leSample: BAS preparation and lodgementSample
Steps
How we prepare, review and lodge a BAS — including who is allowed to press lodge.
1. Confirm the month is closed first
Tax senior · 5 min
No BAS gets prepared from an unreconciled ledger. Check the month-end close is recorded for every month in the period before you start.
2. Prepare the BAS and reconcile GST to the ledger
Tax senior · 45 min · Tools: Xero, ATO Online
Run the activity statement, then tie the GST control accounts back to the report. Explain every variance in the working paper — "rounding" is not an explanation for anything over $2.
3. Second-person review
Senior accountant · 20 min
Someone who did not prepare it reviews it. They are checking the reconciliation and the variance explanations, not re-doing the work.
Warning: The preparer never reviews their own BAS, no matter how tight the deadline is.
4. Get client sign-off in writing
Tax senior · 10 min
Email the client the BAS summary and the amount payable, and wait for a written yes. A verbal approval on a call does not count.
5. Lodge, then tell the client what happens next
Tax senior · 10 min · Tools: ATO Online
Lodge, save the receipt against the client record, and send the client the payment reference and due date in the same message. Most late payments are our fault for not making the next step obvious.
- Lodgement receipt saved
- Payment reference and due date sent
- Next period's job scheduled