Put simply, if you pay the ATO too much throughout the year, or if we figure out that you’ve got a few things you can claim so your tax is reduced, you’ll get a refund. If you don’t pay enough to the ATO during the year, they’ll give you a tax bill.

Ideally, you’ll try to get as close to even as you can, so you get as much as possible out of your paychecks throughout the year but aren’t hit with a hefty tax bill.

As the accountant Belgrave residents trust, we triple check to ensure our clients claim as much as they possibly can when lodging their tax returns, which can turn a tax bill into a tax refund.

If you’re not confident your accountant did a good job when lodging your tax return, find out more about our second tax opinion service.

The best way to maximise your tax return is to claim all of the deductions you are eligible for. This can be tricky to do yourself, especially since the ATO is always changing its rules, and significant penalties apply if you do something wrong.  We spend a lot of time keeping up with all this so that we know what you can and can’t claim.

Most people meet with their Belgrave accountant once a year when their tax returns need to be done. If you’re running a business, you’ll get a lot more value if we catchup up more than once a year.  Our job is to keep you informed of changes and requirements, help you with cash flow and tax planning, and help you grow your business. Accounting is not just about reporting on the past. It’s about looking to the future and planning for financial stability and success.

A good accountant is one who is genuinely interested in you, your business and your future. They should be like family. Here’s how we think a good accountant should operate:

• Personal service. You are an individual, and your circumstances are unique. A good accountant will get to know you, will know what your goals are and how your business runs, and will provide services that are tailored to your exact needs.
• Clear communication. Condescending jargon ridden language has no place in our accounting practice. The best accountants communicate clearly in plain language that is easy to understand.
• Affordable, proactive service. We don’t believe in waiting for you to contact us, and then charging for every phone call and photocopy, like many do. Instead, we have your financial best interests at heart and we charge fairly for proactive, honest advice and great service.

Giving us your bookkeeping to do frees up your nights or weekends and keeps you focused on doing what you do best – managing and growing your business. You don’t have to worry about reconciling bank statements, producing reports and keeping track of every cost.  It’s all taken care of for you by our capable team, who actually enjoy doing it.  We’ll go through the key things with you so you know how you’re tracking and what you need to keep an eye on.