Latest happenings.

Clear Vision • December 3, 2015

Merry Christmas
Survey Results
We would like to thank everyone who participated in our Online Survey – we were overwhelmed with the number of responses we received.
Feedback is vital for all businesses and can sometimes be difficult to attain. The feedback we received will help us in our direction for client service for 2016. We hope you will be able to recognise some of your suggestions in practice next year.
The winner of the $100 voucher for Gip’s Restaurant is Richard. What a lovely Christmas surprise for Richard and his wife – a free dinner!

Gips Winner
Office Gossip
Justin won the Saturday Golf Competition on the weekend……pretty pleased with himself! Off to compete in the Australian Masters next year??
Justin’s oldest son Harry has performed in the school play in the lead role. Clearly he has more talent than his father in front of an audience – fortunately for Justin he has a way with numbers!
Karen has finally seen the light and moved into town with the rest of the CVA team. She has left the bright lights of Southbrook behind and is looking forward to becoming a “townie”.

Lifeline
Want to Help a Local Family?
As you may have heard Clear Vision in conjunction with Lifeline Toowoomba is raising money for a local Toowoomba family.
We are trying to raise money to give a family of 5 kids some “Back To School” vouchers for the 2016 year.
We have raised over $300 so far but we need more! This family have 5 kids to send to school next year and with a Dad out of work due to an injury back to school time is very expensive.
If you want to help please deposit your donation in the Clear Vision account:
BSB: 034 221
AC: 506 844
Put your “name and Lifeline” in the description and we will send you a receipt in 2016.
Thank you!

Christmas Jokes
Time for a Laugh?
What’s the definition of an accountant?
A. Someone who solves a problem you didn’t know you had in a way you don’t understand.

When does a person decide to become an accountant?
A. When he realises he doesn’t have the charisma to succeed as an undertaker.

A businessman was interviewing job applications for the position of manager of a large division. He quickly devised a test for choosing the most suitable candidate.
He simply asked each applicant this question, “What is two plus two?”
The first interviewee was a journalist. His answer was, “Twenty-two”.
The second was a social worker. She said, “I don’t know the answer but I’m very glad that we had the opportunity to discuss it.”
The third applicant was an engineer. He pulled out a slide rule and came up with an answer “somewhere between 3.999 and 4.001.”
Next came an attorney. He stated that “in the case of Jenkins vs. the Department of the Treasury, two plus two was proven to be four.”
Finally, the businessman interviewed an accountant. When he asked him what two plus two was, the accountant got up from his chair, went over to the door, closed it, came back and sat down. Leaning across the desk, he said in a low voice, “How much do you want it to be?” He got the job.

By Caroline Gillies December 11, 2025
The ATO is cracking down on people who claim too many tax deductions for properties that they use both personally and as rentals — especially holiday homes. A new draft ruling says that if you use a property for both personal use and renting it out, you must split (apportion) the expenses in a fair and reasonable way. You can only claim deductions for the portion of time or space used to earn rental income. If the ATO thinks your property is really a holiday home — for example, you block out peak times for your own use and only rent it occasionally — they can classify it as a “leisure facility.” If that happens, you cannot claim big expenses like mortgage interest, council rates, land tax or maintenance. You’ll only be allowed to claim small costs like cleaning, advertising and platform/agent fees. The ATO says many owners of holiday homes have been claiming too much by showing “rental losses” every year. They are now looking more closely at cases where the owner keeps the property unavailable for rent during busy periods.  How do I stay off the ATO naughty list? If you mix personal use with rental use, be careful. Only claim the rental part of your expenses, or the ATO may deny most of your deductions.
By Caroline Gillies October 17, 2025
From 1 October 2025, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) officially closed the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House (SBSCH) to new users. Thanks to the efficiencies of Xero, this change does not impact Xero clients, as Xero includes its own built-in auto-super functionality. This means employers can make superannuation payments directly through Xero—without needing to access the ATO’s separate clearing house service. Key Dates and Details No new users: From 1 October 2025, the SBSCH stopped accepting new registrations. Full closure: The SBSCH will be fully decommissioned on 1 July 2026. Existing users: Businesses currently using the SBSCH can continue until 30 June 2026 but are encouraged to transition to an alternative solution before this date. At Clear Vision Accountancy Group, we highly recommend Xero as an efficient, streamlined, and ATO-compliant payroll and superannuation solution. If you’d like to discuss transitioning your business to Xero, call our team today on (07) 4688 2500 — we’re happy to help.
By Caroline Gillies August 3, 2025
If you own a rental property or holiday home, keeping the right records is key to maximising your tax deductions and staying ATO-compliant. This week, we’re highlighting what the ATO expects you to keep when it comes to residential rental properties. Here’s a quick checklist of the documents you should hold onto: Purchase & Sale Documents – Contracts, settlement statements, and legal documents. Loan & Ownership Records – Loan statements, refinancing documents, land tax assessments. Rental Income – If you don’t have a rental statement you will need to document all rental income received, including bond money retained, insurance payouts, and any other reimbursements. Expenses & Repairs – Keep receipts and invoices for expenses like advertising for tenants, property agent fees, council rates, strata levies, repairs, maintenance, insurance, and interest on loans. Depreciation & Capital Works – Receipts for assets over $300, depreciation reports, and capital improvement records. Before and after photos of any capital works. Holiday Home Use – If your property is rented out part-time, you’ll need evidence of when it was genuinely available for rent (e.g. booking requests, advertising, availability calendars). How long to keep records: You’ll need to keep most records for at least 5 years after lodging your tax return, or longer if claiming capital works or carrying forward losses. Keeping detailed records ensures you claim everything you're entitled to—and makes things much easier in the event of an ATO audit.  Need help getting your documentation in order? Reach out to our team at Clear Vision Accountancy Group—we’re here to help. To read a more detailed list of items you need to keep for your rental property visit: Records for rental properties and holiday homes | Australian Taxation Office