If your business has outgrown a once a year tax return, you have probably felt the gap already. An ATO position needs managing before it becomes urgent, and a succession plan needs to start years before the sale itself. As a business accountant Perth owners turn to when compliance alone stops being enough, we cannot keep pace with either one by only turning up after the financial year has closed.
Abbotts is a chartered accounting and business advisory firm based in West Perth. We work with business owners across Perth and WA who want an accountant planning two to three years ahead of their business. Our clients stay with us for an average of 20 years, working with a chartered accountant who knows their business well enough to flag a problem before it becomes expensive.
Compliance is the floor. Financial statements and tax return lodgements get done properly and on time for every client, alongside BAS and FBT obligations. The advisory work sits above that.
True financial security requires more than basic tax returns. Our specialists handle financial reporting, transaction-specific tax guidance, state indirect taxes and robust R&D tax incentive claims. For businesses navigating complex trust structures or preparing for upcoming legislative changes, we coordinate tax-effective restructuring to protect your commercial assets well ahead of regulatory deadlines.
A strong business requires the right foundations from day one. We assist with business establishment, structural configurations, financial benchmarking and predictive budgeting. To give you total peace of mind and unbroken corporate governance, our team can also attend board meetings and manage ongoing corporate secretarial duties.
Bridge internal accounting gaps smoothly with a customised financial controller framework. We provide clear reporting, human resources and payroll guidance without the overhead costs of a full-time internal hire. Our systems integrate seamlessly with modern cloud accounting software, ensuring your business is fully prepared for compliance mandates like Payday Super.
Staying on top of employer superannuation guarantee mandates requires clear, disciplined processes. Our wealth specialists manage self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) establishment, independent compliance auditing and strategic contributions to safeguard your personal wealth alongside your business growth.
We work closely enough with a handful of industries to know exactly where the accounting differs.
Succession is usually the live issue, with land value that outweighs cash income and structures set up decades ago that have never been revisited
Ownership is tied to registration and approval rules, which puts constraints on structuring that most businesses never face
Service trust arrangements and personal services income rules shape most structuring decisions
Progress billing and retention drive cash flow swings that standard reporting cycles do not capture well
Contractor arrangements and the gap between exploration spend and production income need cash flow modelling most accountants do not do
Starting a company or trust. Keep it simple on day one. A company works for most businesses unless you need asset protection or flexibility around distributions straight away. Set up something complicated just in case, and you’ll pay for that complexity every year whether you use it or not.
Restructuring as you grow. What worked for a $500k business won’t work for a $5m one. We like to revisit this at growth milestones, when a bank asks for security or a buyer starts raising questions in due diligence, rather than scrambling once the pressure is already on.
Planning succession or a sale. Start the conversation years out, not months out. [Example outcome] is what tends to happen when clients start early: a structure that holds up and a valuation that stands up to scrutiny, with nothing left to untangle once a buyer is at the table.
Setting up employee share schemes. They’re a strong retention tool, but easy to get wrong in a way that lands the employee with a tax bill they weren’t expecting. We work through what it means for the people holding the shares, alongside the mechanics of issuing them.
We are chartered accountants based in West Perth, and most of our clients stay with us for the long run, with an average relationship length of 20 years. That matters because a business’s history is part of the advice. We know which structure was chosen and why, and where an old decision needs revisiting before it turns into a problem.
Our team also works alongside wealth management specialists for clients who need their personal and business planning to line up, covering succession and personal tax alongside the business itself.
Do I need a business accountant or a bookkeeper?
These are different jobs. A bookkeeper keeps your day-to-day records accurate, handling invoices and reconciliations. A business accountant uses that data to plan tax position and structure decisions. Most growing businesses need both, working best when the bookkeeper and accountant are talking to each other rather than operating separately.
What business structure is right for a growing business?
There is no single right answer, but there is a wrong default: setting up something complex just in case before you need it. We generally start businesses simple and restructure at clear growth points, such as a bank asking for security or a partner joining, rather than front loading complexity you will pay to maintain every year.
When should I bring in an accountant, at start-up or later?
At start-up, even if it feels early. The structuring decisions made in the first year are the ones that become expensive to unwind later. Trust deeds and share structures both get harder to change once the business has assets and history attached.
Can you act as my registered office?
Yes. It is a small thing operationally, but it matters for businesses that want ASIC correspondence and compliance deadlines managed by someone watching them full time, rather than caught after the fact.
Do you handle accounting for directors or businesses with overseas income?
Yes, this comes up often with mining and medical clients who have interests or income outside Australia. It carries its own rules around residency and foreign income that standard compliance work does not cover. Our guide to foreign tax obligations goes into more detail.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
