Why don’t I receive my paper BAS anymore?
We often get our clients asking why their paper Business Activity Statements (BAS) has stopped being sent to them. There may be a couple of reasons, however it’s nothing that can’t be fixed……
The ATO will no longer issue paper activity statements once an activity statement is lodged electronically through the following:
- Online services for agents
- Standard Business Reporting (SBR) enabled software
- when you link your myGov account to the ATO.
The electronic activity statement will be available approximately seven days after the generate date.
You may receive one last paper BAS if the first electronic lodgement is after the BAS generate date. If this occurs, you should continue to lodge electronically.
There are a few instances where an exception is made and the ATO will continue to send paper activity statements.
One-off electronic lodgements or revisions
A single electronic lodgement will result in a change to how the next BAS is issued. You will need to consider this when deciding how to lodge the BAS.
If Initiative lodges a quarterly BAS electronically for you and you lodge your own monthly activity statements by paper, the paper activity statements will stop.
If Initiative lodges a one-off electronic revision for you and you normally lodge your own BAS by paper, the paper activity statements will stop.
If you are unable to transition to electronic self-lodgement then you will need to contact the ATO to revert the preference to paper. We can do this for you on your behalf.
myGov users – end of paper activity statements
If you operate as a sole trader or are a salary and wage earner (and you have a paper activity statement delivery preference), and have linked your myGov account to the ATO, the ATO will no longer send you a paper activity statement or instalment notice.
You can access your activity statements and instalment notices using myGov. You will receive a notification in your myGov Inbox when your activity statement or instalment notice is ready.
Activity statement notification
If the ATO have a valid email address recorded against your activity statement role, the ATO will send an email advising the next activity statement is available online, providing the first electronic lodgement is made via:
- Online services for agents
- the portals
The notification email will be issued approximately seven days after the activity statement generate date.
If the email address is not recorded or is incorrect, the ATO will not send an email notification.
At Initiative, we would recommend our clients embrace the digital format of activity statements and take advantage of the convenience they can offer. If you’re operating a business (other than as a sole trader), you may also like to consider setting up an Auskey for the business so you can access your activity statements online. Please contact Kate in our office for assistance in setting this up for you.
Author
Kim Jay
