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Monthly GST reporting

You have different GST reporting requirements if your business has a GST turnover of $20 million or more.

Last updated 29 March 2021

If your GST turnover is $20 million or more, you must report and pay GST monthly and lodge your activity statement electronically through Online services for business.

We also require some other businesses to report monthly – we notify those that must do this.

Other businesses may choose to report GST monthly when their GST turnover is less than $20 million.

If you report and pay monthly, you use one of two reporting methods:

If you are required, or choose, to lodge your activity statements through Online services for business, we advise you by email when your activity statement is available if we have your email address. If you use a paper activity statement, we will send you the appropriate one before you need to lodge it.

See also

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 calculate, report and pay your GST amounts monthly. You provide more detailed information on your business activity statement (BAS) using this method.

You can use either the accounts method or the calculation worksheet method to work out your GST amounts for your activity statement.

What you need to report

If you report and pay GST monthly and your GST turnover is $10 million or more, you must report amounts at the following labels on your activity statement 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 (FTC) 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 have these obligations.

You can use either the accounts method or the calculation worksheet method to work out your GST amounts.

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 activity statement, but still calculate and pay your GST amounts monthly.

What you need to report

You report amounts at the following labels on your activity statement 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 wine equalisation tax (WET), luxury car tax (LCT) or fuel tax credit (FTC) 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.

Dates for lodgment and payment

We print the dates you are due to lodge and pay on your activity statement. These may be different if you have an arrangement for an extension of time.

Your activity statement must be lodged and payment made by the 21st of the following month. 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

Depending on your circumstances, you may choose to report and pay monthly, quarterly or annually.

If your GST turnover increases above or falls below $10 million, your reporting method changes.

If you're changing from a monthly to quarterly cycle or from a quarterly to monthly cycle, you need to tell us in the first month of the relevant quarter so you can start your new cycle from that quarterly period. Otherwise, the new cycle takes effect from the start of the next quarter.

Next step

  • Contact us to change your GST reporting and payment cycle.

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