For Pty Ltd companies years behind
Overdue Company Tax Returns
Catch up overdue company tax returns - fast, fixed-fee, judgment-free. One year behind or seven, there is always a way forward.
- Registered Tax Agent 26188040
- Fixed fee, quoted upfront
- Confidential & judgment-free
Why company backlogs are different
Company backlogs carry risks individuals don't face: penalties stack per document, the ATO can issue default assessments on your gross figures, and unpaid PAYG withholding, GST and super can become directors' personal debt through a Director Penalty Notice.
The fix is a defined sequence we run every week: quantify everything, lodge everything, then negotiate the debt. Most clients know their exact position within days of signing one authority form - and it's almost always smaller than the version that's been keeping them up at night.
Who this is for
Active Pty Ltd companies with overdue tax returns - one year or ten
Dormant or inactive companies still sitting on the ASIC register with lodgement obligations piling up
Directors worried about personal liability for company tax, or who've received ATO warning letters
Companies that stopped trading but were never properly wound up or brought current
Unpaid PAYG withholding, GST and super can become a director's personal liability through a Director Penalty Notice - and for unlodged periods, that liability can become automatic and unavoidable. Lodging promptly is the single most important step in protecting directors. If warning letters have started, this is a this-week problem, not a someday problem.
Urgent director reviewWhat's included
- A full diagnostic of every outstanding company lodgement - returns, BAS and anything else on the ATO file
- Preparation and electronic lodgement of all overdue company returns, in the correct sequence
- Directors' personal returns prepared in parallel, so the whole group lands compliant together
- All ATO liaison handled by us - you never have to make the call
- Penalty and interest remission applications, argued on your actual circumstances (where appropriate)
- An ATO payment plan negotiated and set up once everything is lodged
How it works
- 1
Free assessment
With your authority, we pull the company's complete ATO file: every outstanding return, every penalty, every dollar of debt. You get the real position in writing, plus a fixed-fee quote, before committing to anything.
- 2
Records & reconstruction
We work with whatever exists: a half-maintained Xero file, a shoebox, or nothing at all. Missing records are reconstructed from bank data, ATO pre-fill and merchant reports - it's our standard starting point, not a problem.
- 3
Lodgement
All overdue company returns lodged within 5 business days of records being finalised. Oldest year first, so losses and carry-forward items flow correctly.
- 4
ATO debt & payment plan
With everything lodged, we negotiate: remission of penalties, interest where arguable, and a payment plan sized to your actual cash flow - not the ATO's opening position.
Find out exactly where the company stands - free.
Confidential. No judgment. A registered tax agent replies within one business day.
Fixed-fee pricing
You'll receive a clear, written, fixed-fee quote before we begin - priced per return, with multi-year packages. No hourly billing, no surprise invoices stacked on top of an ATO debt. See pricing.
Overdue company tax returns: directors, deadlines and exposure
An overdue company return is not only a company problem. Directors carry personal exposure through the director penalty regime, and an unlodged return removes the protections that timely lodgement provides. Understanding that difference is usually what turns a vague worry into a clear plan.
Why lodging protects the director personally
The ATO can issue a director penalty notice making a director personally liable for certain company obligations, principally PAYG withholding, GST and superannuation guarantee charge. Whether the director can escape that liability by placing the company into administration or liquidation depends on whether the amounts were reported on time.
Where reporting is more than three months overdue, the penalty can become locked down, meaning the director remains personally liable even if the company is wound up. Getting reporting up to date is therefore not just about penalties - it is about preserving the options a director still has.
What the ATO does when a company stops lodging
First come reminder letters and phone contact. If those are ignored the ATO may issue a default assessment estimating the company's income, apply administrative penalties, and begin recovery action against the company's bank accounts or debtors.
In parallel, unlodged returns increasingly show up outside the tax system. Banks and finance providers ask for lodged returns and ATO integrated account statements before approving credit, and the ATO can report business tax debts over the reporting threshold to credit reporting bureaus where the business is not engaging with it.
Reconstructing years of company accounts
Most companies that fall behind do not have a tidy set of financials waiting to be lodged. We rebuild from source: bank and credit card data, loan statements, payroll records, ASIC filings, prior year returns and whatever accounting file exists.
Where the company has a division 7A loan account, unreported director drawings, or unpaid present entitlements from a trust, we identify them during reconstruction rather than after lodgement. Those issues are far cheaper to deal with while the returns are being prepared than to amend later.
Returns are lodged oldest first so that losses, franking account movements and carried-forward balances flow correctly between years. Lodging out of order is one of the most common causes of a catch-up that has to be redone.
Dealing with the debt that lodgement reveals
Lodging tells you what is genuinely owed, which is the precondition for any sensible negotiation. From there the options are a payment arrangement over an agreed term, a remission request for failure to lodge penalties and in some cases the general interest charge, or - where the position is severe - a conversation about restructuring.
The ATO is markedly more willing to agree terms with a company that is fully lodged and communicating than with one that is silent. Being up to date is the leverage.
Fixed fees and what is included
Company catch-up is quoted per financial year at a fixed fee, disclosed before we start, with multi-year discounts where several years are prepared together. The quote covers preparing the financial statements and the company return, lodging them, and dealing with the resulting ATO correspondence.
Bookkeeping reconstruction beyond a normal scope, audit representation and formal insolvency advice sit outside the fixed fee. If your file needs any of those, we say so up front rather than after the invoice.
Want the numbers for your own situation? Read our fixed-fee pricing, see how the catch-up process works, or browse the guides library.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to know exactly where the company stands?
A short, judgment-free conversation. We'll come back with your company's exact ATO position, a clear plan, and a fixed fee.
✓ Registered Tax Agent 26188040 ✓ Fixed fee ✓ Confidential