When to revise a BAS¶

Everyone makes the odd mistake on a Business Activity Statement (BAS). The good news is you do not always have to go back and rewrite the one you already lodged. For many small mistakes, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) lets you simply fix them on your next Activity Statement.

But that shortcut has limits. When a mistake is too big, too old, or you need to fix the exact period it happened in, you revise the original statement instead. This lesson gives you a simple way to tell which path you are on.

Why this matters¶

Choosing the wrong path can mean the ATO does not accept your fix, or that you pay more than you should for longer than you need to. Knowing when you can just tidy it up next time — and when you must go back — saves you time and worry.

What you will learn¶

• The difference between correcting on a later statement and revising the original
• How to decide which path applies to a mistake you have found
• When a revision is the only option

Understanding the concept¶

There are two ways to fix a mistake on a lodged BAS.

Correct it on a later statement. The ATO lets you fix many mistakes on your next Activity Statement, so you do not have to touch the old one at all. This is the easy path. It is only allowed within limits the ATO sets — the mistake has to be small enough, and recent enough, to qualify. A later lesson covers those limits in detail.

Revise the original statement. To revise means to go back to the exact statement you already lodged and lodge a corrected version of it. You use this path when the mistake does not fit the limits for the easy path — or when you simply want the correction to land in the period the mistake actually happened.

A quick way to decide:

• Is the mistake small and recent? If it fits the ATO's limits, you can usually correct it on your next Activity Statement.
• Is it too big, too old, or outside those limits? Then you revise the original statement for the period the mistake was in.
• Do you want the fix recorded in the exact original period? Revise.

If you are unsure, revising the original statement is always available. The ATO notes that when a revision increases the tax you owe or reduces a credit, it is generally treated as a voluntary disclosure, which can mean more concessional treatment of any interest or penalties.

Example¶

Priya runs a small cafe and lodges her BAS each quarter. After lodging, she notices she left a couple of small supplier bills out of last quarter's figures. The amounts are small and the quarter is recent, so she is within the ATO's limits — she simply picks them up on her next BAS. No need to touch the old statement.

A quarter later, Jordan reviews his hardware business's books and finds a much larger error going back well over a year. It is too big and too old to fit the easy path, so Jordan revises the original statement for that period instead. Same goal — the right figures reported — but two different paths, chosen by how big and how old the mistake was.

Common mistakes¶

• Assuming every mistake can be swept onto the next BAS — the easy path only works within the ATO's limits.
• Revising a statement for a tiny, recent error when correcting it next time would have been simpler.
• Forgetting that a big or old error usually has to go back to its original period.

How this works in myaccountant¶

Key points¶

• Small, recent mistakes can usually be fixed on your next Activity Statement.
• The easy path only works within the ATO's limits.
• Revising means lodging a corrected version of the original statement.
• Revise when a mistake is too big, too old, or outside the limits.
• Revise when you want the fix recorded in the exact original period.
• A revision that increases what you owe is generally treated as a voluntary disclosure.

Learn next¶

• Correcting GST errors
• Correcting PAYG withholding
• Revisions versus amendments

General information only — not tax, super or financial advice.