Tax guides, deductions, and compliance for freelancers and small businesses across US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
The $18,200 tax-free threshold looks simple, but a second job, a side business or a part-year move can turn it into a surprise tax bill. The five mistakes the ATO sees most, each corrected against the current rules, with a situation-by-situation table.
A valid tax invoice needs seven details for sales under $1,000, and the buyer's identity once a sale reaches $1,000. Here is what must appear on the document, when you must issue one, and what you need on the invoices you receive to claim GST credits.
How much tax does a sole trader pay in Australia? A plain-English guide to the 2025-26 individual income tax rates, the Medicare levy, the small business income tax offset, and PAYG instalments, with a full worked example.
A profit and loss statement lists your sales and expenses and works out your profit. Here is how to build one line by line, why your figures should be GST-exclusive, and how the bottom line feeds your ATO tax return, a Centrelink claim, or a loan.
How PAYG instalments work for Australian sole traders: who the ATO enters, the instalment amount versus instalment rate methods, the quarterly due dates, how to vary safely under the 85% rule, and how what you pay credits against your final tax bill.
As a sole trader your business profit is taxed at your personal marginal rates; a base rate company pays a flat 25%. Here is the tax maths, the setup and running costs, and the profit level where switching to a company starts to pay off.
The ATO logbook method claims a business-use percentage of your actual car costs, with no 5,000 km cap. How to keep a valid 12-week logbook, claim depreciation under the car limit, and avoid the errors that get claims disallowed.
An ABN identifies any business and is issued by the ATO; an ACN identifies a company and is issued by ASIC. Sole traders need only an ABN, companies need both. Here is how the two numbers connect and which your business needs.
The 2026 tax return deadline is 31 October for self-lodgers. Every key ATO date for individuals and sole traders, the tax agent extension to 15 May 2027, and what a late return or payment costs.
How the $20,000 instant asset write-off works for Australian small businesses: the per-asset threshold, the under-$10-million turnover test, GST-exclusive costing, what is excluded, and how the $20,000 became permanent from 1 July 2026.
Every 2026-27 BAS due date for quarterly, monthly and annual lodgers, plus the two-week online concession and what a late lodgment costs in ATO penalties and interest.
The ATO's free myDeductions tool is the right answer for more people than app companies like to admit. Here's an honest comparison of tax receipt apps for Australians, and where the free option stops.
