BAS is one of those jobs that feels small until the week it's due. Here's the calendar, the fines, and the bit most people don't know — that a BAS agent buys you more time.
When is my BAS due?
If you're on quarterly reporting (most small businesses under $20 million turnover are), your due dates are the 28th of the month after each quarter ends — except the December quarter, which gets an extra month because of the holidays.
- Jul–Sep quarter: due 28 October
- Oct–Dec quarter: due 28 February
- Jan–Mar quarter: due 28 April
- Apr–Jun quarter: due 28 July
Turning over $20 million or more? You're on monthly BAS, due the 21st of the following month. Under $75,000 and not registered for GST? You don't lodge a BAS at all.
The extra time a BAS agent gets you
When a registered BAS or tax agent lodges electronically on your behalf, the ATO's lodgement program generally gives you about four extra weeks. That's not a loophole — it's how the concession is designed. It also means someone checks the numbers before they go in.
What if I'm late?
The ATO charges a failure-to-lodge penalty for each 28-day block you're overdue, and general interest charge accrues on anything unpaid. The penalties are worse than the interest, which leads to the single best bit of advice on this page: lodge on time even if you can't pay. Then sort the payment separately.
How to stop it being a scramble
- Reconcile monthly, not the night before it's due.
- Put the GST aside in a second bank account as you go.
- Check your GST coding on the odd stuff — insurance, government fees, bank charges and overseas software all trip people up.
- Set a reminder two weeks out, not two days.
If the last three quarters have all been a panic, that's a system problem, not a you problem. Monthly bookkeeping with the BAS included takes the whole thing off your plate.
Want this handled for you?
Fees quoted before we start, registered agents, and no judgement about how far behind you are.
See Bookkeeping & BAS Pricing
