Tax & ATO

How income tax lands on a tradie — the 2025-26 brackets with worked LITO numbers, the one-per-person tax-free threshold, the Medicare levy and surcharge, and the small business income tax offset (16%, capped $1,000).

A plain-English EOFY 2026 checklist for Australian tradies: the $20,000 instant asset write-off (ends 30 June 2026, GST-exclusive if registered), bringing deductions forward, paying super in time, records and BAS, with free calculators.

The $75k threshold (and why it counts materials), tax invoices and RCTIs, the residential-property quoting trap, cash vs accrual on progress claims, and your BAS. Deep, plain-English GST guide for Australian tradies.

The simplified BAS labels (G1/G10/G11/1A/1B), quarterly dates (Q2 is 28 Feb), the agent lodgement extension, GST-credit apportionment on a dual-cab ute, and what FTL penalties + GIC cost. Deep guide for tradies.

What tradies can really claim — the $300 rule vs the instant write-off, the clothing/PPE trap, the self-education nexus test, licences and union fees vs the private driver licence, and the ATO audit red flags. Deep guide.

When the ATO puts you on PAYG instalments (the three thresholds), the GDP-adjusted vs rate methods, the quarterly dates, and how to vary down in a lean quarter without breaching the 85% safe-harbour.

Who must lodge a Taxable Payments Annual Report (the 50% construction test), what to record per contractor, the 28 August deadline, and why TPAR is the ATO's net for under-reporting subbies.

The three different 5-year start dates, what the ATO wants for vehicle/tools/home-office claims, the digital-receipt rules, cloud tools, and the small-cash exception. Deep record-keeping guide for tradies.

What to do about an ATO tax debt — the escalation timeline, the $200k self-serve payment plan, GIC and the DPN, the when-cash-is-tight priority order, free helplines, and the ritual that prevents the next one.

When a builder must withhold PAYG paying subbies — the 47% no-ABN rule (over $75 ex-GST, reported at W4), genuine contractor vs disguised employee, the W1-W5 BAS labels, and STP year-end finalisation.

The ATO calendar for a construction sole trader — quarterly BAS (28 Oct/Feb/Apr/Jul), the SG dates (and why December-quarter super is due a month before the BAS), TPAR 28 August, income tax, the tax-agent extension, and FTL penalties.

How the ATO audits construction — the TPAR/STP/bank triggers, illegal phoenixing penalties (up to 15 years, Director Penalty Notices), how to prepare for an audit, and why voluntary disclosure before contact can cut penalties up to 80%.

Protecting a trade business from invoice-redirection (BEC) fraud and ATO impersonation scams — how to verify bank-detail changes and real ATO contacts, the cyber controls that stop them, and what to do in the first hour if you are hit.