Published: May 2025
Managing tax obligations like Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Business Activity Statements (BAS) can overwhelm Australian business owners. A BAS agent—a registered professional specialising in BAS-related services—offers expert support, saving time and ensuring compliance. This blog explains their role, expanded services like bookkeeping and payments, and how they benefit your business, with a detailed example.
A BAS agent is a professional registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) to handle GST, PAYG (Pay As You Go) withholding, and other tax obligations reported via BAS. Unlike general accountants, BAS agents focus on BAS tasks and often provide additional services like bookkeeping, ensuring accuracy and ATO compliance.
BAS agents must:
BAS agents provide core BAS services and often extend to broader financial tasks, offering a cost-effective solution:
Costs typically start at $300/month, varying based on services (e.g., basic BAS lodgement vs. full bookkeeping and payments). This range offers flexibility, with significant cost benefits by reducing errors and saving time.
BAS agents streamline financial processes, delivering:
Tom runs a landscaping business with a $200,000 turnover, GST-registered, and lodging BAS quarterly. He spends 15 hours/quarter on BAS, bookkeeping, and chasing payments, often risking errors. Tom hires a BAS agent for $500/month ($6,000/year), covering:
The agent saves Tom 15 hours/quarter (60 hours/year, worth $3,000 at $50/hour), identifies $1,000 in deductions (saving $300 in tax), and avoids a $222 late BAS penalty. Total benefits ($3,522) nearly offset the $6,000 cost, with Tom focusing on new clients, boosting revenue by 10%.
When selecting a BAS agent:
BAS agents are invaluable for Australian businesses, handling BAS, bookkeeping, invoicing, and payments to ensure compliance and save time. With fees starting at $400/month, their expertise delivers significant cost benefits, letting you focus on growth. Engage a BAS agent to streamline your financial operations today.
A BAS Agent is a professional registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) in Australia who specialises in handling tax obligations reported through Business Activity Statements (BAS). This includes managing Goods and Services Tax (GST), Pay As You Go (PAYG) withholding, and related tasks such as preparing and lodging BAS reports.
To become a BAS Agent, an individual must be registered with the TPB, hold relevant qualifications such as a Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping, carry professional indemnity insurance, and adhere to a strict code of conduct.
BAS Agents handle core services like managing GST calculations and reporting, PAYG withholding and instalments, preparing Taxable Payments Annual Reports (TPAR) for certain industries, and ensuring timely superannuation guarantee payments. They also provide additional services such as bookkeeping (e.g., transaction recording and account reconciliation), reviewing invoicing for ATO compliance, and processing payments to improve cash flow.
Hiring a BAS Agent saves time by automating BAS, bookkeeping, and payment processes; ensures compliance to avoid ATO penalties; provides expertise on GST methods and tax deductions; and offers cost efficiency, with fees starting at around $400 per month often offset by savings from tax credits, avoided penalties, and reclaimed time.
A BAS Agent calculates GST on sales and purchases, advises on GST registration and exemptions, and prepares and lodges BAS for GST reporting, ensuring accurate compliance with ATO requirements.
BAS Agents manage PAYG withholding from employee wages, calculate and report PAYG instalments based on business income, and ensure timely submissions to meet tax obligations.
A TPAR is required for industries like construction to report payments to contractors. A BAS Agent prepares and lodges these reports to ensure compliance and accurate tracking of taxable payments.
BAS Agents like Scale Suite perform bookkeeping tasks such as recording transactions, reconciling accounts, and categorizing expenses for tax deductions. They also review invoicing to ensure it includes necessary details like ABN and GST, correcting any non-compliant invoices.
Verify TPB registration using the TPB Register, confirm industry experience and services like bookkeeping, discuss fees (typically starting at $400 per month based on scope), and ensure compatibility with accounting software such as Xero or MYOB.
Yes, BAS Agents ensure timely employee superannuation guarantee payments to comply with regulations and avoid penalties.
For a landscaping business with $200,000 turnover, a BAS Agent costing $500 per month ($6,000 annually) could save 60 hours of time (valued at $3,000), identify $1,000 in deductible expenses (saving $300 in tax), and avoid a $222 late BAS penalty, nearly offsetting the costs while allowing focus on business growth.
Scale Suite offers finance and bookkeeping services for Australian businesses, including professional bookkeeping, BAS agent services, fractional CFO support, payroll management, accounts receivable and payable processing, financial reporting, Xero setup and migration, and business insurance assistance.
As a TPB-registered BAS agent, Scale Suite provides BAS and IAS assistance, GST management, PAYG handling, and compliance support.
We review and check articles on a periodic basis, and at the time of writing this information was up to date from our assessment.
Scale Suite delivers finance and human resource services to support the growth of Australian businesses. Our Sydney-based team creates custom packages tailored to your needs, seamlessly integrating with your existing teams. From comprehensive finance services and strategic business support to recruitment and HR services, we reduce costs, save time, and help you scale confidently.
Ready to stop wasting time on finance & HR tasks and start focusing on growth?
Our business experts will assess your current setup and show you exactly how much time and money you could save with our tailored services.
No lock-in contracts and a 30 day money back guarantee. We help you choose only the services that fit your business needs and you pay for exactly what you use. Pause our services at any time.
