EOFY Checklist for Australian Freelancers: Everything Before June 30

When you were employed, EOFY was easy. Your employer handled PAYG withholding, super, and payment summaries. You maybe claimed a laptop and some work shirts. Done.

As a freelancer, you're the employer. Everything that used to happen automatically is now on your list: super contributions, expense records, quarterly reporting, and a tax return that's more involved than ticking a few boxes. The first time you go through EOFY as a freelancer, it can feel like a lot.

It's not, once you know what matters. Most of this is stuff you've been doing all year (or should have been). EOFY is the deadline that pulls it all together.

The big picture: what needs to happen

There are four things to sort before 30 June:

1. Make your super contribution (if you're going to). This is the most time-sensitive because processing takes days
2. Get your deductions in order. Receipts, records, and any last-minute purchases
3. Tidy up your books. Reconcile everything so your accountant (or you) can lodge without drama
4. Check if anything is worth doing before June 30 vs after. Some things are better claimed this year, some next year

Everything else (your tax return, your Q4 BAS) has due dates after June 30. You've got time for those. The checklist below focuses on what needs to happen before the year closes.

Super contributions

This is the one with a real deadline, and it's not June 30. It's closer to June 25.

Your super contribution needs to be received and processed by your fund by 30 June. BPAY takes 1-3 business days. A transfer initiated on June 28 probably won't land in time. Our full EOFY super deadline guide covers the timeline in detail.

What to do now:

• Check your contributions so far. Log into your super fund and see what's been contributed this financial year. If you've had any PAYG work alongside freelancing, your employer's contributions count toward your $30,000 concessional cap
• Decide how much to contribute. Our super calculator shows the tax saving at your income level. The short version: money in super is taxed at 15% instead of your full rate. The gap is your saving. But money in super is locked until preservation age, so only contribute what you can afford to set aside
• Check for unused cap space. If your super balance was under $500,000 at the end of last financial year, you can carry forward unused caps from up to five previous years. This means you might be able to contribute well above $30,000 this year
• Make the contribution by mid-June at the latest. Earlier is better. May is ideal. There's no upside to waiting

Tax deductions

You can only claim deductions for expenses you've incurred (paid for or committed to) before 30 June. So if there's something you need for your business that you've been putting off buying, now's the time.

Review what you've already spent

Go through your bank and credit card statements for the year. Common deductions freelancers miss:

• Software subscriptions you forgot about (Adobe, Canva, project management tools, accounting software)
• Professional development. Online courses, books, conference tickets, industry memberships
• Insurance. Professional indemnity, public liability, income protection (income protection premiums are deductible)
• Phone and internet. The business-use percentage of your plan
• Home office costs. Either 67 cents per hour (fixed rate) or actual costs. You need a record of hours worked for either method

Our complete deductions list covers everything you can claim. What matters is having records. A legitimate expense without a receipt is a deduction you can't claim.

Purchases worth making before June 30

If you've been meaning to buy something for your business, doing it before June 30 means you claim the deduction this year instead of next.

The instant asset write-off lets you immediately deduct the full cost of business assets (up to the current threshold) in the year you start using them. A new laptop, camera, desk, monitor, or other equipment purchased and put to use before June 30 is a full deduction this year.

Prepaying expenses

Some expenses can be prepaid for up to 12 months in advance and claimed as a deduction this year. Common ones:

• Rent or coworking fees for the next few months
• Insurance premiums for the next policy year
• Software subscriptions paid annually (some let you switch from monthly to annual)
• Professional memberships for the next year

The rule is that the prepayment must cover a period of 12 months or less, and the period must end before 30 June of the following year. So you can prepay your July 2026 to June 2027 insurance in June 2026 and claim the full amount this year.

Your books and records

Your accountant (or your own tax return) needs accurate numbers. The cleaner your records are now, the less painful October is.

Reconcile your accounts

Match every transaction in your business bank account to an invoice or expense record. If you use Xero, MYOB, or similar, this means clearing your bank feed. Every unmatched transaction is a potential missed deduction or unreported income.

Focus on:

• Outstanding invoices. Any invoices you've sent but haven't been paid for yet. You don't need to report unpaid invoices as income (sole traders use cash basis accounting), but you do need to know what's out there
• Cash payments. Anything paid in cash that you haven't recorded
• Personal vs business. If you've used your business account for personal expenses (or vice versa), flag them now. Accountants hate untangling these during tax time

Gather your records

Pull together everything you'll need for your tax return:

• Bank statements for all business accounts (July to June)
• All tax invoices and receipts for deductions
• A log of home office hours if you're claiming home office
• Motor vehicle logbook if claiming car expenses
• Super fund statements showing contributions received
• Private health insurance statement (for the Medicare levy surcharge)
• Any income from other sources (interest, dividends, PAYG employment)

BAS (Q4)

Your Q4 BAS covers April to June and is due 28 July. You don't need to lodge it before June 30, but you do need to make sure your Q4 records are complete.

If you're registered for GST, double-check that all income and expenses for the quarter are recorded. If you're using the cash accounting method, only payments received and made during the quarter count.

If the ATO has you on PAYG instalments, your Q4 instalment will be on the same BAS. Review whether the instalment amount is still appropriate. If your income has changed significantly from the year the ATO based the instalment on, you can vary it to avoid overpaying.

Income timing

As a sole trader using cash basis accounting, you pay tax on income when it's received, not when it's invoiced. This gives you some control over which financial year income falls into.

If you're having a high-income year and expect a lower year next year: delay sending invoices until early July, or offer clients slightly longer payment terms. Income received after 30 June counts toward next year's return.

If you're having a low-income year and expect a higher year next year: chase outstanding invoices now. Getting paid before 30 June means that income is taxed at this year's lower rate.

This isn't about gaming the system. It's about being aware that the timing of a payment can shift your tax bill by thousands of dollars, and planning accordingly.

Review your structure

EOFY is a natural moment to ask: is my business structure still right?

Most freelancers start as sole traders (ABN only), and for most, that stays the right choice. But if your taxable income is consistently above $120,000-$150,000, it's worth having the sole trader vs Pty Ltd conversation with an accountant before the new financial year starts.

Changing structures mid-year is messy. If you're going to do it, the cleanest time is 1 July.

The timeline

If you've left everything to the last minute

It's June, nothing's sorted, and you're panicking. Here's the triage order:

1. Super contribution first. This has the hardest deadline and the biggest tax impact. Even a small contribution helps. Check how much you'd save
2. Receipts second. Dig through your email for digital receipts. Check your bank statements. Something is better than nothing. The ATO accepts bank statements as evidence in some cases
3. Don't stress about perfection. A tax return with 80% of your deductions claimed is better than no return at all. You can amend later if you find more receipts
4. Talk to an accountant. Even if you normally do your own return, a one-off session with an accountant can catch deductions you've missed and flag issues before they become problems. Most charge $300-800 for a freelancer return

Frequently asked questions

When is the tax return due for freelancers?

If you're self-lodging, 31 October. If you're using a registered tax agent, you generally get until 31 March of the following year, but you need to be registered with the agent before the October deadline. Check with your accountant.

Do I need an accountant?

Not strictly. If your freelance situation is simple (sole trader, domestic clients, no complex investments), you can lodge your own return through myTax. But if your income is above $100,000, you have a mix of PAYG and freelance income, or you're claiming significant deductions, an accountant will almost certainly save you more than they cost. See our complete deductions guide for what you can claim yourself.

What if I can't afford to pay my tax bill?

Call the ATO before the due date. They offer payment plans and are generally reasonable with small businesses who communicate early. The worst thing you can do is ignore it. The General Interest Charge (about 11%) applies to late payments, and Failure to Lodge penalties stack up every 28 days.

I didn't make any super contributions this year. Is it too late?

Not if it's before late June. Even a small contribution saves tax. A $5,000 contribution at a 32% marginal rate saves you $850 this financial year. And if you miss this year, the unused cap space carries forward for five years, so you can catch up later.

What's the instant asset write-off threshold?

For small businesses (turnover under $10 million), the instant asset write-off allows you to immediately deduct assets costing up to the current threshold in the year they're first used. The threshold has changed frequently in recent years, so check the ATO website for the current figure before making large purchases. Assets above the threshold are depreciated over their effective life.

Can I claim expenses I paid for with personal funds?

Yes, as long as the expense was for business purposes. Keep the receipt and record it as a business expense. The payment method doesn't matter to the ATO. What matters is that it was a genuine business expense with documentation.

I started freelancing partway through the year. What do I do?

Your tax return covers the full financial year regardless of when you started freelancing. Report all income (PAYG employment + freelance) and claim deductions for each. Your PAYG income will have tax already withheld, so your freelance income is what drives any additional tax owed. The 30 June deadline for super and deductions applies from whatever date you started.