late.

If you do miss the due date, you’ll have to lodge an SG charge statement... and nobody likes extra paperwork! 🤦

For more info, visit www.ato.gov.au/PayingSuper

17/01/2023

Hi Employers! A friendly reminder that your employees’ contributions are due by 28 January 🗓️

Remember to pay:
✔️ your employees the correct amount on time at the new rate of 10.5%
✔️ all eligible employees, regardless of how much they earn.

If you miss the due date, you must lodge a super guarantee charge statement.

For more info, visit www.ato.gov.au/PayingSuper

14/10/2022

Employers: Don’t let the Halloween weekend creep up on you! 👻

Your employees’ contributions are due by 28 October 📅

Remember, new super changes started from 1 July 2022 and include:
✔️ the super guarantee rate increasing from 10% to 10.5%
✔️ the removal of the $450 super guarantee eligibility threshold. This means employees may be eligible for super, regardless of how much they earn.

For more info, visit www.ato.gov.au/Business/Super-for-employers/

Important super changes, effective 1 July 2022
15/06/2022

Important super changes, effective 1 July 2022

Employers: Changes to super guarantee start from 1 July and include:
✔️ the super guarantee rate increasing from 10% to 10.5%, and
✔️ the removal of the $450 eligibility threshold. This means employees may be eligible for super, regardless of how much they earn.

To learn more about what these changes mean for you, visit www.ato.gov.au/business/super-for-employers/work-out-if-you-have-to-pay-super/

03/08/2020

Stage 4 restrictions for businesses in metropolitan Melbourne have just been announced.

If you are allowed to remain open and have 5 or more employees, you must implement a COVID safe plan by Friday 7 August. Business Victoria have plenty of resources available and will be providing a plan template in the coming days.

10/07/2020
Australian Taxation Office

Australian Taxation Office

Victorian employers: Has your business been impacted by the recent restrictions enforced because of COVID-19?

You might now be eligible to enrol for the JobKeeper Payment. To claim payments made to your employees in July, you will need to:
＞ Enrol and identify your eligible employees by the end of July
＞ Make a monthly business declaration between the 1st—14th August

Watch our video to find out how to enrol, or visit www.ato.gov.au/general/JobKeeper-Payment

22/06/2020



Just a reminder that the minimum $1500 JobKeeper payment paid to eligible employees is based on ATO prescribed fortnights as outlined in the picture below.

Please follow these dates when paying employees to ensure that you meet the requirements for reimbursement.

17/06/2020

Fair Work Ombudsman

No employee should “owe” their boss hours of work under the JobKeeper scheme.

If you work less than the value of the JobKeeper payment in a fortnight, your boss still has to pay you the minimum JobKeeper amount ($1500 before tax). Your boss can’t make you work for free in order to make up the hours later on.

https://coronavirus.fairwork.gov.au/coronavirus-and-australian-workplace-laws/pay-and-leave-during-coronavirus/jobkeeper-wage-subsidy-scheme/pay-and-the-jobkeeper-scheme -an-employee-is-paid-under-the-jobkeeper-scheme

05/06/2020



Fortnight 5 of the JobKeeper program ends this Sunday (7th June)

Make sure you've paid your eligible employees at least $1,500 gross between 25th May and 7th June in order to be reimbursed next month!

03/06/2020

Australian Taxation Office

Employers: Have you experienced a decline in turnover and not enrolled for the JobKeeper Payment?

The good news is you might now be eligible and you can still enrol. All you need to do is:
1. Enrol in the month you want to start claiming for
2. Identify your eligible employees
3. Make a monthly business declaration

Find out more about the JobKeeper payments at https://www.ato.gov.au/General/JobKeeper-Payment/In-detail/JobKeeper---easier-to-understand-information/

01/06/2020

The JobKeeper monthly declaration process is now open in order to be reimbursed for Fortnights 3 & 4.

The declaration must be lodged by the 14th of this month.

22/05/2020



The due date for the monthly JobKeeper declaration has been extended until the 14th of each month.

Previously, all monthly declarations had to be submitted by the 7th of each month in order to be eligible for JobKeeper reimbursement.

20/05/2020

Employers, make sure you are recording the correct leave accruals for your employees.

You still accrue leave as normal if you’ve had your hours reduced, or been stood down under a JobKeeper direction.

So for example, if you’re a full time employee, you should still accrue full-time paid annual leave entitlements based on the hours you would normally have worked before the JobKeeper direction.

More info here: https://coronavirus.fairwork.gov.au/coronavirus-and-australian-workplace-laws/pay-and-leave-during-coronavirus/jobkeeper-wage-subsidy-scheme/leave-the-jobkeeper-scheme -leave-options

12/05/2020

Has your employer reduced your hourly rate so they can afford to pay other bills?

Are they only paying you $1500 per fortnight when you should have been paid more based on the hours you actually worked?

Have you received payslips stating you have been paid $1500 per fortnight for JobKeeper, but not actually received any money yet from your employer?

Employers still have to abide by the Fair Work Act and the law, even in difficult and challenging times. If something doesn't seem right, ask a registered tax professional for advice.

An employee’s hourly rate under their award or enterprise agreement can’t be reduced because they’ve had their hours or days reduced or duties changed under a JobKeeper direction.

And if you do less than $1500 worth of work in the fortnight, you’re entitled to be paid at least $1500. But if you do more than $1500 worth of work, you need to be paid for all the hours you actually worked. This includes being paid any overtime, penalty rates, or allowances your award or agreement says you should get. Just remember, some tax might have to be taken out of your wages.

https://coronavirus.fairwork.gov.au/coronavirus-and-australian-workplace-laws/pay-and-leave-during-coronavirus/jobkeeper-wage-subsidy-scheme/default

12/05/2020

Fair Work Ombudsman

Yes. The JobKeeper scheme doesn’t change full-time and part-time employees’ entitlements to accrue or take paid sick leave under the Fair Work Act (casual employees aren’t entitled to this leave).

If you’re ill or injured, so long as you follow the usual notice and evidence rules, you can take your accrued paid sick leave as normal.
https://coronavirus.fairwork.gov.au/coronavirus-and-australian-workplace-laws/pay-and-leave-during-coronavirus/jobkeeper-wage-subsidy-scheme/leave-the-jobkeeper-scheme

06/05/2020

****BREAKING NEWS****

Employers and eligible business participants have started to receive their JobKeeper reimbursements.

If you lodged your April monthly declaration on Sunday or Monday, the money should be in your nominated account.

06/05/2020

This post explains things perfectly.

If ANY of these are happening to you, speak up and let the ATO know.

Are you receiving JobKeeper? Know your rights and speak up if you're being taken advantage of.

01/05/2020

JobKeeper reimbursement

Please note that this is not automatic!

A monthly declaration via myGov or the Business/BAS agent/Tax agent portals is required to trigger the reimbursement process.

You will be asked to confirm your eligible employees and/or the details of the Eligible Business Participant; if you report via STP, the employee information should be pre-populated. You will also need to confirm last month's GST turnover and provide an estimate for the current month.

The ATO have confirmed that this information is not a retest of eligibility, but required to see how the economy is recovering.

29/04/2020

JobKeeper update

The ATO have updated their information (yet again!) with regards to the basis you use to work out if you are eligible for JobKeeper. Their advice is now as follows:

"As a practical matter, we expect that you will use the GST accounting method that you normally use. In other words, you may use a cash or accruals approach to determining the value of your sales in the relevant month or quarter. If you do this, typically, turnover for the relevant period will equal your GST exclusive sales less your input taxed supplies.

If you use GST calculations to determine turnover, don’t forget to include GST-free sales.

If you normally account for GST on an accruals basis, but seek to calculate on a cash basis (or vice versa), we may seek to understand your circumstances to ensure that the calculation achieves an appropriate reflection of your turnover.

If you aren’t registered for GST, we would expect you to use the same accounting method you use for income tax purposes."

If you are now concerned about your JobKeeper application, please consult a registered tax professional for help.

29/04/2020
AFP teams up with ATO, Treasury in COVID-19 tax fraud taskforce

Do not claim any COVID19 business incentives unless you are certain that you are entitled to them.

A tax fraud taskforce including Services Australia, ATO and Australian Federal Police will be investigating fraudulent claims.

The Treasury has confirmed that it will be working with the ATO and an Australian Federal Police taskforce in investigating any cases of fraud related to the government’s COVID-19 stimulus measures.

28/04/2020
JobKeeper Payment

JOBKEEPER UPDATES

There have been a few updates to the JobKeeper program as follows:

Extension of time to enrol for the JobKeeper scheme

The Commissioner has extended the time to enrol for the initial JobKeeper periods, from 30 April 2020 until 31 May 2020.

If you enrol by 31 May you will still be able to claim for the fortnights in April and May, provided you meet all the eligibility requirements for each of those fortnights. This includes having paid your employees by the appropriate date for each fortnight.

For the first two fortnights (30 March – 12 April, 13 April – 26 April), we will accept the minimum $1,500 payment for each fortnight has been paid by you even if it has been paid late, provided it is paid by 8 May 2020. If you do not pay your staff by this date, you will not be able to claim JobKeeper for the first two fortnights.

Update to JobKeeper rules

To ensure the integrity and the efficient operation of the JobKeeper Payment scheme, the Government is clarifying the operation of some rules:

employees employed through a special purpose entity, rather than an operating entity
charities and the treatment of government revenue
religious practitioners
'one in all in’ principles
full time students aged 16 and 17 years old
international aid organisations, and
universities.

For further information, please see the media release from Treasury or speak to a registered tax professional. The ATO website will be updated in due course.

ATO information on the JobKeeper Payment support for businesses significantly affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

20/04/2020

Fair Work Ombudsman

If you can’t work because your kid’s school or childcare has closed due to coronavirus, you’ll need to take paid leave to be paid for the time off.

Whether you can take paid carer’s leave depends on whether it’s considered an ‘unexpected emergency’. This is something that needs to be looked at on a case by case basis. For example, if your kid’s school or childcare closed at short notice and for a short period because someone at the school tested positive for coronavirus, this would be an unexpected emergency and you could take any paid carer’s leave you’ve accrued for the closure period.

Casuals can take 2 days’ unpaid carer’s leave per occasion. So can full/part-timers that have run out of paid sick and carer’s leave.

If you don’t meet the criteria for carer’s leave, other possible arrangements may include:
• working from home (where practical and consistent with any applicable award, enterprise agreement, employment contract or policy)
• taking annual leave
• taking any other leave (like long service leave or other leave available under your award, enterprise agreement or employment contract)
• coming to an agreement with your employer about taking other paid or unpaid leave.

More info: https://coronavirus.fairwork.gov.au/coronavirus-and-australian-workplace-laws/pay-and-leave-during-coronavirus -if-an-employee-cannot-attend-work-because-their-childs-school-or-childcare-centre-has-closed

08/04/2020

Fair Work Ombudsman

Easter’s coming up this weekend. With everything going on it is understandable if it’s not front of mind, but make sure you check the public holiday dates in your state/territory because they do vary. https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/public-holidays

While there have been changes to a number of awards to provide flexibility and additional types of leave, the rules about public holiday penalty rates haven’t changed. For anyone working a public holiday the normal rules about payment apply.

03/04/2020

Confused about the difference between JobSeeker and JobKeeper? Want to know about the PAYGW rebate and whether it applies to you? Wondering whether you are eligible for a payroll tax refund in Victoria?

Feel free to contact me on Messenger if you need help and would like some advice as to what you may be entitled to.

Just remember, most of these measures will require your bookkeeping and BAS/tax lodgements to be up to date in order to qualify.

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Over 10 years' experience in bookkeeping. Diligent, accurate and reliable. BAS agent registration number : 25492537 QBO Certified ProAdvisor & Xero Certified Advisor.

Numerous years’ experience with MYOB. For all your bookkeeping needs, call me on 0423 974 500.