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The rules changed. Twice.

Plain-English notes on the obligations Australian practices actually carry — AI under the Code, Payday Super, privacy, and the workflows underneath them. Written for practitioners, sourced to the regulator, and dated so you can see what is current.

Compliance · Latest

What TPB(GS) 55/2026 means for using AI in your practice

The Board issued it on 22 July 2026 and it does not ban anything. It asks three things: the client’s permission before their information goes in, a person responsible for the output, and the review documented at each step. The third one is where most practices are not ready.

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Knowledge

Exempting entity thresholds and timeframes

ATO rules turn on a 95% ownership threshold and status changes. Here is what triggers the rules, the costs of errors and what to review now.

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Knowledge

When the trust pay-or-notify rule applies

A trustee must pay or notify a tax-exempt beneficiary within 2 months after year-end when the ATO pay-or-notify rule applies.

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Commercial

Which Accounting Software Has the Best Automation?

No single platform wins on automation for every practice; assess connected workflows, review controls and reporting needs.

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Knowledge

Email Management for Accounting Firms

Build shared email workflows for accounting firms with ownership, documentation and review aligned to Australian quality standards.

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Commercial

Practice Management Software for Accounting Firms

See how practice management software helps Australian accounting firms organise jobs, data, workloads and repeatable processes.

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Commercial

AI Tools for Accountants: What to Assess

Assess AI tools for accountants by reviewing workflows, data quality, governance, human review and integration needs.

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Knowledge

Practice Management Software for Tax Firms

How Australian tax firms use practice management software for engagement records, GST workflows and quality controls.

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Knowledge

What bookkeeping practice management software does

It manages jobs, deadlines, documents and controls so Australian bookkeeping practices run BAS, payroll and client work consistently.

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Knowledge

How AI bookkeeping software gets hours back

AI bookkeeping software can return time from repetitive work, with four practice case studies reporting 72 hours reclaimed per week.

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Knowledge

Private Company Franking Period Rules

Learn how a private company franking period follows its income year and when non-private corporate entities use six-month periods.

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Commercial

How Much Does Accounting Automation Cost?

DeskMate pricing starts at $149 per seat monthly, excluding GST. Compare plan bands, custom workflow fees and trial terms.

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Bofu Alternatives

Hubdoc Alternatives for Australian Accounting Practices

Compare Hubdoc alternatives for Australian accounting practices, including Xero-led document capture and DeskMate workflow automation.

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Knowledge

How Workflow Automation Helps Accounting Practices

Workflow automation helps accounting practices document quality controls, reduce cyber exposure and free capacity for deeper client work.

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Knowledge

Registered agent lodgment program public holidays

ATO public-holiday definitions and listed 2026 dates for the registered agent lodgment program.

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Knowledge

When to cancel GST registration after closing

Learn when to cancel GST registration after closing and how retained assets, sold assets and registration updates are handled.

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Commercial

Bookkeeper Payroll Software for STP Reporting

Choose bookkeeper payroll software for STP reporting by checking client fit, reporting capability and practical payroll review workflows.

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Knowledge

How can AI agents comply with Treasury policies?

How AI agents can align with governance, ethical-risk assessment, privacy guidance and review in the Queensland Treasury audit context.

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Knowledge

When to use eInvoicing in Australia

Use eInvoicing when trading partners can send and receive Peppol invoices through accredited access points and participant IDs.

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Bofu Versus

DeskMate vs Xero for Australian Practices

Compare DeskMate and Xero for Australian practices: ledger features, workflow automation, review controls, pricing and product limits.

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Knowledge

How APRA Funds Deduct Section 40-880 Costs

Learn when APRA-regulated super funds may deduct section 40-880 capital expenses over five years and how practices should review them.

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Commercial

Accounting AI Software for Australian Practices

Accounting AI software: a practical guide for Australian practices on workflow fit, electronic records, connected data and human review.

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Commercial

What AI Bookkeeping Software Can Automate

Learn which repetitive GST coding and BAS preparation tasks AI bookkeeping software can support for Australian practices.

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Knowledge

Project management for accounting firms

Project management for accounting firms means documented risk, quality, staffing and monitoring in normal workflows.

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Knowledge

What counts as qualifying earnings for SG?

From 1 July 2026, qualifying earnings for SG include OTE, all commissions, some salary sacrifice amounts and certain contractor payments.

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Payroll

Payday Super: what counts as qualifying earnings

From 1 July 2026 super must reach the fund within seven business days of payday, calculated on qualifying earnings. What that phrase actually covers.

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Privacy

From 10 December 2026 your privacy policy must disclose automated decisions

A Privacy Act change lands in December. If you use personal information in automated decision-making that affects someone’s rights, your privacy policy has to say so.

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Compliance

What TPB(GS) 55/2026 means for using AI in your practice

Three obligations, in plain English, and what each one means for the tools you already use — including the AI already inside them.

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How we write these

Sourced to the regulator

Every claim links to the ATO, the TPB or the OAIC, with the document number and the date it was issued. If we cannot source it, we do not print it.

Dated, and corrected

Each piece carries the date it was published and the date it was last checked. When something changes we amend the article and say what changed.

Not advice

These are general notes to help you ask better questions, not tax or legal advice for your practice. Your circumstances decide what applies.

On the way

What we are writing next, and roughly when.

We publish when something actually changes for an Australian practice, not on a content calendar. If a date below slips it is because the regulator moved, and we will say so.

Next
The documentation the TPB expects, in practice What “documented at each step” looks like as an actual record, and what is probably not enough.
October
Payday Super, one quarter in What the seven-business-day rule has done to payroll runs, and the two places practices are getting caught.
Before December
A privacy policy clause you can actually use Model wording for the automated-decision disclosure, with the parts you must change marked.
When it lands
Whatever the ATO or the Board issues next Read, sourced and written up in plain English, usually inside a fortnight.

Reading about it is the slow part.

DeskMate keeps the record these obligations ask for — who ran it, what it touched, who approved it — as a by-product of the work.

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