When I review a client’s numbers, I’m not just looking at what’s already happened. I’m looking for the pressure points ahead: the week payroll goes out, a large customer invoice is still unpaid, or several obligations land close together.

That matters this fortnight. 28 October is the standard Q1 activity statement deadline for self-lodgers, and it arrives alongside a new payday-linked super rhythm and fresh interest-rate uncertainty. Eligible businesses lodging through a registered agent may have until 25 November to lodge and pay their quarterly BAS, but that later date is not a reason to leave your cash planning until November.

A useful distinction: Payday Super does not create one universal super payment due on 28 October. Generally, contributions must reach the employee’s super fund within seven business days of payday. And 31 October unclaimed-super reporting is primarily a super-fund obligation, not a new reporting task for ordinary employers. (If you lodge your own personal tax return, the Saturday 31 October deadline moves to Monday 2 November.)

Here are five practical moves I’d make now.

1. Put the next month’s cash commitments on one page

By the end of this week, prepare a simple cash-out schedule covering at least the next four weeks. Include:

• Your estimated Q1 BAS amount, based on current reconciled figures.
• The Q1 PAYG instalment shown on your ATO notice or activity statement.
• Super contributions linked to each upcoming payday.
• Payroll, rent, suppliers, loan repayments and tax-plan instalments.

Show the expected payment date and the cash available on that date, not just the total sitting in the bank today. If you use a registered agent, confirm that the BAS qualifies for the 25 November lodgement and payment concession. Check the due date for your PAYG instalment on your notice or with your adviser rather than assuming it moves with the BAS.

A one-page view makes a difference. It turns a vague sense of “we should be okay” into a clear plan for which funds are already spoken for.

2. Build super into every pay cycle, not just the quarter

Payday Super has been in effect since 1 July. Under the new rules, super generally needs to be received and allocated by the fund within seven business days after payday. Paying sooner, or on payday where your process allows, can help keep the obligation visible and reduce the chance of a late contribution.

This is the point where the cash rhythm can feel tighter. Instead of treating super as a quarterly surprise, include it in your weekly cashflow planning for small business: estimate the contribution alongside each pay run and check that the payment process is working as expected.

Review payroll settings, your super clearing process, employee fund details and who checks that payments have been received. If you need help bringing these routines together, sound bas and payroll management australia support can help connect payroll records with cash planning. For official guidance, see the ATO’s Payday Super payment deadlines.

Also keep the 31 October unclaimed-super obligation in the right lane: it applies to super funds with reporting obligations. If you’re an individual self-lodger, make a separate note that your personal return deadline falls on Monday 2 November this year.

3. Make your books ready for review, not a last-minute rebuild

A BAS should be a review of reliable records, not a forensic exercise to work out what happened months ago. Over the next fortnight, reconcile bank and card accounts, check payroll clearing accounts, follow up missing receipts and investigate uncoded transactions.

Pay special attention to payment-provider fees. The card surcharge ban for covered networks took effect on 1 October. Businesses can no longer add a surcharge to customers using those cards, but the cost of accepting payments hasn’t necessarily disappeared. It may now sit in your merchant fees or general operating costs. Make sure the real cost is visible in your Q1 numbers and reflected in your pricing and margins.

The ATO has also warned about fake “income statement review” emails that can lead to malicious downloads. Don’t click unexpected ATO links. Go directly to myGov or the ATO website to check your information and report suspicious messages.

Good bookkeeping for small business australia is about more than tidy transactions. It gives you the confidence to make decisions using current numbers. That’s what I mean by profit focused bookkeeping: clear records that help you see what’s earning a margin, what’s draining cash and what needs attention.

4. Stress-test your loan before the 28 October CPI release

The RBA cash rate is 4.60%. September-quarter CPI is scheduled for release on 28 October, and both Westpac and ANZ are forecasting a possible 0.25 percentage-point increase at the RBA’s 3 November meeting. That’s a forecast, not a certainty, but it’s worth knowing what a change would mean for your business before the data arrives.

A quick illustration: if your business loan balance is $500,000, an interest-rate increase of 0.25% would add about $1,250 a year, or roughly $104 a month, in interest if the balance stayed unchanged. Your actual impact depends on your loan terms and repayments.

Run that same calculation using your own balance, then update your forecast with both a “no change” and a “rate rises” scenario. Ask: could we absorb the higher repayment and still meet payroll, super and tax obligations? If the answer is no, decide now what you’d adjust: discretionary spending, a planned purchase, or the timing of owner drawings.

The rate scenario is only one moving part. On 9 October, the Government delayed the ATO’s planned credit-card payment change by 12 months, to 30 June 2027, with funding for the ATO’s card-acceptance costs. Cards remain available for tax and payment-plan instalments for now. Treat that as breathing room to test your bank account, sort direct debit authorities and calmly move any tax plans off personal cards, not as a reason to put the job off. You can read more about the delay in this update.

5. Book a pre-deadline review before the last 48 hours

Set aside 30 minutes this fortnight with your accountant, bookkeeper or fractional CFO. Bring the draft BAS figures, ATO notices, payroll and super reconciliations, cash forecast and loan details. Ask for clear answers to three questions: What’s due, when is it due, and what cash needs to be available?

This is a practical time to use virtual cfo services australia if you want support that connects the compliance work to decisions about cash, margin and capacity. A good review should leave you with owners for each task and dates for the next check, not another vague to-do list.

A few industry-specific checks

Different businesses feel this deadline stack in different ways:

• Creative agencies: Check project deposits, milestone invoices and contractor costs against delivery dates. A virtual cfo for creative agencies can help you see whether work in progress is translating into cash at the right time.
• Medical and allied health practices: Match rostered hours and payroll costs to appointment revenue, and confirm your super process fits every pay run.
• Hair and beauty salons: Compare booking-system receipts with bank deposits and merchant fees. Make sure the new card costs are visible in your service margins.
• Building and construction: Forecast wages, subcontractors, materials and progress claims together. Don’t rely on a large invoice arriving just before a tax payment.
• Real estate: Check the timing of commissions, trust-account processes and recurring overheads separately so expected income isn’t mistaken for cash already available.
• HR and recruitment: Review placement-fee payment terms against payroll and contractor commitments. Delayed client payments can create a cash gap even when the placement looks profitable.

Clean numbers create stronger businesses

The 1 October card surcharge change is a reminder that the costs of doing business can shift. The ATO card-payment extension is a useful window to prepare. And the October CPI release may add another variable to your borrowing costs.

None of that calls for panic. It calls for current records and a forecast that tells the truth.

Clean, reconciled books and a forecast that holds up under questions don’t just make BAS time easier. They help a business become more valuable and easier to sell because a buyer can see how it performs and what supports its future earnings. That’s why the systems matter, not only the numbers.

If your records and processes need a stronger foundation, explore Ethical CFO’s business systems consulting, or learn more about our virtual CFO and bookkeeping support. Untangle the finances now, and you’ll have more room to lead the business with clarity.