Company and Trust Tax Returns in Sydney
Your company or trust tax return and financial statements, prepared from your bookkeeping or bank statements and lodged by registered tax agents. We do the directors' returns at the same time, so salaries, dividends and loans line up. Fixed fee agreed upfront.
What we prepare
- Company tax returns and financial statements, from your Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file, or from bank statements if you don't use software.
- The tax reconciliation that turns the profit in your financial statements (profit and loss, balance sheet) into taxable income.
- Trust tax returns, including trust distribution resolutions, which generally need to be made by 30 June.
- Directors' tax returns alongside the company's, so salaries, dividends and franking credits line up.
- Franking account and dividend statements for shareholders.
- Division 7A: loans from the company to directors and shareholders, set up so they aren't treated as unfranked dividends.
- Payroll tax returns for NSW businesses whose wages exceed the threshold.
Company tax rates
Companies that are base rate entities pay tax at 25%. Other companies pay 30%. To be a base rate entity, a company needs aggregated turnover under $50 million and no more than 80% of its assessable income from passive sources such as interest, rent and dividends. We check which rate applies each year, because it also sets the maximum franking credit the company can attach to dividends.
How it works
After lodgement, we keep the year ahead on track: BAS, PAYG instalments and planning before next 30 June.
- 01
Send us your records
Give us access to your Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks file, or send bank statements and the list below.
- 02
We finalise the books
We reconcile the bank and loan accounts, post year-end adjustments (depreciation, accruals, stock, director loan balances) and prepare the financial statements.
- 03
We talk to you about tax
Before anything is lodged, we show you the company's tax position and go through dividends, directors' wages, Division 7A loan repayments and whether a carry-back claim applies.
- 04
You approve, we lodge
You sign off the returns and we lodge the company return and the directors' personal returns electronically. You get the amount to pay and the due date.
When is a company tax return due?
If you lodge through a registered tax agent, the 2025–26 company return is generally due on one of the dates below. Large and medium companies have earlier dates. These dates only apply when the company is on our client list and we lodge electronically, so if your company has no agent, get one well before the date. We confirm your exact due date when we take you on.
31 October 2026
If the company had any earlier tax returns still outstanding at 30 June 2026.
31 March 2027
If the company's total income in 2024–25 was more than $2 million (unless an earlier date applies).
15 May 2027
For most other companies on an agent's lodgement program.
5 June 2027
If the company's return will be non-taxable or a refund in both the prior year and this year.
What's changed for companies and trusts in 2026–27
- Loss carry-back is back. From the 2026–27 income year, companies with global turnover under $1 billion can carry a tax loss back against tax paid in the two previous years and get a refund. The refund is capped at the company's franking account balance. The claim is made in the company tax return, so it needs to be planned. See loss carry-back returns.
- Division 7A benchmark interest rate is 8.77% for 2026–27 (8.37% for 2025–26). If a director or shareholder has borrowed from the company, the loan needs a complying written agreement and minimum yearly repayments, or it can be taxed as an unfranked dividend. See Division 7A director loans.
- Unpaid trust distributions to a company. In June 2026 the High Court decided (in the Bendel case) that an unpaid trust distribution owed to a corporate beneficiary isn't a Division 7A loan. The ATO is withdrawing its earlier view, but other integrity rules can still apply, so get advice before relying on it.
- Instant asset write-off of $20,000 per asset for businesses with turnover under $10 million is permanent from 1 July 2026.
- Proposed, not law: a 30% minimum tax on discretionary trust distributions from 1 July 2028 is still a bill. See trust distributions taxed at 30% from 2028.
What we need from you
Send these through and we'll prepare the company return and the directors' returns together.
- Access to your accounting software, or bank statements for every company account for the full year (1 July to 30 June)
- Loan statements, hire purchase and lease agreements
- Invoices for assets bought during the year
- Stock on hand at 30 June (if you hold stock)
- Payroll year-end reports, including directors' wages and super
- Details of any money the company paid to or for directors or shareholders, and any Division 7A loan agreements
- Dividends declared or paid, and the company's last franking account balance
- Last year's company return and financial statements (we can get these from your previous accountant)
- For trusts: the trust deed and the 30 June distribution resolution
Beyond the tax return
The ATO return is only one of a company's yearly obligations. Every year the company also has an ASIC annual review fee ($342 from 1 July 2026), and every director needs a director ID. Directors can become personally liable for the company's unpaid PAYG withholding, GST and super, so lodging BAS and paying super on time protects you as well as the company. Most small proprietary companies don't have to lodge financial statements with ASIC, but the company must keep records that support its return for five years. See BAS lodgement.
Fees
We agree a fixed fee with you before we start, so there are no surprises. The fee depends on how many transactions the company has, how up to date the books are, and whether we're also doing the directors' and trust returns. The fee for managing the company's tax affairs is generally tax-deductible in the year it's paid. See us at our Chippendale office, or work with us by phone, video and email from anywhere in Australia.
More help for your business
We also have pages for specific industries: accountants for tradies, e-commerce accounting and medical accountants, and for businesses near Redfern and the Inner West, Redfern small business accountants. Not sure whether your business should be a company yet? See business accountants Sydney.
Business accountants
Tax returns, payroll and planning for the whole year.
Business accountants
BAS and GST
Monthly or quarterly BAS, prepared and lodged for you.
BAS lodgement
Tradies
Tax returns, ABN and GST, BAS and vehicle claims for electricians, plumbers, builders and more.
Accountants for tradies
E-commerce and online sellers
GST and BAS, Shopify, Amazon and eBay payout reconciliation, stock and income tax.
E-commerce accounting
Medical and allied health
Tax returns, practice structures, contractor and PSI rules, and salary packaging.
Medical accountants
Redfern and the Inner West
Tax returns, BAS and GST, payroll and Payday Super for Redfern, Surry Hills, Newtown and Inner West businesses.
Redfern small business accountants
Free guides
Related guides
Plain-English answers from our registered tax agents. Free to read, no sign-up.
Deadlines & Late Returns
How to lodge a company tax return
How to lodge a company tax return in Australia: records to prepare, 2025–26 due dates, SBR software vs tax agent, company tax rates and Division 7A.
Read guide
Tax Tips & Planning
What is a Division 7A loan?
What a Division 7A loan is, the rules and risks, and how to stay compliant with the ATO and avoid costly penalties in 2026.
Read guide
Companies & Trusts
Can a director withdraw money from the company account?
Yes, directors can withdraw company money, but strict rules apply. Learn legal options, Division 7A risks, tax implications, and more.
Read guide
Frequently asked questions
Through a registered tax agent, most small companies have until 15 May 2027 for their 2025–26 return. It's earlier if the company had prior-year returns outstanding at 30 June 2026 (31 October 2026), or total income over $2 million in 2024–25 (31 March 2027). Companies without an agent generally have earlier dates. We confirm your exact date when you join.
No. We can prepare your return from bank statements, although software makes each year faster.
Yes. We lodge overdue company tax returns and BAS, deal with the ATO for you, and can arrange a payment plan if you need one. See late tax returns.
Yes. A company is a separate taxpayer, so each director lodges a personal return covering any salary, director's fees, dividends (with franking credits) and other income. We prepare the directors' returns alongside the company's, so the salary, dividends and any loan repayments are reported the same way in both and match what the company claims.
It can be. Money a director or shareholder takes that isn't salary, a dividend or repaid by the company's lodgement date can be treated as an unfranked dividend under Division 7A. That's usually avoided with a written loan agreement and minimum yearly repayments at the benchmark rate (8.77% for 2026–27). Tell us early so we can fix it before the return is lodged.
Possibly. From 2026–27, companies with global turnover under $1 billion can carry a tax loss back against company tax paid in the previous two years. The refund is limited by the franking account balance and is claimed in the company tax return. Otherwise the loss is carried forward to reduce future taxable income.
The trust lodges its own return showing its income and how it was distributed, and each beneficiary reports their share. The trustee generally needs to make the distribution resolution by 30 June. We prepare the trust return and the beneficiaries' returns together, and check the resolution matches the deed.
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