Ledger Setup
Part of GST and business reporting workflows
Preparing source records for a qualified tax review
Assemble a dated BAS review pack with source documents, transaction detail, reconciliations and clear questions for a qualified adviser.
Give the tax or BAS adviser a dated pack linking draft BAS figures to their transactions and source documents. Include a short list of questions requiring judgement. A summary total alone cannot show whether an invoice is missing or a tax code rests on an assumption.
Agree on the review task
State the business entity, ABN, reporting period, GST accounting method and relevant BAS sections. Specify whether the adviser is reviewing selected transactions, checking draft figures, or preparing and lodging the statement. If they will provide a BAS service, check they are a registered agent with the TPB by searching the TPB register.
Ask which files and level of detail the adviser needs. Label each export with its entity, period and preparation date.
| Pack item | Include |
|---|---|
| Draft BAS figures | Period, method, applicable fields and preparation date. |
| Sales evidence | Invoices, credits, refunds and source-system summaries with retrievable detail. |
| Purchase evidence | Supplier documents, credits and related ledger entries. |
| Reconciliation | Bank and GST detail, with outstanding items identified. |
| Open questions | Source reference, issue, affected amount if known, owner and next step. |
Make questioned items traceable
For each item needing review, connect the document to its ledger reference. Record the transaction date, document date, customer or supplier, amount, code used and reason for the question. If a bank or card line may settle a bill already entered, show both records rather than making another entry to clear the exception.
Keep missing evidence visible. Do not reconstruct an original invoice from memory or infer GST treatment from a software label. Where appropriate, ask the supplier for a corrected document and let the qualified adviser assess what the available evidence supports.
List defaults and manual decisions separately: tax codes inherited from items or accounts, imported summaries, journals and entries made after the prior BAS was prepared. Distinguish what staff observed from what they assumed.
Retain the decision and versions
Ask the adviser to record the decision, its scope and any conditions. Apply it only to the records it covers. Record which entries were changed, by whom and when, then rerun the affected GST detail and draft BAS figures.
Keep the original draft, reviewed version and lodged statement distinguishable. If a source record arrives after sign-off, flag it for another decision rather than silently replacing the reviewed pack. Retain underlying records under the retention rules that apply to their type.
Key compliance facts for BAS preparation
- TPB registration check
- Required for BAS services
- GST accounting method
- Must be specified (cash or accrual)
