The Q4 self-lodgement BAS deadline lands on 28th July, and it does not come alone. Your final quarterly super under the old system falls due on the same day. Two reporting jobs, one date, and a fair few tradies who only clock it when the reminder pops up. If you would rather not have BAS week feel like a punch in the guts, here is the plain version of what is due and how to get Saturday-you ready. 🗓️

What Is Actually Due On 28th July

Two things share the date. First, your Q4 activity statement, covering April to June, if you self-lodge. Second, your final quarterly super payment – the last one since Payday Super took over on 1st July. The ATO’s BAS due dates confirm 28th July for self-lodgers.

This is a reporting job, not a processing one. The financial year already closed on 30th June. July is about reporting cleanly on what already happened, not racing to do the work itself.

You May Have A Bit More Breathing Room

Self-lodging online pushes the due date out to 11th August. If you lodge through a Registered BAS or Tax Agent, you generally have until 25th August. The extra time only helps if the books are clean underneath – an extension on a mess is still a mess, just a later one.

The Final Super Is The One Not To Fumble

This last quarterly super payment is a little different from a normal one. It has to be paid into your employees’ funds before the due date to count as on time. If it was processed late, there is no quick fix – you would need to lodge a Super Guarantee Charge statement, and the associated interest and admin fees, as well as the super payment, are not tax deductible.

So the July action is simple: confirm that the final June-quarter super was actually paid so it can land before year-end. From here on, super follows the new Payday Super rules and gets paid every pay run instead.

The Friday Knock-Off Check, BAS Edition

Before you knock off this Friday, a few minutes now saves a scramble later. Here is the BAS-ready version of the weekly check.

• Reconcile your accounts up-to-date, so nothing is sitting uncoded.
• Check that your GST coding looks right across the quarter.
• Confirm super is queued and will land by the due date.
• Chase any overdue invoices while you are in there.
• Set aside what is actually owed, so the payment does not blindside cash flow.

One More On The Horizon: TPAR

If you pay subbies, there is another report a lot of tradies forget – the Taxable Payments Annual Report, due 28th August. Start gathering your subcontractor payment data now, not in late August. The ATO’s TPAR guidance covers who it applies to.

Same Dates, Every State

Whether you are working out of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin or beyond, the Q4 BAS and super dates are national. State payroll tax reconciliation is the one that varies – that is, a separate job for bigger outfits over the wages threshold.

Get Ahead Of It, Not Buried By It

The 28th July scramble almost always traces back to the same thing – the work was left, not the deadline being unfair. A weekly bookkeeping rhythm means the Q4 self-lodgement BAS deadline is just a date you lodge against, not a fire you put out.

Save this before your next BAS deadline – you will thank yourself later. And if reading this gave you a small knot in your stomach, that is worth a conversation – drop us a message. For more straight-talking guides, browse the Tradies Bookkeeping blog. 💪