Your Quarterly BAS
Preparation Checklist

Instead of searching for receipts or trying to remember what an old payment was for, you can focus on reviewing the information and resolving any final questions.

If your business reports quarterly, this checklist will help you organise what your bookkeeper or accountant needs. Businesses with a different reporting cycle can adapt the routine to their own periods.

What is a BAS

A business activity statement reports certain business tax obligations. Depending on your registrations and circumstances, these can include GST, PAYG withholding and PAYG instalments. Your BAS sets out what you need to report. See the Australian Government’s BAS overview.

Preparation starts with the records behind those figures.

1. Confirm the period and deadline

Check the reporting period and the due date that applies to your business. Confirm who is preparing and lodging the BAS, when they need your records and how you’ll approve it.

Set an earlier date for sending documents so there’s time to resolve questions.

2. Gather statements for every relevant account

Bring together bank, credit card, loan and payment platform statements for the period.

Even if you use bank feeds, statements provide a separate record to check against. Include accounts that were opened or closed during the quarter.

For merchant facilities, supply settlement reports showing fees, refunds and other adjustments as well as deposits.

3. Check transactions against the records

Reconcile your accounting records to the relevant statements and investigate differences.

Watch for missing entries, duplicates and transfers recorded as income or expenses. Flag anything you don’t understand rather than choosing a category just to clear it.

4. Organise invoices, bills and receipts

Make supporting documents easy to find. Check that uploaded images are readable and show the whole document.

Identify business purchases paid personally and transactions containing private spending, with notes explaining their purpose. Let your adviser review any uncertain treatment.

5. Review sales and expenses that need attention

Flag refunds, credit notes, large purchases, asset sales and unfamiliar transaction types.

Tell your preparer about changes to your business, such as a new income stream or payment platform. An explanation supplied now can prevent confusion later.

6. Have payroll records ready if relevant

Supply payroll reports and details of corrections or unusual payments. Ask your preparer to confirm which payroll figures and checks are relevant to your BAS.

Keep a note of unresolved payroll questions so they can be addressed before approval.

7. Review the BAS and plan payment

Before approving lodgement, ask about figures you don’t understand and confirm how any amount payable will be managed.

Lodgement and payment are separate tasks. Keep confirmation of both with the records used to prepare the statement.

Your quarterly BAS preparation checklist

• Confirm the reporting period, due date and person responsible.
• Supply bank, credit card, loan and payment platform statements.
• Reconcile accounts and flag unexplained differences.
• Organise invoices, bills, receipts and supporting notes.
• Identify refunds, unusual transactions and business changes.
• Supply payroll information where relevant.
• Answer outstanding questions and review the completed BAS.
• Confirm lodgement, payment arrangements and record storage.

Make BAS preparation part of your regular routine

Saving documents as they arrive and answering bookkeeping queries throughout the quarter can make preparation more manageable.

At Bookflow, we help keep your bookkeeping and BAS preparation organised around your business. Our packages provide clear pricing and regular direct debit payments, making the cost of agreed support easier to plan for too.

This checklist is general information. Your reporting requirements depend on your registrations, reporting method and circumstances.