Accountants Desktop is a web-based collection of tools and resources for tax and accounting professionals in public practice with hundreds of users across Australia. Our objectives are to provide practitioners with crucial tools to boost the productivity of their practice, maintain quality control and guide new or inexperienced staff members.  

Every practice needs time saving templates and procedures to run their operations and speed up their processes. Setting this up can take several years of your time and therefore cost a great deal in lost productivity. And then you have to keep it all up to date! For a modest annual fee, a practice can acquire our industry leading calculations, template letters, checklists and much more. Accountants Desktop is highly recommended for new practitioners to give them a “flying start”.  

Using our templates and checklists will assist you with quality control by setting specific standards that must be met for each process within your practice. Because your processes become standardised, you can achieve a consistent, reliable and accurate outcome for each of those processes every time.

Supervision of new or inexperienced staff can be a drain on partner/principal time and further reduce productivity. Our template calculations, forms, letters and library links will guide those staff members through the most difficult of tasks and give you jobs to review that are correct the first time. 

Here is what we offer to achieve these objectives -

1. Excel templates for client and practice Calculations
2. Template Word Letters for use in communicating with clients via email or post
3. Forms for practice workflow procedures and client communication
4. A comprehensive list of tax and other Rates for current and prior years
5. A Library of links to the ATO and other websites with technical reference material
6. Invoice templates, Important Dates, Practice Reminders, ATO News and more.

Here are some links to give you more information about our site and to actually use some of our resources.  To return to this page, click on our logo at the top left hand side of any screen -

• ATO Audit - Asset Betterment (18 Mar 2019)

  Use this workbook to project possible results under an ATO audit based on asset betterment.

  Calculations/2018/ATO Audit - Asset Betterment

  18 March 2019

• Lodgement Manager - BAS (6 Jan 2019)

  Download an ATO not lodged activity statement report for your practice and import it into this workbook for an in-depth analysis of your BAS lodgement obligations.  The features include –

  • Once downloaded, it will take you just a few minutes to copy and paste ATO data into this workbook;
  • The Dashboard has a summary of the number of outstanding activity statements on your client list by form type, client type and period end date;
  • Activity statement statistics are shown in two groups, being those lodged by your practice and those lodged by your client.  You will need to identify this latter group in the data extracted from your practice management software.  Instructions on how to identify this group are incorporated with the workbook;
  • The Dashboard also has a list of clients with more than one activity statement outstanding;
  • An optional Manager Dashboard will allow you to import BAS managers from your practice software and analyse manager performance by period end date, client type and form type;
  • The Manager Dashboard also displays a list of clients with more than one activity statement outstanding;
  • Along with BAS managers, you can also optionally import each client’s email address and first name to enable emailing directly from the workbook;
  • A further option allows you to import client mobile phone numbers with practice data to enable texting directly from the workbook.  You will need a service provider to use this feature with Microsoft Outlook; and
  • You can choose any category of activity statement for email or texting by simply double clicking on any number in either dashboard.  A new sheet will be created with full details of the activity statements included with that number.  Send emails or text messages to these clients from the workbook.

  This workbook will quickly put you in control of your ATO lodgement requirements.

  Calculations/2018/Lodgement Manager - BAS

• Company Tax Rate (16 Dec 2018)

  Determine the company tax rate for 2018 by analysing base rate entity passive income (BREPI) and aggregated turnover.  Trace passive income received as part of multiple distributions from partnerships or trusts.

  Calculations/2018

• Livestock – Forced Disposal (8 Nov 2018)

  Calculate tax profit on the forced disposal or death of livestock. Show profit to be spread across 5 years under option 1 and alternatively allow entry of replacement livestock for automatic calculation of reduction to those costs to absorb the deferred profit under option 2.

  Calculations/Year

• Lodgement Manager - Returns (12 Oct 2018)

  Download an ATO lodgement status report for your practice and import it into this workbook for an in-depth analysis of your practice lodgement program.  The features include –

  • Once downloaded, it will take you just a few minutes to copy and paste ATO data into this workbook;
  • The Dashboard has a summary of the number of current year returns on your client list by lodgement status, client type and due date;
  • See the percentage of returns lodged by your practice to the date of the ATO report;
  • View your 85% on-time lodgement targets for each of the due dates;
  • The Dashboard also has a last year lodged analysis, revealing how far behind some clients are in their lodgement obligations;
  • An optional Manager Dashboard will allow you to import client managers from your practice software and analyse client manager performance by lodgement status, client type and due date;
  • The Manager Dashboard also displays weekly lodgement targets for each manager and due date as well as showing a last year lodged and return not necessary analysis by manager;
  • Along with client managers, you can also optionally import each client’s email address and first name to enable emailing directly from the workbook;
  • A further option allows you to import client mobile phone numbers with practice data to enable texting directly from the workbook.  You will need a service provider to use this feature with Microsoft Outlook; and
  • You can choose any category of return for email or texting by simply double clicking on any number in either dashboard.  A new sheet will be created with full details of the returns included with that number.  Send emails or text messages to these clients from the workbook.

  This workbook will quickly put you in control of your ATO lodgement requirements.

  Calculations/2018/Lodgement Manager - Returns

• Defined Benefit Income Cap Tool (27 Sep 2018)

  This is a link to the ATO website to calculate the defined benefit income cap, the assessable amount to be included in the tax return and the amount of the tax offset that may be allowable.

  Calculations/2018/Defined Benefit Income Cap Tool

• Personal Budget (25 Sep 2018)

  This is a non-expiring monthly budget for use by your clients in managing their personal finances.  The workbook has been protected but without a password.  We recommend that you review this budget, make any changes to accommodate your preferences, including adding your practice name and/or logo and then use a password to protect the budget worksheet before giving it to your clients.

  The features of this budget include –

  • A flowchart demonstrating best practice in managing personal finances;
  • Inbuilt formulas for payment patterns will enable automatic allocation of income and expenses across the twelve months;
  • Income or expenses with erratic frequency can be entered directly to the months involved;
  • Separate tracking of bills and personal spending;
  • Calculation of a weekly spend amount to help contain out of control spending;
  • Projection of the balance of the “Bills” account to reveal any shortfalls in monthly funds;
  • The actual balance of the “Bills” account for any month can be entered to make projections for future months more meaningful;
  • The ability to add a buffer (based on a multiple of your monthly provision) to provide for any interruption to your income or to cover individual monthly shortfalls;
  • A completed annual budget can be copied within the workbook for future reference and the current budget can then be updated with details for the new year; and
  • When customising this workbook for your practice, you can change the colour theme (Page Layout/Themes) to match your logo or practice colours.  You will need to unprotect both worksheets to change the colour theme and it is important that both sheets are then protected again with a password.

  Calculations/Budgets & Projections/Budget – Personal

• Franking Credit – Convert to Loss (12 Aug 2018)

  For a company tax return, convert excess non-refundable franking offsets to an equivalent tax loss.

  Calculations/2018

• Stock - Private Use (11 Aug 2018)

  This workbook calculates the amounts that the ATO will accept as estimates of the value of goods taken from trading stock for private use by taxpayers in named industries.

  Calculations/2018

• Depreciation - Balancing Adjustment and Capital Gain/(Loss) (8 Jul 2018)

  This workbook will calculate the assessable or deductible balancing adjustment, and if applicable the capital gain/(loss), on disposal of an asset depreciated under the uniform capital allowance system.  It will also calculate the reductions to be made to the cost and termination value if the asset is a car and its cost exceeded the car limit and calculate the reductions to the balancing adjustment and capital gain/(loss) to reflect private use of the asset.  Notional calculations are also shown for use in client accounting if applicable.

  You can use this workbook to calculate the required figures when preparing a client’s tax return should your software not perform these calculations.  You can also use the workbook before the financial year has ended to advise your client on the tax implications of disposing of the asset.

  Calculations/2018 & 2019

• Apportion by Value (17 May 2018)

  This handy calculator will allow you to enter a set of values to calculate the total value and relative proportion of each component and enter an amount for apportionment.  Examples of how this workbook could be used include –

  • Calculate the amount of land tax for each property included in a single assessment for multiple properties; and
  • Calculate the deduction for home office (place of business) expenses based on floor areas used for business and private purposes.

  Calculations/Financial/Apportion by Value

• Workplace Rights & Obligations for Small Business (12 May 2018)

  The Fair Work Ombudsman's (FWO) new Small Business Showcase is a virtual hub containing a wealth of tools and resources to help you meet your workplace responsibilities.

  The Showcase helps you understand and deal with key workplace issues like hiring, minimum wages and keeping accurate records.

  It also includes:

  • short instructional videos on how to use their tools and resources
  • an interactive checklist to check your knowledge of key workplace concepts
  • online polls so you can share your insights and opinions on key workplace issues.

  Library/W

• Charge-out Rate Calculator (28 Apr 2018)

  Calculate the charge-out rate for a small business service provider.

  Calculations/Budgets & Projections/Charge-out Rate Calculator

• Break-even Analysis (27 Apr 2018)

  Calculate the revenue required from either the sale of goods or services to break even.  Features include –

  • Enter gross profit ratio and fixed costs to an expandable table to calculate sales or fees required to break even;
  • Enter the average sale amount to calculate the number of sales required to break even;
  • Enter the average hourly charge-out rate to calculate the number of hours to charge to break even;
  • Enter desired profit to calculate revenue and the number of sales or billed hours to achieve that profit; and
  • Enter notes about your calculations.

  Calculations/Budgets & Projections/Break-even Analysis

• Vary Quarterly PAYG Instalment for an Individual (18 Apr 2018)

  Estimate the quarterly PAYG instalment amount or rate for a variation for an individual.  Prepare up to 4 variations for a client and retain a full record of their PAYG instalment variations in the one file.  Features include –

  • Estimate gross income and deductions related thereto for each category of income.
  • Account for reconciliation items on the return to convert profit to taxable income.
  • Enter details of student debts (HELP, TSL, SFSS) for automatic calculation of repayments.
  • Estimate income tax, medicare levy and medicare levy surcharge on taxable income and account for tax offsets and other credits.
  • Automatic calculation of PAYG withholding on wages entered.
  • Separate “Projections” worksheet to allow estimates of income and expenses for any category of income.

  Calculations/2018/PAYGI - Vary Individual Quarterly

• Apportion by Date (31 Mar 2018)

  This handy calculator will allow you to enter a date range and compare excluded periods within that range with the full period, giving total days, excluded days and percentage thereof and enter an amount for apportionment.  Examples of how this workbook could be used include –

  • Calculate days that a rental property was used for private purposes to apportion expenses;
  • Calculate days that a company vehicle was available for private use by an employee for FBT purposes;
  • Calculate days a main residence was used for income producing purposes for CGT calculations; and
  • Calculate days travelling on business to apportion expenses between business and private.

  Calculations/Financial Calculations/Apportion by Date

• Fringe Benefits Tax 2018 (19 Mar 2018)

  Fringe benefits tax calculations, letters and forms for 2018 are now available on our site.

• Retirement Planner (18 Mar 2018)

  Use this workbook to help your clients plan for their retirement by projecting growth in their investments and superannuation balances to determine whether the accumulated funds will provide them with a comfortable retirement.  See more information at the workbook page and Calculations/About Each Workbook.

  Calculations/Budgets & Projections/Retirement Planner

• ATO Small Business Benchmarks (22 Feb 2018)

  The 2017 version of this calculation (now shown under Calculations/2017) has been updated to include the latest benchmarks released by the ATO on 21 February 2018 from 2016 returns.

  Calculations/2017/Benchmarks (or Small Business Benchmarks)

• Profit Manager (15 Feb 2018)

  Analyse your client’s Trading/Profit & Loss Statement and explore the various options for improving their bottom line.  Enter changes (up or down) to the following performance indicators for clients with either trading or services income (or both) and view the effect on their profit –

  • Average sale or fee amount
  • Repeat business
  • Turnover or productivity
  • Sales prices or charge-out rates
  • Cost of sales
  • Direct costs
  • Operating expenses

  It will only take a few minutes to enter the summarised data from your client’s most recent financial report and you can then consider the various options in a meeting with your client.

  Calculations/Budgets & Projections/Profit Manager

• Fee Schedule (7 Feb 2018)

  Use our new schedule of fees template (in Microsoft Word) to set up a schedule for your practice.  Providing new or existing clients with this information is a good way to manage their expectations in relation to the fees you charge for your services.

  Forms/Fee Schedule

• BAS Workpapers - Cashbook Quarterly (4 Feb 2018)

  This workbook can be used where the client provides bank and credit card account statements and you want to enter transactions and reconcile with closing balances for up to six separate accounts.  As with other BAS workpapers, this workbook produces a summary of GST collected and paid for quarter for the preparation of Business Activity Statements, along with an annual summary of transactions for the preparation of the client’s income tax return.

  BAS Workpapers – Cashbook Quarterly

• Tax Planning (16 Jan 2018)

  Two separate tax planning workbooks (for companies and non-companies) for 2018 are now available to project annual profit, estimate taxable income & tax payable and devise ways to defer or save tax.

  Tax Planning – Company
  Tax Planning – Non-Company

• PAYG Withholding – Pay Estimate - Fortnightly Wages (17 Nov 2017)

  Calculate fortnightly gross wages and PAYGW based on variable net wages of business owners.

  PAYGW – Pay Estimate Fortnightly

• PAYG Withholding Variations (2 May 2017)

  Four workbooks have been rolled forward to 2018 to assist with projections for PAYG Withholding Variations for the year ended 30 June 2018.  They include projections for rental income and expenses, depreciation of fixtures and fittings, interest on investment loans and motor vehicle expenses.

  PAYGW Variation – Depn
  PAYGW Variation – Interest
  PAYGW Variation – MV Exps
  PAYGW Variation – Rent

• FBT 2017 (6 Apr 2017)

  We have added our fringe benefits tax calculator for use with all employer and fringe benefit types for the year ended 31 March 2017.  The workbook includes calculation of FBT payable where applicable, calculation of the value of benefits for an employee contribution and a summary of all benefits by type and employee.

  FBT – Full Calculator

• Fixed Price Agreement (22 Feb 2017)

  Calculate fees and periodic payments for a client entering into a fixed price agreement with your practice.  This workbook provides for multiple jobs spread across multiple related client entities and includes automatic calculation of fees based on the prior year fee and a markup or enter your own fee.  Payments are calculated on either a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.

  Fixed Price Agreement

• Profit & Tax Projections for 2017 (8 Feb 2017)

  Two separate versions of this workbook (for companies and other entities) have been rolled forward to 2017.

  Profit & Tax Projection – Company
  Profit & Tax Projection – Other

• CGT Shares (13 Nov 2016)

  The 2016 and 2017 versions of these workbooks have been updated to include cost per share.

  Calculations/2016/CGT - Shares
  Calculations/2017/CGT - Shares

• Hire Purchase Fortnightly (14 Oct 2016)

  Calculate interest, borrowing expenses and end of year balances on a standard hire purchase contract with regular fortnightly payments.

  Calculations/2017/Hire Purchase Fortnightly
  Calculations/2016/Hire Purchase Fortnightly

• Tax & Super Debt - Company (9 Oct 2016)

  Enter a weekly or monthly summary of income, expenses with GST, wages and PAYG withholding to calculate amounts to be set aside for subsequent payment of GST, PAYG Withholding, PAYG Instalments (or Income Tax), Superannuation and FBT.   This workbook will also estimate the client’s annual tax liability and allow the use of separate (updated) quarterly rates for PAYGI and separate quarterly amounts for Superannuation and FBT instalments.  If you are maintaining a separate bank account for these future liabilities, the workbook allows entry of all transactions and will reconcile those figures and the calculated balance with bank statements.

  Calculations/2017/Tax & Super Debt - Company

• New Site Launched (20 Sep 2016)

  There has been a complete rebuild of the site with the following new features -

  • Larger screen space and font size, along with an improved layout, for easier viewing.
  • Calculations, Forms & Letters are now displayed in tables which can be sorted and searched.
  • Each Calculation, Form or Letter is assigned to a category and can be displayed as a group in the table when sorted or on their own when you search for the category name.
  • ATO News can now be searched.
  • Calculations for each year are now displayed in a compressed format with one line per calculation.
  • Full details about each calculation and suggestions for use are now shown in "About Each Workbook" in the Calculations menu.
  • Letters are now contained in a downloadable Microsoft Word file.
  • Foreign exchange rates are now shown in a table which can be searched to display that country's rates only.
  • The Library and Websites modules have been given a makeover with easier access via an alphabetical index of links.

   

• Hire Purchase Calculations (8 Sep 2016)

  Three hire purchase workbooks have been rolled forward to 2017 -

  Calculations/2017/Hire Purchase Payout
  Calculations/2017/Hire Purchase - Standard
  Calculations/2017/Hire Purchase - Structured

• Primary Producer Trading Accounts (31 Aug 2016)

  Prepare trading accounts for a primary producer, including separate worksheets for Livestock (with quantities), Produce and Other income.  A separate sheet summarises the figures for the client’s tax return.

  Calculations/2016/Primary Producer Trading

• 2016 Workbooks (29 Jun 2016)

  All workbooks for the year ended 30 June 2016 have been uploaded to the site for the new financial year.

• 2016 Personal Tax Checklists (13 Jun 2016)

  Three checklists have been added for personal tax returns for the year ended 30 June 2016. Each checklist is available in both PDF and Microsoft Word format. Here are links to the PDF copies -

  Forms/Records - Personal Return Short
  Forms/Records - Personal Return Long
  Forms/Interview – Tax Return

• 2016 Trust Distributions (1 Jun 2016)

  Estimate trust accounting distributions required for the trustee resolution by 30 June to achieve a desired taxable distribution for each beneficiary and prepare the resolution itself which forms part of the workbook.

  Calculations/2016/Trust Distributions - Resolution

• Present Entitlement Register (24 May 2016)

  For those discretionary trust ledgers which have not separated the present entitlements of a private company beneficiary each year into sub-accounts, this workbook will track those entitlements and automatically allocate payments and offsets against the appropriate years.  It will also identify any UPEs which will be subject to the deemed dividend rules under Division 7A.  To speed up data entry, export data from the ledger into a spreadsheet and copy and paste into this workbook. 

  Calculations/2015/Present Entitlement Register 

• BAS Summary & Reconciliations (17 May 2016)

  The latest version (2016) of this workbook includes a sheet which reconciles the FBT Expense and Liability shown in the accounts with instalments paid to the ATO and the FBT return itself.

  Calculations/2016/BAS Summary & Reconciliation

• ATO Small Business Benchmarks (10 May 2016)

  All ATO benchmarks now come in one workbook and the client's industry can be selected from a drop down list.  These latest figures were recently published by the ATO from information contained in 2014 income tax returns and activity statements.

  Calculations/ATO Benchmarks