When you need to report GST monthly
If you report monthly for GST, you must calculate, report and pay your GST each month on your business activity statement (BAS).
If your GST turnover is $20 million or more, you must report GST monthly and lodge your BAS electronically through Online services for business.
If your GST turnover is less than $20 million, you may choose to report GST monthly. We may direct you to move to monthly reporting if you have a history of failing to comply with your tax obligations.
If you report monthly, you use one of these reporting methods:
- Full reporting method
- Simpler BAS reporting method – if your business has a GST turnover of less than $10 million.
If you are required, or choose, to lodge your BAS through Online services for business, we'll advise you by email when your BAS is available if we have your email address. If you use a paper BAS, we will send you the appropriate one before you need to lodge it.
Full reporting method
If your GST turnover is $10 million or more, you need to use the full reporting method.
You can also elect to use the GST full reporting method if either:
- your GST turnover is less than $10 million but you have aggregated turnover greater than $10 million (for the previous year or the current year)
- you make input taxed supplies as your main business or enterprise activity.
Under the full reporting method you provide more detailed information on your BAS.
What you need to report
If you report GST monthly and your GST turnover is $10 million or more, you must report amounts at the following labels on your BAS each month:
- G1 Total sales
- G2 Export sales
- G3 Other GST-free sales
- G10 Capital purchases
- G11 Non-capital purchases
- 1A GST on sales
- 1B GST on purchases.
If you have a wine equalisation tax (WET), luxury car tax (LCT) or fuel tax credit obligations or entitlements, you must also report these amounts each month (at labels 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 7C or 7D). These labels are shown on your BAS if you have these obligations. You can choose to align other reporting and payment obligations like pay as you go (PAYG) withholding.
You can use either the accounts method or the calculation worksheet method to work out your GST amounts for your BAS.
Simpler BAS reporting method
If you have a GST turnover of less than $10 million, you may report monthly using Simpler BAS.
Under this reporting method, you report less information on your monthly BAS.
What you need to report
You report amounts at the following labels on your BAS each month, if your GST turnover is less than $10 million:
- G1 Total sales
- 1A GST on sales
- 1B GST on purchases.
You do not need to report amounts at the following labels:
- G2 Export sales
- G3 Other GST-free sales
- G10 Capital purchases
- G11 Non-capital purchases.
If you have WET, LCT or fuel tax credit obligations or entitlements, you must also report these amounts each month (labels 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 7C or 7D). These labels are shown on your BAS if you need to report on them.
Even if you have nothing to report in your BAS, you must still report at all other labels and lodge a 'nil' BAS by the due date.
Dates for lodgment and payment
We publish the due dates for lodging and paying your BAS on our website.
Your BAS must be lodged and payment made by the 21st day after the end of your reporting period. If the due date falls on a weekend or a public holiday, you have until the following business day to lodge and pay.
Changing your reporting and payment cycle
Unless you have a turnover over $20 million or we have directed you to report monthly, you may choose to report and pay monthly, quarterly or annually.
Find out more about moving to monthly reporting.