BAS agent registration – Is your bookkeeper required to be registered?
Under the new regulatory regime, which commenced on 1 March 2010, bookkeepers must beregistered BAS agents, or working under the supervision and control of a BAS agent or tax agent in order to provide BAS agent services for a fee. To become a registered BAS agent you must have a minimum 1,400 hours experience and a minimum qualification of Certificate IV Financial Services. Transitional arrangements can be accessed by bookkeepers who notify the Tax Practitioners Board prior to 31 August 2010 that they provided BAS agent services before 1 March 2010 which did not previously require registration. These bookkeepers are taken to be registered for a two-year period from 1 March 2010.
Employees who provide a BAS service to their employer on the books of that employer are NOT required to register with the Tax Practitioners Board.
Below is a table identifying services which are classified as BAS services and those that are not:
For more information, or to register as a BAS agent please refer to the Tax Practitioners Board website: http://www.tpb.gov.au or contact MTA Optima.