Our office have been working hard behind the scenes to bring the following new optional initiatives to our clients:-

- We are registered to offer our clients optional Audit Insurance through Audit Shield

- We have introduced Pay By The Month through Practice Ignition for eligible clients

- We have introduced electronic signing of Tax Declarations through our secure online portal (Xero - Adobe E-Sign)

What is the Audit Shield service?

Our Audit Shield service provides for the payment of professional service fees incurred in the event that you are selected for an audit, enquiry, investigation or review instigated by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) or other Government body. The cost of being properly represented in these matters can be quite considerable depending on the length of time involved. The cost of the policy is also tax deductible.

What is covered by the service?

The following official audits, enquiries, investigations and reviews are covered by Audit Shield:

• Income, Land and Payroll Tax
• BAS/GST Compliance
• Workers Compensation/WorkCover
• Superannuation Guarantee and Compliance
• Self-Managed Superannuation Funds
• Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT)
• Record Keeping
• Plus much more!

Participation in taking out Audit Shield is completely optional and conditions do apply.

If you are interested in obtaining cover please register your interest with us. Also, a mail out to clients was be completed in late April 2015 which contained Frequently Asked Questions. Should you have any queries regarding this initiative please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Our office undertook a survey of our clients and the feedback was that the ability to pay our fees by the month was a high priority.

We are pleased to advise that for eligible business and Self-Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF) clients, Pay By The Month through Direct Debit and Credit Card is now available.

If you are interested in this initiative please contact our office to register your interest and we will confirm whether your business or SMSF is eligible to Pay By The Month.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is transitioning towards a less mail based service. Paper will not be eliminated, however, more and more correspondence will be electronically issued including Notice's of Assessment and Statements of Account.

As an office, we are transitioning the signing of Monthly and Quarterly Activity Statements by clients to electronic signature.

How does this impact me or my business?

Once your Activity Statement is ready to be sent to you for signing, an email from our secure online portal (Xero - Adobe E-Sign) is issued advising you that there is a document for you to sign. Once you have established an account (no charge) with Xero you sign in and can see the document which requires signature.

Once you have electronically signed the Activity Statement it will be returned to our office and lodged with the ATO. At this point you can print or download the Activity Statement and accompanying documents (if any). There is no need to manually print, sign and return the Activity Statement to our office!