If you employ people, engage contractors or have vehicles registered to your business, there are a few things worth checking before the end of September. Here’s what’s on our radar:

What could the proposed 30% trust tax mean for your business?

The legislation is still in draft form, and consultation closes on 18 September. Rest assured we’ll keep you updated, and if you’d like to discuss what the proposed changes could mean for you, get in touch with our team.

Payday Super

Under Payday Super, super contributions need to reach an employee’s super fund within seven business days of payday. The important part is reach.

It’s not enough for the payment to leave your bank account within seven days. The fund still needs time to process and allocate the contribution, so processing time is part of the seven-day window.

That means employers will need to keep a closer eye on their super payments and allow enough time for them to be processed.

Here are a few things worth checking now:

• Use the ATO’s new Member Verification Request (MVR) to confirm employee fund details before making contributions.
• Check that your payroll provider or clearing house can process MVRs.
• Make sure you’re checking that contributions have been allocated, rather than simply sent.

For a new employee, or someone who changes super funds, you generally have 20 business days to make the first contribution. The ATO has also said it will take an education-first approach during the first year for employers who are making a genuine effort to comply.

Contractors aren’t automatically exempt

Payday Super changes the timing of super payments, but it doesn’t change the rules around who is entitled to super.

If you engage someone mainly for their labour, personal effort, skills or time, you may still need to pay super for them – even if they have an ABN, send you invoices or have a contractor agreement.

This can be easy to overlook, particularly if you bring someone in during a busy period or for a particular project.

If contractors are a regular part of your business, take a look at those arrangements. Make sure you’re comfortable that the way you’ve classified and paid them matches the actual working arrangement.

Have you checked for lost super?

There’s currently more than $21 billion in lost super sitting with the ATO.

It’s surprisingly easy to lose track of an old super account. You change jobs, move house or change your contact details, and an old account can eventually become inactive.

Last year, more than $1.1 billion was returned to people through super consolidations and direct payments.

It only takes a few minutes to check your super through ATO online services, and it’s worth mentioning to your kids, too. Anyone who worked casual jobs through school or university may have old super accounts sitting around that they’ve forgotten about.

Card surcharges end on 1 October

If you currently add a surcharge to card payments, there’s an important change coming up.

From 1 October 2026, businesses will no longer be able to surcharge customers for card payments. If you currently pass these costs on, you’ll need to decide whether to absorb them or factor them into your pricing.

It’s worth checking your payment provider and pricing now so you’re ready before the change takes effect. If card fees are a significant cost for your business, talk to us about what the change could mean for your margins.

Your vehicles are on the ATO’s radar

The ATO is collecting motor vehicle registry data from state and territory authorities for the 2026 to 2030 income years. The program covers around 2.5 million people each year.

The information can include things like vehicle purchase and sale details, transaction dates, market values, registration information, garaging addresses and intended use. The ATO can then compare that information with the records it already holds for GST, fringe benefits tax, fuel tax credits and income tax.

For business owners and farming families, this makes it particularly important to keep your vehicle records consistent. Think about your registration details, where the vehicle is kept, how you describe its use, your logbooks and how you’ve treated it for tax purposes.

If your ute is used for everything from visiting clients to picking up the kids from school, your records need to reflect the actual use of the vehicle.

Is your bookkeeping keeping up?

With the September quarter coming to an end, it’s worth looking at how much time you’re spending keeping up with your bookkeeping, BAS and payroll requirements.

If you’re regularly putting aside evenings or weekends to reconcile accounts, prepare your BAS or keep on top of payroll, it might be worth asking yourself whether that time could be better spent elsewhere in the business.

Keeping your records up to date is important, but you don’t necessarily need to be the person doing all of it.

If bookkeeping, payroll and BAS compliance are taking up more of your time than you’d like, we can help. Contact us for a free bookkeeping, payroll and BAS quote.

A quick compliance check

The September quarter ends on 30 September, so now is a good time to make sure you have all the relevant records and documents ready to send through for your September quarter 2026 BAS.

• Your BAS is due on 28 October, or 25 November if we lodge it for you as your BAS agent.
• While you’re pulling everything together, it’s worth reviewing your payroll and super lodgements and making sure they’ve been completed on time.
• If you identify a late lodgment or payment, contact us as soon as possible. Depending on the circumstances, we can assist with preparing and lodging a Voluntary Disclosure Statement with the ATO.

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Get in Touch

If you’d like some help with your bookkeeping, payroll or BAS, get in touch with the Advisory Partner team. We can provide a free quote based on what your business needs.

The information in this article is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances. You should seek professional advice before making decisions based on this information.