Taxation Planning & Advice
Plan ahead, rather than looking back.
By the time a tax return is being prepared, the year is over and most of the decisions have already been made. Tax planning happens earlier — while there is still time for a decision to be considered on its merits, with a clear view of what it means for tax.
- A review of your position before the year closes
- Strategies applied within current Australian taxation law
- Advice appropriate to your own circumstances
Tax preparation and tax planning are two different things.
Tax preparation is the annual task of reporting what has already happened: the income earned, the deductions available, and the resulting position. It is essential, it has a deadline, and by its nature it is retrospective.
Tax planning is the conversation that happens before that. It looks at where your income and expenses are heading, what decisions are coming up, and how the timing and structure of those decisions affect your position — while there is still scope to do something about it.
We provide tax planning for both businesses and individuals, working within current Australian taxation law and taking your own circumstances into account. The aim is not a particular number at the end; it is that the decisions you make are made with the tax consequences understood rather than discovered later.
Usually before the end of the financial year, and well before any significant transaction. If you are considering buying equipment, selling an asset, changing structure or taking on a partner, it is worth a phone call first.
Looking forward instead of reporting backwards.
A planning review generally starts with an estimate of where the year is likely to land, based on the results so far. From there the conversation becomes practical: what is committed, what is discretionary, and which of the choices in front of you have a tax dimension worth thinking about.
None of this is about avoiding tax. It is about applying the provisions that legitimately apply to your situation, in the right period, with the documentation to support them — and about not being caught out by an obligation nobody had planned for.
- An estimate of the likely position before the year closes
- Timing considerations for income and deductible expenditure
- The tax effect of decisions that are already on the table
- Obligations to plan for, so the eventual bill is not a surprise
What we can help you with
Planning conversations tend to cover some combination of the following, depending on what is going on.
Reviewing your position before year end
Estimating where the year is heading while there is still time for that information to be useful, rather than confirming it afterwards.
Timing considerations
When income is derived and when expenditure is incurred can matter. We look at whether the timing of what you are planning is worth considering.
Business tax planning
The tax dimension of business decisions — equipment, staffing, distributions and the shape of the year ahead.
Individual tax planning
Planning for individuals whose position is not straightforward: investments, property, several income sources or a significant change in the year.
Business structure considerations
General discussion of how different structures are taxed, and whether your existing arrangement still suits what the business now does.
Planning around legitimate deductions
Making sure you are aware of the deductions genuinely available to you, and holding the records needed to substantiate them.
Understanding your obligations
Knowing what is due, when, and roughly how much — so tax is planned for rather than absorbed as a shock each year.
All planning is undertaken within current Australian taxation law. We do not participate in arrangements designed to avoid tax.
How a planning review works
- 01
Understand your situation
Your income, your structure, what has changed this year and what you are expecting or considering for the next one.
- 02
Review the year to date
We look at the results so far and estimate where the year is likely to finish if things continue broadly as they are.
- 03
Identify what is worth considering
We set out the areas where timing, structure or documentation could reasonably be looked at, and the ones where they could not.
- 04
Discuss the options
We talk through what each option would mean, what it requires, and the commercial considerations that sit alongside the tax ones.
- 05
Act, document and review
Where you decide to proceed, we help make sure it is implemented and documented properly, then revisit the position as circumstances change.
Tax planning cannot change what has already happened, and we make no promise that you will pay less tax. What it can do is make sure your decisions are informed ones.
The decisions worth a phone call first.
Some decisions are much easier to think about beforehand than to unpick afterwards. A short conversation before you commit is often the most useful advice you will get all year.
- Buying or selling a significant business asset
- Selling an investment property or other capital asset
- Changing your business structure or adding a partner
- Taking on staff, or a substantial change in wages
- A large one-off amount of income landing in a single year
- Winding down, selling or stepping back from the business
Who this service is for
Business owners
Owners who would rather understand the tax position during the year than be told about it once the year has finished.
Companies, trusts and partnerships
Structures where decisions affect both the entity and the people behind it, and the two need to be considered together.
Individuals with more complex affairs
People with investments, property, several income sources, or an unusual year that warrants thinking about in advance.
Property investors
Owners considering buying, selling or restructuring the ownership of an investment property.
Anyone facing a significant transaction
A sale, a purchase, a windfall or a change of direction — the situations where advance advice matters most.
Clients approaching retirement
Those thinking about the years ahead, where tax and superannuation considerations often need to be looked at side by side.
Important considerations
Timing is the whole point
Planning has to happen before the event. Once a transaction is done or the year has ended, the options available are far narrower.
Commercial sense comes first
A decision that makes no commercial sense rarely becomes a good one because of its tax treatment. Tax is one factor among several.
Everything within the law
We work with legitimate strategies under current Australian taxation law. We do not promise reduced tax and we do not entertain arrangements aimed at avoidance.
Legislation changes
Rules, thresholds and concessions are revised regularly. A strategy appropriate in one year may not be appropriate in the next.
This information is general in nature and does not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. Requirements can depend on your circumstances and current legislation — speak with our team for advice relevant to your situation.
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Common questions about tax planning
When should we do a tax planning review?
Is tax planning only for businesses?
Will planning reduce the tax I pay?
Do I need to be an existing client?
Can you advise on whether to change my business structure?
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Whether you have a straightforward question or a more complex financial situation, our team is here to help.
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