Making your business dream into a new reality is not as simple as you may think. Besides drafting business strategies, you will also need to lodge company income tax returns, pay other taxes to maintain financial records, and perform other responsibilities. If you cannot comply with the tax obligations, it may result in company tax return penalties. That is why before you start with your business, you need to have sufficient knowledge about how tax return penalties are calculated and what duties you have to perform.
When Do FTL Penalties Apply?
FTL penalties or failure to lodge timely penalties will apply when you cannot lodge a tax return, statement, or report (or both) by a specific date. The Australian Taxation Office generally does not penalize isolated late lodgement cases. If you fail to lodge your return, they will generally send you a warning by phone or email. A penalty notice will be sent stating the due date and the penalty amount if the FTL penalty is applied.
How Is The FTL Penalty Calculated?
For a small business, the calculation rate for the failure to lodge on time penalty is one penalty unit/every 28 days that the statement or return is due. It applies to up to five penalty units.
For a medium entity, two is multiplied by the penalty. A medium entity refers to a medium withholder for PAYG withholding purposes or an entity with current GST turnover or assessable income between $1 million and $20 million.
For a large entity, five is multiplied by the penalty. A large entity refers to a large withholder with an annual GST turnover or assessable income of at least $20000.
And, for a large global entity, five hundred is multiplied with the base penalty. For these types, FTL penalties apply to a business that fails to submit an approved form due on or after 1 July 2017.
How Does The ATO Apply The FTL Penalty?
The ATO uses an automated penalty system that applies FTL penalty mainly to late-lodged company tax return Perth businesses. In addition, penalties also apply to statements and reports. These returns and statements include activity statements, Fringe Benefits Tax returns, tax returns, PAYG (Pay-As-You-Go) withholding annual reports, annual information reports and GST returns, Single Touch Payroll reports, and taxable payment annual reports.
If a taxpayer fails to lodge even after a request from the ATO, the penalty may be applied manually.
As per rule, the Taxation Office generally does not penalize a late-lodged FBT return, tax return, annual activity statement or GST return if the final lodgement outcome is a refund or a nil result. But, there are also two exceptions.
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The penalty was applied before you have lodged the statement or return. It means that you cannot remit the penalty even if the lodgement gets you a nil result or a refund.
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The penalty will also be applied if the un-lodged item is a taxable payment annual report. These reports are generally termed third-party data reports.
How Can You Avoid Company Tax Return Penalties?
The first step is to know the different penalties that are applied on tax returns. Having sufficient knowledge about it will help you get the maximum refund on tax. Here we discuss several strategies you may apply to avoid these penalties.
Failure to fulfil the business taxing liabilities can make your business suffer greatly. Moreover, you may not claim several business-related expenses. And, untimely tax return submissions can also give rise to heavy penalties. So, it is always important to calculate the tax return for your business and see what opportunities you can have related to it. As a business owner, you have to lodge the tax return on time and adequately pay the taxes to explore the tax deduction opportunities.
According to the rules of the ATO, the potential withholding PAYG and superannuation taxes should be paid by the company directors within the specified time. Completing this responsibility can be simple as the Australian Taxation Office gives the company directors a unique opportunity. It provides the business owner with the chance to pay the taxes within 21 days after the director penalty notice is issued. With this opportunity, you can also pay your own taxes.
If you visit the website of the Australian Taxation Office, you will have detailed information on all the taxation aspects, including rebates, e-tax, tax reform, and superannuation. In each topic and aspect, a legislative database is available on the ATO website. This database is very beneficial because it contains every possible information, including policy and legal components. Using this tool, you can understand your potential taxing laws pretty effectively. In addition, you will find information on almost every small business category from the ATO website.
The update information portal is a handy tool offered by the Australian Taxation Office. The benefits they provide include the following.
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The account statements can be viewed easily.
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Potential taxing reports can also be easily prepared and lodged.
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Another benefit is that it allows the business owners to update the company’s tax details.
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Last but not least, you can regularly contact the ATO to get pieces of information specific to your taxes.
Having a professional tax accountant in Perth can help you lodge the tax return on time.
Can You Request A Remission?
You may now ask for a remission if you have received the penalty notice for not lodging a tax return or tax statement within the specified time. You can either request it in full or part if there is any exceptional situation like failure to lodge due to a serious illness or natural disaster.
Who Can Help You?
If you wish, you can ask your tax agent in Perth to request remission on your behalf. With their experience, they can help you get the best possible outcome.
