| name | australia-financial-statements |
| description | > Use this skill when preparing, reviewing, or advising on annual financial statements for an Australian company. Trigger on phrases like "ASIC financial report", "AASB", "Australian Accounting Standards", "general purpose financial statements", "special purpose financial statements", "large proprietary company", "small proprietary company", "directors' report Australia", "audit Australia", "Form 388", "Corporations Act 2001 reporting", or any question about preparing and filing statutory accounts under the Corporations Act 2001. Covers AASB frameworks, size thresholds (large/small proprietary), required statements, formats, notes, lodgement deadlines, and audit requirements. |
| license | AGPL-3.0-or-later (code) / OpenAccountants Guide License v1.0 (content) |
| metadata | {"source":"openaccountants","jurisdiction":"AU","category":"financial-statements","quality":"source-cited draft","openaccountants_url":"https://openaccountants.com/skills/australia-financial-statements","obligation":"FS"} |
Australia Financial Statements Skill v1.0
General reference only. This skill is general tax/accounting reference material for AI-assisted workflows. It has not been reviewed for any specific person's facts, documents, elections, deadlines, residency, filing status, or local procedures. Do not rely on it to file, pay, amend, or take a tax position without review by a qualified professional in the relevant jurisdiction.
Section 1 -- Quick Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Country | Australia (Commonwealth of Australia) |
| Currency | AUD |
| Filing authority | Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) |
| Primary legislation | Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), Chapter 2M |
| Supporting legislation | Corporations Regulations 2001; ASIC Regulatory Guides |
| Accounting standards | Australian Accounting Standards (AASB) — substantially IFRS-equivalent |
| Financial year | Usually 1 July – 30 June; any 12-month period permitted |
| Lodgement deadline | 4 months after year-end (general); 3 months (disclosing entities) |
| Late lodgement penalty | Civil penalty; ASIC may impose up to AUD 1,110 per day |
| Digital filing | ASIC Regulatory Portal (online Form 388 lodgement) |
Section 2 -- Reporting Framework
| Entity type | Applicable standard |
|---|
| Listed entities / disclosing entities | Full AASB (Tier 1 — IFRS equivalent) |
| Large proprietary companies | AASB (Tier 1 or Tier 2 — Simplified Disclosures) |
| Small proprietary companies (reporting) | AASB (usually Tier 2 — Simplified Disclosures) |
| Small proprietary companies (non-reporting) | Generally no public reporting obligation |
| Public companies | AASB (Tier 1 or Tier 2) |
| Not-for-profit (large) | AASB with NFP-specific paragraphs |
AASB Tier system
- Tier 1: Full IFRS recognition, measurement, and disclosure (AASB 101–AASB 17)
- Tier 2 — Simplified Disclosures: Same recognition and measurement as Tier 1, reduced disclosures (AASB 1060)
Section 3 -- Size Thresholds
Large proprietary company (s.45A Corporations Act)
A proprietary company is large for a financial year if it satisfies at least 2 of 3:
| Criterion | Threshold (from 1 July 2019) |
|---|
| Consolidated revenue | ≥ AUD 50,000,000 |
| Consolidated gross assets (year-end) | ≥ AUD 25,000,000 |
| Employees (year-end) | ≥ 100 |
If fewer than 2 criteria are met → small proprietary company.
Reporting obligations by entity type
| Entity | Must prepare financial report? | Must lodge with ASIC? | Must audit? |
|---|
| Large proprietary | Yes | Yes (Form 388) | Yes |
| Small proprietary (general) | No (unless directed) | No | No |
| Small proprietary (foreign-controlled) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Small proprietary (CSF shareholders) | Yes | Yes | Yes (or review) |
| Public company | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disclosing entity | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Section 4 -- Required Financial Statements
Under s.295 and s.296 Corporations Act + AASB standards:
| Document | Tier 1 (Full AASB) | Tier 2 (Simplified) |
|---|
| Statement of Financial Position (Balance sheet) | Required | Required |
| Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income | Required | Required |
| Statement of Changes in Equity | Required | Required |
| Statement of Cash Flows | Required | Required |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | Required (full IFRS) | Required (reduced — AASB 1060) |
| Directors' Report (s.298–300) | Required | Required |
| Directors' Declaration (s.295(4)) | Required | Required |
| Auditor's Report | Required | Required |
Section 5 -- Year-End Adjustments Checklist
| # | Adjustment | Australia-specific notes |
|---|
| 1 | Depreciation | AASB 116; systematic allocation; annual review of useful life and residual value |
| 2 | Provisions | AASB 137; present obligation, probable outflow, reliable estimate |
| 3 | Employee benefits | AASB 119; annual leave, long service leave (probability-weighted for LSL < 7 years) |
| 4 | Impairment | AASB 136; compare carrying amount to recoverable amount |
| 5 | Expected credit losses | AASB 9; simplified approach for trade receivables (lifetime ECL) |
| 6 | Inventory | AASB 102; lower of cost (FIFO/weighted average) and NRV; no LIFO |
| 7 | Deferred tax | AASB 112; temporary differences; company rate 25% (base rate entity) or 30% |
| 8 | Lease accounting | AASB 16; right-of-use asset + lease liability (exemptions for short-term/low-value) |
| 9 | Revenue recognition | AASB 15; five-step model; performance obligations |
| 10 | Financial instruments | AASB 9; classification and measurement; hedge accounting |
| 11 | Foreign currency | AASB 121; monetary items at closing rate |
| 12 | Government grants | AASB 120; recognised when reasonable assurance of compliance |
Section 6 -- Statement of Profit or Loss Format
AASB 101 permits classification by nature or function. By function (most common for corporates):
Revenue
Cost of sales
─── Gross profit ───
Other income
Distribution expenses
Administrative expenses
Other expenses
─── Operating profit ───
Finance income
Finance costs
Share of profit of associates/JVs
─── Profit before income tax ───
Income tax expense
─── Profit from continuing operations ───
Profit from discontinued operations (net of tax)
─── Profit for the year ───
Other comprehensive income:
Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss
Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss
─── Total comprehensive income for the year ───
Section 7 -- Statement of Financial Position Format
AASB 101 — current/non-current distinction:
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other receivables
Inventories
Current tax assets
Other current assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Right-of-use assets
Investment properties
Intangible assets
Goodwill
Investments in associates
Deferred tax assets
Other non-current assets
Total assets
─────────────────────────────────────
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Borrowings (current portion)
Lease liabilities (current)
Current tax liabilities
Provisions (current)
Other current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities
Provisions (non-current)
Other non-current liabilities
Total liabilities
─────────────────────────────────────
NET ASSETS
EQUITY
Issued capital
Reserves
Retained earnings
Total equity
Section 8 -- Notes to Financial Statements
| # | Disclosure | Tier 1 (Full) | Tier 2 (Simplified) |
|---|
| 1 | Basis of preparation and accounting policies | Required (AASB 101) | Required (AASB 1060) |
| 2 | Revenue disaggregation | Required (AASB 15) | Simplified |
| 3 | Employee benefits | Required (AASB 119) | Simplified |
| 4 | Income tax | Required (AASB 112) | Simplified |
| 5 | Property, plant and equipment | Required (AASB 116) | Simplified |
| 6 | Leases | Required (AASB 16) | Simplified |
| 7 | Financial instruments | Required (AASB 7) | Significantly reduced |
| 8 | Related party transactions | Required (AASB 124) | Required |
| 9 | Contingencies and commitments | Required (AASB 137) | Required |
| 10 | Subsequent events | Required (AASB 110) | Required |
| 11 | Key management personnel compensation | Required (AASB 124) | Required |
| 12 | Segment information | Required (AASB 8) — listed only | Not required |
Section 9 -- Filing (Lodgement) Requirements
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Filing authority | ASIC |
| Filing form | Form 388 (Copy of Financial Statements and Reports) |
| Lodgement method | ASIC Regulatory Portal (online) |
| Deadline — disclosing entities | 3 months after financial year-end |
| Deadline — all others | 4 months after financial year-end |
| Documents lodged | Financial report + directors' report + auditor's report |
| Fee | No filing fee for Form 388 |
| Late lodgement | Civil penalty provisions; ASIC may impose administrative penalties |
| Annual review fee | Separate from lodgement (AUD 310 for proprietary companies, 2024) |
| Extension | Possible by application to ASIC under s.340 |
Small proprietary companies — exceptions requiring lodgement
- Foreign-controlled (s.292(2)(b))
- ASIC direction (s.294)
- Shareholder direction (≥5% vote, s.293)
- CSF shareholders (s.292(2)(c))
Section 10 -- Audit Requirements
| Category | Requirement |
|---|
| Large proprietary company | Mandatory audit |
| Small proprietary (general) | No audit required |
| Small proprietary (foreign-controlled) | Audit required (unless ASIC relief) |
| Public company | Mandatory audit |
| Disclosing entity | Mandatory audit |
| Registered scheme | Mandatory audit |
| Small proprietary (CSF shareholders) | Audit or review (s.292) |
ASIC relief instruments
- ASIC Corporations (Audit Relief) Instrument 2016/784: Allows certain large proprietary companies controlled by a foreign parent to obtain audit relief if consolidated accounts of the foreign parent are lodged
- ASIC Corporations (Foreign-Controlled Company Reports) Instrument 2017/204: Relief for certain small foreign-controlled proprietary companies
Auditor qualification
Registered company auditor under Part 9.2 of the Corporations Act (registered with ASIC). For audit of disclosing entities, the auditor must meet additional independence requirements under Part 2M.4 Division 3.
Disclaimer
This skill and its outputs are provided for informational and computational purposes only and do not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Open Accountants and its contributors accept no liability for any errors, omissions, or outcomes arising from the use of this skill. All outputs must be reviewed and signed off by a qualified professional before filing or acting upon.
Source: OpenAccountants — open tax Guides for AI, reviewed by named CPAs/CAs/EAs. Quality: source-cited draft. For always-current figures and named-accountant backing, connect the OpenAccountants MCP server (openaccountants-mcp).
