https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know daily 0.75 2026-05-22 https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know/2026/5/22/bookkeeping-for-sole-traders-a-complete-starter-guide monthly 0.5 2026-05-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/d5d396bd-cca0-48ff-8133-3604b5633c80/sole-trader-bookkeeping-tax.webp Things You Should Know! - Bookkeeping for Sole Traders: A Complete Starter Guide Whether you're a tradie, freelancer, consultant, or running a small online business, good bookkeeping is one of the most practical things you can do for your business. Not just for tax time — for your peace of mind every single day. I see a lot of sole traders who've been winging it for a year or two before they reach out. By then there's usually a backlog of unreconciled transactions, vague memories of cash expenses, and a mild dread whenever the ATO comes to mind. It doesn't have to be that way. Here's everything you need to know to get set up right from the start — or to finally get on top of things if you've been putting it off. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/241f2d12-e887-4eb5-b1f6-991788a83d4b/Screenshot+2026-05-22+184821.jpg Things You Should Know! - Bookkeeping for Sole Traders: A Complete Starter Guide - Step two: Choose a tracking method that suits your business For very simple businesses with just a handful of transactions a month, a spreadsheet can work. But for most sole traders — especially anyone registered for GST — cloud accounting software is genuinely worth the monthly subscription. It connects directly to your bank, codes transactions automatically, and produces the GST figures your BAS needs without you having to calculate anything manually. The main options for Australian businesses are Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks. I'm a Xero Certified Advisor, so it's what I know best and what I recommend to most of my clients — but the right choice depends on your industry and how you work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/20d76437-a5be-4045-bcaf-4ac58dfd57f2/Screenshot+2026-05-23+080715.jpg Things You Should Know! - Bookkeeping for Sole Traders: A Complete Starter Guide - Step three: Build a simple weekly habit Photograph receipts the moment you get them — don't let them pile up Reconcile your bank transactions once a week while they're fresh Invoice promptly and follow up anything overdue within 7 days Do a quick monthly review of income versus expenses https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/1bfc0ee9-8817-4dc4-83fa-6009079d4baa/Screenshot+2026-05-23+081059.jpg Things You Should Know! - Bookkeeping for Sole Traders: A Complete Starter Guide - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/1ad736c9-ebf9-4128-bd85-a685312ab5f3/sole+trader+bookkeeping+checklist Things You Should Know! - Bookkeeping for Sole Traders: A Complete Starter Guide - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know/2026/5/17/introducing-hour-of-power-your-xero-questions-answered-in-60-minutes monthly 0.5 2026-05-17 https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know/2026/5/7/do-i-really-need-to-keep-that-receipt monthly 0.5 2026-05-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/4df45917-db03-4a7d-b1b3-af443fc941af/Tax_receipts_yes_ATO_BAS-Agent_sydney.png Things You Should Know! - Do I Really Need to Keep That Receipt? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/b8c2a50b-5d73-4e2a-8524-49cc4b8990fb/ato_rule_tax_receipts.png Things You Should Know! - Do I Really Need to Keep That Receipt? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/40d922b6-31bf-4c7b-85ed-3a3d438aad8a/xero_options_receipt_capture.png Things You Should Know! - Do I Really Need to Keep That Receipt? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/7dd04c14-193a-4aa8-a9af-c7188d00b1b5/ATO_tax_receipts_bookkeeper_sydney.jpg Things You Should Know! - Do I Really Need to Keep That Receipt? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know/2026/4/21/signs-your-business-has-outgrown-diy-bookkeeping monthly 0.5 2026-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/f0d14465-f5a7-4d7d-82b3-466584c1b7ae/bookbalance-diy-signs.jpg Things You Should Know! - Signs Your Business Has Outgrown DIY Bookkeeping - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/09a2a63f-7c6e-497e-ad87-649522bbff8e/bookbalance-alert-employees.jpg Things You Should Know! - Signs Your Business Has Outgrown DIY Bookkeeping - A note on employees If you pay staff, the compliance load is significantly higher — STP reporting, PAYG withholding, superannuation, WorkCover, payroll tax. And from 1 July 2026, Payday Super becomes law: super must be paid on every single payday, not quarterly. If you have employees and you're still doing your own books, this is the area most likely to catch you out. https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know/2026/4/17/bookkeeping-isnt-expensive-fixing-chaos-is monthly 0.5 2026-04-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/3bdfe91a-a1f6-47b0-9229-187938415004/bookkeeping_done_right.jpg Things You Should Know! - Bookkeeping isn't expensive. Fixing chaos is. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know/2026/4/2/payday-super-what-we-know-today monthly 0.5 2026-04-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/fb0a36b9-ca21-4286-98dc-ca381370f69e/bookbalance-key-dates-payday-super.png Things You Should Know! - Payday Super — What We Know today - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/a136c905-12a6-4a3a-be3a-f4c7790a635c/payday-super-what-is-changing.jpg Things You Should Know! - Payday Super — What We Know today - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/fc8d6b33-72e5-4690-b16b-cc8ebf186341/payday-super-employees-can-report-you.jpg Things You Should Know! - Payday Super — What We Know today - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/5c4b2ab0-f0ca-4f2c-be30-4381401e4f84/payday-super-key-info.jpg Things You Should Know! - Payday Super — What We Know today - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know/what-does-a-bas-agent-do monthly 0.5 2026-04-02 https://www.bookbalance.com.au/things-you-should-know/bookkeeper-vs-bas-agent monthly 0.5 2026-04-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/7c69bcce-e089-428b-986b-91362eb5775a/Wendy-maloney-bookkeeper-vs-bas-agent-sydney.jpg Things You Should Know! - Bookkeeper vs BAS Agent: What's the Difference and Which One Does Your Business Need? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.bookbalance.com.au/contact daily 0.75 2026-04-01 https://www.bookbalance.com.au/home daily 1.0 2026-05-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/1547012492279-LZIDQRKO9MN1NU652WGM/edited.jpg Xero Bookkeeper & BAS Agent | Sydney's North Shore | Book Balance https://www.bookbalance.com.au/about-1 daily 0.75 2026-05-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/1546841272581-2GXTLS20YW6CEF9V85FO/Bookkeeping-Services-san-diego.jpg About Wendy Maloney | Xero Certified Bookkeeper BAS Agent Sydney | Book Balance https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/646ddf03-2d79-48b6-a2fa-87d206407427/wendy-maloney-bookkeeper-sydney-BAS-Agent.jpg About Wendy Maloney | Xero Certified Bookkeeper BAS Agent Sydney | Book Balance https://www.bookbalance.com.au/services daily 0.75 2026-05-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/1546848023216-5C9CVBILHISETLGPZ60W/Bookkeeping-Services-san-diego.jpg Bookkeeping & BAS Agent Services on Sydney's North Shore | Book Balance https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/1551695424278-REUGWEANRLN3EVN4XNBX/xero-migration-certified-badge.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/1551695424278-REUGWEANRLN3EVN4XNBX/xero-migration-certified-badge.png Bookkeeping & BAS Agent Services on Sydney's North Shore | Book Balance xero migration specialist If you are looking to migrate from spreadsheets or an existing accounting system to Xero, we are trained Xero Migration Specialists who can easily undertake your migration journey for you. The task will be project managed from the start to bringing you customised one-on-one training on your fully migrated Xero file. Ask us now in the Contact link for more information. https://www.bookbalance.com.au/hour-of-power daily 0.75 2026-05-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/b83df5d1-cf3a-4714-ba90-d30226cd20b4/Wendy_maloney_BAS_Agent_hour-of-power_bookkeeping-help.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/4f8d77c1-6f0f-46ee-a25d-42c5b586a651/bookkeeping+-+hour-of-power_how-it-works.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c32d0990dbda321bc6ce84c/42f1cf71-5e67-4a4a-ae0a-68d167fd84e7/wendy_maloney_availability-pricing.png