What is BAS (Business Activity Statement)?
The Business Activity Statement is the quarterly (or monthly for large businesses) form Australian businesses use to report and pay GST, PAYG withholding, PAYG instalments, FBT instalments and Wine Equalisation Tax. Filed via myGov, ATO Online, or accounting software.
Current Rate (Quarterly (most businesses): due 28th of month after quarter end (28 Oct, 28 Feb, 28 Apr, 28 Jul))
N/A — no separate fee
Example
For Q1 (July–September), the BAS is due 28 October. A business with A$10,000 GST collected, A$2,000 GST credits, A$5,000 PAYG withholding and A$3,000 PAYG instalment owes A$16,000 to the ATO.
How BAS (Business Activity Statement) works in Australia
Quarterly BAS due dates: Q1 (Jul–Sep) due 28 October, Q2 (Oct–Dec) due 28 February (extended from 28 Jan), Q3 (Jan–Mar) due 28 April, Q4 (Apr–Jun) due 28 July. Tax agents lodging electronically get extensions of approximately 4 weeks for each.
Businesses with GST turnover of A$20m+ must lodge monthly. Those under A$75k turnover can lodge annually if they choose. The BAS combines GST (G1–G20 fields), PAYG withholding (W1–W4), PAYG instalments (5A) and other heads into a single form.
Related terms
GST is a flat 10% tax on most goods, services and other supplies in Australia. Businesses with turnover of A$75,000+ (A$150,000 for non-profits) must register and remit GST quarterly via the Business Activity Statement (BAS).
Pay As You Go Withholding is the system Australian employers use to deduct tax from employee wages and remit to the ATO. Real-time reporting via Single Touch Payroll (STP) Phase 2 is mandatory at every pay event. Cash flow remittance is via BAS (quarterly or monthly).
PAYG Instalments are advance company tax (or income tax for sole traders) paid quarterly via BAS, calculated by the ATO based on prior year tax. Reduces the year-end tax balance.
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