The Government are starting to push through some rather drastic measures in regards to how small business reports to the Australian Tax Office (ATO). In my last blog, I wrote about one of those new measures, Simpler BAS – a new way to report GST for SME’s. In today’s blog, I will introduce another new reporting method called “Single Touch Payroll” (STP). As the name suggests, STP will affect business owners who are also employers. Read on to find out some facts if this affects you.
The ATO has recognised that there are too many labels to complete on the BAS – you can see just how many if you check out my blog series on BAS Labels – way too many! So, to make things easier for small business, a new “simpler BAS” will be introduced from 1 July 2017. It has been designed to help businesses reduce the time spent on BAS compliance and its associated costs. So how exactly does the “Simpler BAS” work and will it actually simplify our business lives? I’m not so sure…….
Sadly, early in January 2017 my bookkeeping assistant, Tash Hilton, decided bookkeeping was not for her and left e-BAS Accounts. We wish Tash well as she endeavours to undertake a career as a Bowen Therapist. It was definitely a battle getting through the Oct-Dec 2016 BAS pile without her during February and the stress levels were very high around here as a result! I thought I would have to go through the whole process of advertising, interviewing, trialling, training etc. again, but luckily for me, I haven’t had to bother! My daughter suggested I call her friend, Ellie Ryan who is a trained bookkeeper. Long story short, Ellie has been trying out with e-BAS Accounts these last few weeks and has turned out to be a perfect fit. I am very lucky indeed. Ellie is currently studying a dual Certificate IV in Financial Services (Bookkeeping & Accounting) and is aiming to become a BAS Agent. Her completed hours with e-BAS Accounts will assist her with her registration when the time comes. I am very happy to be a part of her bookkeeping journey and hope her skills and knowledge improve during her time with us.
Just as I did with Tash Hilton, I have decided to introduce Ellie here via a short interview so you can get to know her. So here it is, my interview with Ellie, my new staff member:
This week I just wanted to write a quick blog about an app we’ve been using a lot here of late in the e-BAS Accounts office. It’s called the “Snipping Tool“. We’re probably a bit late to the party on this one because I’m sure it’s been around for a while, but we’re only just discovering how useful it is! It’s a Windows app so apologies to all those Apple users before we start, but I’m sure you guys probably have something similar anyway.
Four years ago at the age of 46, I was 20kg overweight. Over a 4 year period, I went from a svelte 60kg to a frumpy 80kg……okay, a fat 80kg. The main reason for the unhealthy weight gain was lack of activity. Bookkeeping, and many other computer-driven jobs like it, promotes this inactivity. Basically I was spending up to 10 hours per day sitting in front of a computer, sometimes 6 days a week! This sedentary behaviour and a bizarre drive to choose career over health, resulted in me becoming one fat bookkeeper! One day, during a visit to my local GP, he announced that I was obese. I was shocked and horrified (and not just a tad embarrassed) but of course I knew it was true. My job and lifestyle were killing me. That day I decided to make a change.
“Many computer-driven jobs like bookkeeping, promote inactivity which is poor for your health.”
That was the day I went back to the gym. I joined up and went back to what I knew worked – weight training. I did a fair bit of weight training in my younger years but stupidly gave it up citing lack of time as an excuse. That was dumb because there is always time for health – you just have to make time. I actually love weight training and I think that’s the key – you have to choose an activity that you really enjoy otherwise you won’t keep it up. Fast forward 4 years and I’m back to a healthy 60kg. I’ve made gym work a priority and I go at least 3 times a week no matter what – yes, even if client work isn’t finished – it can wait, unlike my health/life (I’m not getting any younger!).
So what’s this story got to do with standing desks? Lots actually. Recently I realised that even though I had lost the weight and was weight training regularly, I was still very sedentary for the majority of the week – I was still sitting at my desk all day, every day. Cardiologists tell us that those who sit for the majority of the day have a similar risk of heart attack to those who smoke. I believe it. My ridiculous weight gain could easily have led to any number of health issues including heart disease…… or worse! I knew all this sitting had to stop and I wanted to do something that would be an adjunct to my gym work, not a hindrance. So I bought a standing desk. It made sense to me. Standing had to be better for you than sitting. And I was right. My research in standing desks unveiled the following benefits.
Pressure is taken off your spine (sitting down puts up to 40% more pressure on your spine than standing)
More calories are burnt
Leg muscle tone is improved
Posture is improved
Better blood flow is achieved
Metabolism is increased (which is why more calories are burnt)
Energy levels are increased
Reduced general aches and pains (especially for back, shoulders and hips)
“Standing up for health (or why your job is killing you). The benefits of a standing desk.”
So that’s all the light and fluffy on standing desks but I didn’t want this blog to be the proverbial sales pitch for these desks. I also wanted to give you my real-life take on using a standing desk. I’ve had the desk in my office for about 6 weeks now and have used it everyday. I really like it and here are a few thoughts I’ve had since buying it:
It was easy to set up – no tools required!
It’s easy to use and manoeuvre (no squashed fingers yet!)
I can’t stand for too long in high heels but flat shoes or runners are fine (and so are slippers!)
If I’m not feeling too good, I still choose sitting over standing. I recently had the flu and standing was not an option!
When I’m feeling healthy, I can stand for up to 5 hours at a time or even longer. It’s easier than I thought it would be and getting easy by the day.
One downside is dusting the damn thing! It’s big and bulky and has lots of hidey holes for dust and then there’s the dust that collects under the thing……..sheesh! (thinking of getting a blower!)
I definitely notice that I have more energy when I stand compared to when I sit. When I’ve been standing for most of the day, I want to keep on doing things when the office is closed. But if I’ve spent the day on my bum, I just want to keep on sitting and end up migrating to the couch for the rest of the night. Not good.
My right knee was constantly sore due to a bad habit of crossing my legs when sitting at the computer. This was particularly noticeable at the gym and I almost went to my GP for help. After a few short weeks of using my standing desk, this pain has gone completely. The desk has paid for itself in future medical fees.
I tend to leave the office more often when I’m standing. Before the standing desk, I would avoid getting up to go to the loo, have lunch, or just go outside. I would avoid moving in general. There’s something about being already in the upright position that makes leaving the desk easier.
“I won’t let my bookkeeping career and being time-poor be the reason for bad health!”
We like to think that we’re doing a pretty good job at being a paperless office. We only print when we absolutely have to, all client files are saved electronically and any paper documents we receive, are scanned to pdf and then recycled. This system works well but the problem is, we started it many years after our business began. In the early years, we did print everything and all client files were kept in hard copy format. Therefore, as paperless as we are now, we still have cupboards full of client data from prior years. Recently, we decided that it was time to get rid of the clutter!
A recent reform via the Fair Work Commission has seen a major change to the way cashing out of annual leave is treated. For those who don’t know, “cashing-out” means an employee can receive their annual leave as a lump sum payment whilst still working i.e. instead of taking time off work. So how does this work and what does it mean for those affected?
If you use your bank’s credit and debit card merchant facilities to accept payment from your clients and you on-charge the bank’s fees for use of these facilities, you need to take note of this blog!
At it’s most basic, bookkeeping involves receiving data in the form of invoices etc. and entering this data into an accounting system. So, if you are one of our clients, before we can start doing your accounts, we will send you a request for a list of documents. The type of document we request from you will depend on the scope of work that we agreed to do for you within your engagement letter.
There are several tools you can use that will allow you to share your documents with us. Your location (and ours) isn’t a problem as most tools will allow you to share your data remotely. Here is a list of tools you can use:
