Business in financial trouble? Find out where you really stand.
You've put everything into the business. Now the ATO is chasing, suppliers want paying and you're the last one getting paid. Before you put in more of your own money, get a straight answer on whether the business can recover and what to do next.
Book a confidential assessment Call 0485 065 556Confidential. Straight answers. Your books don't need to be up to date before you call.
How long can you keep carrying it like this?
From the outside it looks like business as usual. Jobs are getting done. Customers are served. Your staff may have no idea how tight things are.
You're the one juggling payments and taking it home at night. The next customer payment is spent before it lands. You've topped up the account from your own pocket, telling yourself this is the last time.
If that sounds familiar, stop and get the facts first. Before you take on another loan, sign a payment plan you can't keep or decide to close, you need to know what each move would achieve and what it would cost you.
- Behind on BAS, tax returns or bookkeeping
- ATO debt, a payment plan that's slipping, or letters you haven't opened
- Suppliers on stop or chasing hard
- Busy all year but nothing left at the end
- Money tied up in unpaid invoices
- Wondering whether it's time to shut the doors
Step one: find out what's really going on
Is a good business being dragged down by old debt? Are rising costs and thin margins making every job harder to justify? Is the cash stuck in debtors? Or can the business no longer meet its commitments? The answer decides everything that follows.
We review the position
Your accounts, ATO and supplier debts, cash flow and anything urgent. Where figures are missing or unreliable, we tell you what needs catching up.
You get it in writing
A written assessment of where you stand, the options worth considering, the risks of each and our recommendation.
We act on it with you
If recovery is realistic, we build the plan and work it with you. If it isn't, we coordinate access to the right restructuring or insolvency professionals.
A recovery plan that deals with the whole problem
Catch up the books, BAS and tax returns
We bring overdue bookkeeping, BAS and tax returns up to date so every decision is made on figures you can trust. Scope and cost are agreed before work starts.
Deal with ATO and supplier debt
We assess tax debt, supplier balances and existing repayment arrangements. Where it suits, we prepare realistic proposals for the ATO and creditors that cover both old debt and current obligations.
See the shortfall before it hits
A rolling 13-week cash flow forecast shows when money gets tight, whether a payment plan is affordable and whether the recovery is on track.
Make the work pay
We go through pricing, job margins, overheads and payment terms. A full diary means nothing if every job leaves you further behind.
Turn work into cash, faster
Missed enquiries, quotes nobody followed up, late invoices and patchy debt collection all drain cash. We tighten the process from first enquiry to money in the bank.
Look at finance with eyes open
Where it suits, we introduce finance specialists to look at funding or refinancing, and test every repayment against what the business can actually afford.
Can the business recover? We'll tell you honestly.
When recovery is realistic
A recovery plan needs more than optimism. It needs reliable figures, changes you can actually make and enough cash to meet what's coming. We agree priorities, who does what and when we review it, so you can see whether the plan is working.
When it isn't
Sometimes carrying on only deepens the loss. Where that's the case, we coordinate access to qualified restructuring, insolvency and legal professionals to assess options such as small business restructuring, voluntary administration, liquidation or personal insolvency. We stay involved on the accounting side.
We won't promise every business can be saved. We will take your situation seriously and tell you clearly what we recommend and why.
If the business continues, so does the support
Getting through the immediate pressure is only half the job. Once you're through it, your ongoing Accounting Plus package can cover bookkeeping, BAS, tax returns, payroll, Xero, a monthly profit-and-loss review and regular business reviews.
You have a team that knows the history, watches the numbers and tells you early when they start moving the wrong way. When you need other expertise, Accounting Plus 360 gives you introductions across finance, legal, insurance, HR and more.
Not sure how healthy the business is? Start with the Business Health Scorecard. It takes a few minutes.
Received a Director Penalty Notice, statutory demand or court papers?
Call us now on 0485 065 556 and get urgent professional advice. These notices have short deadlines, and your options narrow every day you wait. Don't hold off until the accounts are up to date.
Common questions
Can my business be saved?
Sometimes, yes. A business can usually recover when the core work makes money and the problem is old debt, poor pricing, slow collections or books that are out of date. It's harder when the business loses money on every job, or the debts are bigger than future profits can repay. The assessment tells you which one you're dealing with.
What can I do if I can't pay my ATO debt?
Lodge everything that's overdue first. The ATO deals more readily with a business that's up to date. Then work out what the business can afford using a cash flow forecast and put a realistic proposal to the ATO. We prepare the figures and the proposal with you. If the debt is beyond what the business can repay, we coordinate access to restructuring and insolvency professionals.
Do my books need to be up to date before I contact you?
No. Most businesses that call us are behind on bookkeeping, BAS or tax returns. We tell you what needs catching up, what it will cost and how long it will take before any work starts.
What is a 13-week cash flow forecast?
A week-by-week view of the money coming in and going out over the next three months. It shows when a shortfall will hit, whether a payment plan is affordable and whether the recovery plan is working. We update it as the weeks roll forward.
Are you liquidators or insolvency practitioners?
No. Accounting Plus is an accounting practice. We do the accounting, cash flow and business improvement work ourselves. Where your position calls for small business restructuring, voluntary administration, liquidation or personal insolvency advice, we coordinate access to appropriately qualified professionals and stay involved on the accounting side.
I've received a Director Penalty Notice. What should I do?
Act straight away. A Director Penalty Notice can make you personally liable for company tax debts, and your options shrink with every day you wait. Call us on 0485 065 556 and get urgent professional advice. Don't wait until your accounts are up to date.
What does the assessment cost?
We explain the assessment, the information we need and the cost on the first call, before anything starts. No surprises on the bill.
You don't have to make the next decision alone
Whether it's next month's bills or whether the doors can stay open, start by telling us what's happening. You don't need tidy accounts, and you don't need to know which service to ask for.
Book a confidential assessment Call 0485 065 556Recovery options depend on your circumstances. Arrangements with the ATO and creditors need their agreement, and finance is subject to lender approval. Accounting Plus does not provide financial, legal or insolvency advice. Formal insolvency, restructuring and legal services are provided by appropriately qualified and registered professionals.