Checklist
AU Sole Trader Quarterly Checklist
The work that should happen every quarter so BAS doesn't become a crisis. Print this page (or bookmark it) and run through it on the last day of each quarter — should take 1-2 hours if your books are reasonably clean.
What's in this checklist
- 5 sections covering bookkeeping, BAS, tax+super, cashflow, look-ahead.
- ~30 actionable items in plain English.
- Printable — Cmd+P / Ctrl+P prints clean.
- Free to bookmark, share, or print for your team.
Last updated: BizTools.au editorial team, 30 April 2026.
The checklist
Run this on the last day of each quarter
Each section is a stand-alone block — skip the parts that don't apply to your situation (e.g. GST section if you're under $75k turnover and not registered).
End-of-quarter book sweep
Get your numbers to a point where BAS prep takes minutes, not days.
- Match every line on your business bank statement to an invoice / expense / transfer.
- Flag and chase any overdue customer invoices (this quarter + last quarter).
- Capture any cash receipts that didn't auto-import.
- Photograph + file any paper receipts that haven't been recorded.
- Reconcile your card processor (Stripe / Square / PayPal) payouts against invoiced amounts.
- Note any disputed transactions to follow up with the bank.
GST + BAS preparation
If you're GST-registered, this is the work that has to happen before BAS day.
- Confirm GST collected: 1/11th of every GST-inclusive sale this quarter.
- Confirm GST paid: the GST component of every business expense (input tax credits).
- Net GST owed = GST collected − GST paid. Move that amount into your GST set-aside account if not already done.
- Check for any GST-free sales (international clients, certain exports) and exclude them correctly.
- If any customer paid in advance for work not yet delivered, confirm GST treatment.
- Lodge BAS by the deadline (28th of the month after the quarter ends; longer for some lodgement channels).
Income tax + super check-in
You don't lodge income tax quarterly, but you should sanity-check that your set-asides are tracking right.
- Add up YTD profit so far. Multiply by 4/N (where N is quarters elapsed) to project FY profit.
- Apply your tax bracket % to projected profit to estimate the FY income tax bill.
- Compare estimated tax bill to current Tax set-aside balance. Adjust your set-aside % if you're under-saving.
- Check your YTD super contribution against your annual super target (usually 12% of net profit).
- If you have HECS/HELP, factor an extra 1-10% into your tax set-aside check.
- If you receive PAYG income elsewhere, factor it into the projected total income.
Cashflow + receivables hygiene
Profit on paper doesn't pay the rent. Cashflow does.
- Calculate current cash runway (months of expenses covered by current operating balance).
- Note any customer >30 days overdue and send a chase email.
- Note any customer >60 days overdue and consider escalation (call / final demand / mercantile agent).
- Set up payment plans for any customers signalling cashflow trouble.
- Review your subscription stack — cancel anything you haven't used this quarter.
- If you're running too lean, decide whether to draw less, sell more, or open a buffer line of credit.
Looking ahead
Quarter-end is the cheapest moment to pause and rebalance.
- Project revenue + costs for next quarter based on confirmed work + pipeline.
- If projected revenue is down, identify the marketing / outreach / pricing changes that would close the gap.
- If projected revenue is up, check whether you need to outsource / hire / raise prices to handle the volume cleanly.
- Schedule next BAS deadline + tax deadlines in your calendar with 1-week reminders.
- Schedule one 'no-customer' day this quarter for business admin only.
- Review pricing — has your hourly rate or service price kept pace with cost increases?
Use this with the calculators
Most of the numbers in this checklist (cashflow runway, tax set-aside, GST owed) have a calculator on BizTools.au that does the math for you. Useful pairings:
- BAS Set-Aside Calculator — for the GST section.
- Cash Flow Runway Calculator — for the cashflow hygiene section.
- Hourly Rate Calculator — for the look-ahead pricing review.
Disclaimer
Use as a starting point, not professional advice
Important note
BizTools.au is designed to make business numbers easier to check, but calculator outputs still need judgment and real-world context.
- Calculator results are general estimates only and depend on the figures entered.
- Examples and summaries are provided for general information, not legal, tax, accounting, payroll, or financial advice.
- Before relying on a result for a real decision, check your assumptions and get qualified advice where needed.