When your statement is flagged with an error¶

Before an Activity Statement is accepted, it is checked. This check looks over your figures to make sure they hang together — that the boxes add up, that nothing required has been left blank, and that each amount is in the right place.

If something is not right, the statement is flagged with an error. An error is not a rejection and it is not a fine. It is simply a note that says "have a look at this before you send it in." You get to fix it first.

In one line

An error check looks over your statement before it is accepted, and flags anything that does not add up so you can fix the figure before it goes in.

Why this matters¶

Seeing the word "error" can feel alarming, especially near a deadline. But an error flag is on your side. It catches a slip — a typo, a blank box, a figure in the wrong place — while you can still correct it easily. Catching it now is far simpler than fixing it after the statement has been lodged.

What you will learn¶

What an error check on an Activity Statement is
How to read an error flag calmly
How to fix the flagged figure and lodge

Understanding the concept¶

When you go to lodge, your statement is not simply waved through. It is checked first. Think of it like a spell-check that runs before you send an important email.

The check looks for a few common problems:

A figure that does not add up — for example, a total that does not match the parts it is made from.
A required box left blank — a label that must have an amount, even if that amount is zero.
An amount in the wrong place — a figure typed into the box next to the one it belongs in.

When the check finds one of these, it flags it. The flag usually points you to the box that needs attention. Nothing has been lodged yet — the statement is paused, waiting for you.

To fix it, read the flag, go to the box it points to, and correct the figure. Then run the check again. Once the figures line up, the statement can go in.

For accountants & bookkeepers

The ATO advises double-checking figures and calculations on a BAS before lodging. An up-front check surfaces arithmetic and completeness problems — mismatched totals, missing mandatory labels, amounts at the wrong label — at the point of lodgment, so they can be resolved before the statement is accepted rather than corrected afterwards through a revision.

Example¶

Priya runs a small florist. At the end of the quarter she fills in her Activity Statement and goes to lodge it. Instead of going through, the statement comes back with a flag: one of her totals does not match the figures above it.

Priya takes a breath. She reads the flag, which points to the box for total sales. She had typed a figure with a digit missing. She corrects the number, and now the total matches. She runs the check again, it comes back clear, and the statement lodges. The whole fix took two minutes, and nothing was ever sent to the ATO with the wrong figure in it.

Common mistakes¶

Treating an error flag as a penalty — it is a heads-up, not a fine.
Ignoring the box the flag points to and changing the wrong figure.
Trying to force the statement through instead of fixing the flagged amount first.
Assuming a blank box is fine — some boxes must have an amount, even if it is zero.

How this works in myaccountant¶

In the app — myaccountant checks your Activity Statement before you lodge it. If a figure does not add up or a required box is missing, the app flags it and shows you which box to look at. You fix the figure right there, and once the check is clear you can lodge without leaving the app.

Key points¶

Every Activity Statement is checked before it is accepted.
An error flag means a figure needs attention — it is not a fine.
Common causes are a total that does not add up, a blank required box, or an amount in the wrong place.
The flag points you to the box to fix.
Fix the figure, run the check again, then lodge.

Learn next¶

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

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