Important: Our development team advises that the deactivation of the prior year Activity Statement button was implemented to align with best practices for BAS/IAS lodgments. The BAS/IAS lodgments should be completed through the current financial year HandiTax, please refer to How do I create prior year activity statements? for more information. We acknowledge BAS/IAS forms for the prior year's Q4 should feasibly be created after updating to the latest HandiTax year. This matter has been noted for the 2025 upgrade to ensure a crossover timeframe allows the Q4 BAS/IAS to be created in the relevant year.
Simpler BAS
From 1 July 2017, Simpler BAS will:
Reduce the amount of information needed for the BAS.
Simplify GST reporting for small businesses.
Make it easier for you to classify your clients' transactions and lodge their BAS.
No changes made to forms to support Simpler BAS.
Lodgment of Simpler BAS for clients with a turnover under $10m will only require labels G1, 1A, and 1B.
Lodgment of quarterly BAS and instalment notices for clients with instalments will not change. Their Annual GST Return will only require labels G1, 1A, 1B, and 1H.
Lodgment of a BAS for clients with a GST turnover greater than, or equal to, $10m will require labels G1, G2, G3, G10, G11, 1A and 1B to be completed.
Activity Statement List and Prefill Services
The ATO have a PLS mechanism whereby you can request a list of activity statements for an entity and then, from this list, create the Activity Statement forms ‘prefilled’ with data from the ATO database.
We have added this functionality to the tax form record window with an Activity Statement button.
Note: The Activity Statement button is only available in the current HandiTax program. Therefore, if you have installed HandiTax 2024, the Activity Statement button will be greyed-out in HandiTax 2023.
For one entity, you can use a range of search parameters to request a list of activity statements.
Tax Agent – Select the agent who already has an established relationship with the entity.
Activity Statement Query Status – Three types of requests can be made.
Outstanding – This is the default setting. Select this option only to set the search parameters to request outstanding activity statements.
Lodged – Select this option only to set the search parameters to request previously lodged activity statements.
Outstanding and Lodged – Select both options to set the search parameters to request every lodged and outstanding activity statement within the date range set.
Date Range – by default, the date range will show the current financial year. However, this can be adjusted to a date range going back as far as 1/07/2000.
Credential Password – Enter your ATO Credential password for authentication purposes. This will enable the Request List button.
Request List – After confirming the entered password is correct, HandiTax establishes an SBR connection to the ATO requesting a list of Activity Statements for the entity using the chosen parameters.
Once the list request has returned a result from the ATO database, the ability to create and prefill the return is available.
Report – A report can be previewed, which details the results of the list request.
Create & Prefill – The listed Activity Statements are created for the entity, and each Activity Statement is then prefilled with ATO data. For the prefill process to continue, another SBR connection will be made for each of the Activity Statements listed.
Cancel – Clicking ‘Cancel’ closes the window.
Once you have processed the list by clicking Create & Prefill, the window will close and return to the main HandiTax client list window.
Activity Statement Prefill Service
A prefill function from within the Activity Statement tax form is available
The unique document identification number (DIN) is required to request pre-fill for a specific activity statement. Please ensure the Tax Form Record already contains this number.
Once you are in the main form of the Activity Statement, you can click Prefill to initiate a retrieval of data from the ATO database.
As with all SBR connections, you are required to enter your ATO Credential password for authentication purposes prior to an SBR connection being made.
Note: Any existing data already completed in the Activity Statement will be removed, with only the prefill data remaining, after a successful connection to the ATO via SBR.
Note: The new BAS prefill enhancement was first available in HandiTax 2023 V1.02, called 'BAS type S or T insert Y into Option 3 or R for Option 1'
When chosen the BAS GST Option fields will be applied to the relevant Activity Statements when utilising the ATO Activity Statement Prefill service.
The BAS type prefill is available under Options, Tax Form Options
Tick - AS type S or T insert Y into GST Option 3 or R for PAYG Option 1
BAS Type S: GST instalment notice is for taxpayers who have elected to pay GST instalments quarterly (Option 3) and only have a reporting obligation if varying
BAS Type T: Quarterly GST and PAYG instalment notice is for taxpayers who pay GST and PAYG instalments quarterly and only have a reporting obligation if varying one or both of these amounts.
Option 1: Report and pay GST quarterly.
Option 3: Pay GST instalment quarterly and report annually.