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Meet The Staff -Brendan Power

Brendan has been a Director of Harris Black since 1999 and is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and Chartered Tax Advisor of The Taxation Institute.

Some interesting facts about Brendan – born in Biloela, QLD, Brendan’s first ever job was delivering furniture, but he decided to become an accountant as his father had an accounting practice and he enjoyed working there. The most relaxing place Brendan has visited is Santorini, on a balcony overlooking the Aegean Sea having sunset drinks, and if he could only eat one meal for the rest of his life, Brendan would choose crab chilli linguine with a glass of Riesling. If Brendan could live anywhere, he would live on acreage in Ashgrove.

An excerpt of the interview with Brendan is below:

Important Tax Date

28 August 2021
Lodge and pay quarter 4, 2020–21 Superannuation guarantee charge statement – quarterly if the employer did not pay enough contributions on time.

21 September 2021
Lodge and Pay August 2021 monthly business activity statement.

30 September 2021
Lodge PAYG withholding payment summary annual report if prepared by a BAS agent or tax agent.

Government Stimulus Measure Fact Sheets – 2021

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, both Federal and State Governments have released stimulus packages to support individuals and businesses.

This page collates these announcements in a single location for your convenience.

QLD Government Stimulus Measure – Business Support Grants for Lockdown Impacted Businesses in QLD – August 2021

Strategic SWOT

By Paul Whimp

All organizations understand the importance of having a strategic plan however, most don’t due to their leaders being time poor and finding the process overwhelming. 

A simpler alternative is to carry out a strategic SWOT exercise.  The outcomes of this process will help provide some direction for the organization and pinpoint the areas where you can focus your limited time and energy to deliver the biggest improvements in your business.

Xero – Update To Yodlee Bank Feeds By 17 August

A Yodlee upgrade that’s happening soon means you need to update your bank feeds that use Yodlee by 17 August 2021. If you don’t, your bank transactions will stop importing into Xero automatically.

How to update:

1. Log in to Xero
2. Click ‘Accounting’ in the top menu bar, then click ‘Bank accounts’
3. Click the ‘Update bank connection’ button to get started

Once you update, your transactions will continue to flow into Xero.

Click here to find more detailed update instructions.

For further information please contact your Harris Black team member.

Work From Home Deductions: 80 Cents 52 Cent Method

To claim work from home deductions, you can use either the Fixed rate method or the Shortcut method.

Fixed rate method

You must have a dedicated work area such as a home office (not the kitchen table)
You can claim 52 cents per hour you worked from home which includes depreciation on home office furniture, electricity and cleaning your home office
You can also claim phone, data, internet, stationery, consumables and depreciation on your computer or laptop

Shortcut method

You can work anywhere in your house (including the kitchen table) and you don’t need a dedicated work area
You can claim 80 cents per hour you worked from home which includes depreciation on home office furniture, electricity and cleaning your home office as well as phone, data, internet, stationery, consumables and depreciation on your computer or laptop

Example

Bob works from home 40 hours per week.  He keeps track of his phone and internet use for the month of July.  Bob works out that 60% of his phone use is work related and 70% of his internet use is also work related.

Fixed rate method

40 hours per week x 52 cents x 48 weeks = $998.40
60% of his $120 phone bill x 12 months = $864.00
70% of his $100 internet bill x 12 months = $840.00
Bob’s total work from home claim = $2,702.40

Shortcut method

40 hours per week x 80 cents x 48 weeks = $1,536.00
No phone or internet can be claimed as it’s included in the 80 cents = $0.00 Bob’s total work from home claim = $1,536.00

How can we help you?

Today’s financial environment demands a regular review of strategy and a focus on execution.