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What is a tax debt loan?
Tax debt loans are used by businesses to repay overdue tax to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) when a payment plan is either unavailable or unsuitable.
If you own a business or operate as a sole trader, you are required to submit an end-of-year tax return, and not paying your tax can damage your credit score.
If you don't have funds available to pay, the ATO offers payment plans for tax debt up to $100,000. Where the amount owed is greater, or a payment plan is unsuitable, businesses can use various types of short-term business finance to repay the debt.
Here's what a tax debt loan can offer:
- Borrow from $5,000 to $1million
- Terms from one month to five years
- Simple application and approval
- Fixed or variable interest rates
- Loan can be secured or unsecured
- Interest rate tailored to you
- Lenders will consider the reason for the tax debt
Who's eligible for a tax debt loan?
- Own a business and have an ABN
- Business is GST-registered
- Australian citizen or permanent resident
- Minimum business-operating time of six months
- Can provide business bank statements to demonstrate capacity to repay the loan (based on revenue)
- The tax debt is not due a fundamental issue with your business
Types of tax debt that can be financed with a loan
Lenders assess loan applications based on the risk level of the borrower. There are various reasons you may find yourself with significant tax debt to repay, and the cause for your debt may affect how lenders assess your application. For example:
Accounting error
If your tax debt is the result of an accounting error, lenders may look on your situation favourably if the error is a random, one-off occurrence and not reflective of your reliability as a business owner.
Capital Gains Tax bill
If your tax debt is due to Capital Gains Tax (CGT), lenders are more likely to approve a tax-debt loan as the situation is often a one-off occurrence caused by higher than expected growth and generally not reflective of your risk as a borrower.
Failure to lodge tax return
If your tax debt is the result of not lodging your return, lenders may consider you a high-risk borrower due to concerns of reliability in repaying the loan amount.
Of course, there may be alternatives available for accessing short-term business finance to repay the tax debt, including invoice finance, or tapping into a business line of credit or business overdraft.
How to choose a business loan for tax debt?
There are different kind of loans that can be used to pay off tax debt. Each has its own features, advantages and disadvantages, and the one that will be best suited will depend on the business applying for the finance and its level of tax debt.
The main options...
Short-term secured loan
These are often used by businesses to cover sudden expenses - such as a tax debt. However, you can also short-term secured business loans for various purposes, such as paying employees, securing stock, settling unpaid bills and covering day-to-day operating expenses
Repayment terms are often flexible to suit the borrower and, If you are applying for less than $150,000, non-bank lenders may offer same-day approval when applying online.
Unsecured business loan
Unsecured business loans can be used to repay your ATO debt without risking your personal or business assets. Interest rates will typically be higher than secured finance and the loan term is usually shorter.
With an unsecured business loan, lenders will assess your ability to repay the loan based factors such as on your business cash flow, turnover and credit history. If you are self-employed, you may be asked to provide a personal guarantee.
Invoice finance
Invoice finance could be used to repay your ATO debt if you operate a business that invoices its customers. Invoice finance is not a loan but an advance of cash on your business invoices, you won’t be paying high rates of interest as you would on an unsecured business loan. However, fees will apply.
Invoice finance offers unique benefits over standard loans, including fast approval, no repayments as the finance is not a loan, no interest to repay (fees do apply though).
Who offers tax debt loans for businesses?
It may be possible to get finance for a tax debt from a bank, credit union, online or specialist lender.
Most lenders will provide finance to eligible business for any legitimate business purpose, including providing funds to pay creditors.
However, given the nature why the business is applying for finance, some mainstream lenders (e.g. major banks) may be reluctant to approve tax debt loans. For this reason many businesses seek finance from specialist lenders.
Just bear in mind that these lenders generally charge higher interest rates (compared to a loan to finance an asset, for example).
Lodging your tax return and BAS with the ATO
Businesses in Australia are required to lodge an end-of-year tax return. However, it is more likely that a Business Activity Statement (BAS) will be the reason small businesses seek loans to repay tax debt.
Businesses are required to lodge their BAS with the ATO at various frequencies, depending on their GST turnover:
- Quarterly - If GST turnover is below $20 million
- Monthly - If GST turnover is $20 million or higher
- Annually - If you are voluntarily registered for GST, and your GST turnover is less than $75,000
The majority of businesses will lodge their BAS quarterly. The ATO provides specific due dates for lodging your BAS, and failing to lodge your BAS may incur a penalty.
Quarterly dates for lodging BAS Quarter ending 30 September: 28 October Quarter ending 31 December: 28 February Quarter ending 31 March: 28 April Quarter ending 30 June: 28 July
What to do if you can’t pay your business tax
If your business has a large tax debt that you can't pay, you should first call the ATO to see if you can arrange a payment plan.
A pragmatic approach to the situation is often the best way to avoid ongoing debt and maintain a healthy credit score.
Business owners who contact the ATO to manage their tax debts are often looked upon favourably, and setting up a payment plan ensures tax debt information is not reported to credit bureaus.
Interest-free tax repayment options
The ATO offers an interest-free repayment solution to small businesses in certain situations. The small business must be able to clear its tax debt within 12 months, and eligibility is dependent on specific conditions:
- Annual turnover of less than $2 million
- Recent business activity statement (BAS) debt of $50,000 or less
- Overdue BAS debt does not exceed 12 months
- Maximum of one payment plan default in the previous 12 months
- Clean history of lodging BAS with the ATO
- Does not qualify for business finance to cover the debt
- Business turnover indicates continued revenue and capability in repaying the debt
- To apply for an interest-free payment plan, you will need to contact the ATO directly.
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