With increasing complexities and competition in today’s commercial landscape, you need a partner that provides practical and reliable support.
As Accountants and Strategic Business Advisors, Cleave Accounting makes sense of the intricacies of the financial environment and guides you through the process to ensure you can make informed decisions. Geared at creating growth and empowering clients to achieve their desired personal wealth and business goals, our ‘full-service’ range of capabilities include:
As Accountants and Strategic Business Advisors, Cleave Accounting makes sense of the intricacies of the financial environment and guides you through the process to ensure you can make informed decisions. Geared at creating growth and empowering clients to achieve their desired personal wealth and business goals, our ‘full-service’ range of capabilities include:
Our Services
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Advisory & Performance
In order to thrive in today’s competitive environment, businesses can benefit from a health assessment to maintain a commercially viable operation. Cleave Accounting recognises that regular evaluation of business performance proactively positions clients to meet changes warranted by the marketplace. Regardless of where a business might be in its life-cycle, Cleave Accounting partners with clients and focuses on growth, value and performance.
Our advisors keep our clients abreast of the relevant, industry-specific financial indicators so they are equipped to make commercial decisions with autonomy. Cleave Accounting delivers options for clients based on business size, life-cycle stage, location and industry.
In order to thrive in today’s competitive environment, businesses can benefit from a health assessment to maintain a commercially viable operation. Cleave Accounting recognises that regular evaluation of business performance proactively positions clients to meet changes warranted by the marketplace. Regardless of where a business might be in its life-cycle, Cleave Accounting partners with clients and focuses on growth, value and performance.
Our advisors keep our clients abreast of the relevant, industry-specific financial indicators so they are equipped to make commercial decisions with autonomy. Cleave Accounting delivers options for clients based on business size, life-cycle stage, location and industry.
Cleave Accounting recognises that budgeting is more than just churning numbers into a spreadsheet. We partner with clients to gain a clear understanding of their business before preparing company-specific financial models which meet the immediate needs of the operation and empower management to make effective commercial decisions geared towards growth.
We help clients better understand their operation by highlighting areas of strategic focus to achieve their desired goals. Clients have the confidence they need to make proactive, business-critical decisions supported by solid and reliable financial models.
Cleave Accounting can help with:
- Staff resourcing and remuneration recommendations
- Advise on variable cost of sales (COS)
- Overhead auditing and recommendations
- Development of Sales KPIs
We’re family-owned too, so we understand the dynamic complexities, benefits and challenges that family businesses face.
We know that successful family businesses all have a synergistic combination of professional and personal interests with a priority on healthy family dynamics. Cleave Accounting collaborates with all stakeholders within a family business to help create the desired balance between the needs of the family and the business as equal and separate economies and systems.
We also work with the younger business representatives providing mentorship and guidance as they navigate their way through the induction phases of running a business.
Cleave Accounting can help with:
- Risk management and protection from family disputes, divorce or death
- Issues involving family and non-family employees
- Develop plans for growth and succession
- Developing and maintaining family
- Family culture advice
- Mentoring and training
Taxation has implications across all facets of a business and/or individual, which is why it is crucial that we plan well. Cleave Accounting develops a robust understanding of our client’s goals and commercial influences. We provide tailored solutions that free our clients from timely and excessive taxation worries. Our mandate is to keep clients appraised of legislative developments and compliance requirements to ensure they or their business runs without unnecessary distractions. When our clients have no worries, they are empowered to re-channel their efforts and resources toward what they do best—thriving.
Our approach at Cleave Accounting is to:
- Take clients on an educational journey to ensure they have a comprehensive understanding of the taxation landscape and implications for business
- Partner with clients and their leadership team to support short, medium and long-term goals
- Be cognisant of the latest taxation developments as they affect our client’s business and wider marketplace
- Be passionate business advisors, if there is an opportunity to achieve savings, we will find it. We work to identify areas for potential savings across all facets of taxation frameworks
- Take a holistic look at a client’s business lifecycle and provide guidance through succession and estate planning
- Approach year-end planning with dynamic pragmatism to ensure clients are getting the best advice with minimal cost and resource involvement
Tax strategy is a fundamental component of the financial planning process. And it is an aspect that can be overlooked during the end of financial year tax return rush. Cleave Accounting knows that reviewing an individual’s tax strategy is an essential part of their wealth creation journey and we work closely with clients to ensure their financial outcomes are the most tax effective and risk averse, specific to their circumstance.
Through restructuring the way individuals receive salary, contribute to superannuation, invest, manage risk and debt we are able to assist you to attain significant tax savings.
Property investing is a powerful way to grow your wealth and secure the future lifestyle you want to live. But with all the options available to us in this day and age, it can be a confusing exercise. Cleave Accounting advisers offer clear and purposeful advice positioning clients to be the driver of their choices (and future). We act as an expert partner every step of the way in the property journey and aim to make clients feel comfortable and informed about their investment path.
The principles of property investing are made simple with Cleave Accounting advising the most appropriate property investment path that meets the circumstances and goals of our clients. Our advice is supported by robust and considered tax and legal considerations so that investments deliver the best returns possible over time.
Capital Gains tax can be a confusing and complex topic. From the sale of Realestate, Shares, Crypto, or Business assets, trying to understand Capital Gains Tax and other legislative requirements can be confusing and overwhelming. Our expert staff are able to advise on the best strategies to legally reduce your Capital Gains Tax liability and help plan for any large Capital Gains bills before they land. We do this by understanding how various Capital Gains exemptions apply to your individual circumstances when disposing of your Capital Gains Tax assets. We can also assist with record keeping obligations for capital assets.
You’ll also have peace of mind knowing that your Capital Gains Tax is in the hands of an expert and you are not unknowingly paying more tax than you have to.
Defining your tax strategy is an integral part of your financial planning process. Structuring the method in which you fund your investments using gearing can contribute to significant tax savings and can be a useful component of your wealth creation journey.
Meaning ‘borrow to invest’, gearing simply refers to the use of borrowed money to fund your investments, whether it be in shares, managed funds, property or other forms that you would otherwise not be able to make without the assistance of borrowed funds.
While the adoption of a negative gearing strategy is popular because of the potential tax advantages, it is paramount to be aware of the whole process and that a tax deduction can only be claimed when there is a loss made on investment. The negative gearing process can be an intricate one. When clients partner with Cleave accounting, they can be assured that they will receive sound investment advice entirely suited to their circumstances.
We encourage our clients to approach the option of negative gearing with their minds open to both the benefits and associated risks. Our advisers have the expertise and knowledge to ensure clients have absolute clarity. Cleave Accounting advisers break down the technical accounting vernacular into first principles so that clients have a full understanding of the status of their investments.
Accounting & Audit
Dynamic business owners need a reliable and accurate financial reporting partner that is readily available. Cleave Accounting aspires to alleviate time and cost burdens that businesses are faced when it comes to arduous financial reporting obligations. Our advisors do this by assembling truthful, timely and relevant reports including profit and loss statements, cash flow statements and balance sheets.
Our services don’t stop when the reports are complete. Our advisors are nimble, working with clients for the long haul and avail ourselves to advise on decision-making based on those reports.
Our advisers stay up-to-date with reporting requirements and standards so that our clients can focus their time on running (and growing) their business. When working with Cleave Accounting clients have peace of mind, knowing all reporting is clear, legal and ethical.
Dynamic business owners need a reliable and accurate financial reporting partner that is readily available. Cleave Accounting aspires to alleviate time and cost burdens that businesses are faced when it comes to arduous financial reporting obligations. Our advisors do this by assembling truthful, timely and relevant reports including profit and loss statements, cash flow statements and balance sheets.
Our services don’t stop when the reports are complete. Our advisors are nimble, working with clients for the long haul and avail ourselves to advise on decision-making based on those reports.
Our advisers stay up-to-date with reporting requirements and standards so that our clients can focus their time on running (and growing) their business. When working with Cleave Accounting clients have peace of mind, knowing all reporting is clear, legal and ethical.
Cleave Accounting’s advisors work diligently to ensure clients receive the best income tax outcome possible according to their entitlements and circumstance. As a multidisciplinary consultancy, we offer a range of services to support the interests of individuals and small to medium size businesses. We provide sound, client-specific advice to help clients understand the current commercial environment and what tax laws apply to their situation to minimise liability.
Cleave Accounting provides tax returns and associated services for:
- Investors
- Individuals
- Sole Traders and Contractors
- Company Tax Returns
- Self-Managed Super Funds
- Late & Multi-Year
- Amendments to prior year
Fringe Benefits Tax or FBT refers to the provision of the full range of non-wage employee benefits like travel and expenses. This area of taxation for individuals and business can get quite complex with the FBT system carrying with it numerous reporting and compliance obligations. Such obligations are made easier and less cost and resource intensive with the right business partner that can advise and minimise risk. Cleave Accounting acts as a vital support partner by ensuring clients navigate through the process and receive optimal results with minimal impact on their business.
Cleave Accounting can work with you to streamline the FBT process:
- We guide you through everything you need to know about how FBT works so that you are better equipped to make commercial decisions within your business, knowing the tax implications
- We can identify when a fringe benefit is provided.
- Support you in building FBT into salary packaging for your employees or as an individual
- We seek out all available exemptions and integrate into your planning
Every business that is registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) and/or Pay As You Go Withholding (PAYGW) is required to lodge an Activity Statement (BAS/IAS) to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) either monthly or quarterly, depending on annual turnover and industry.
For many small business owners who opt for DIY BAS reporting errors are easy to make and lodgement dates can slip by unnoticed proving extremely costly for your business.
Professional BAS services can prevent your business from being exposed to non-compliance penalties issued by the ATO.
With our vast expertise around BAS liabilities, obligations and entitlements, combined with a reputation for accuracy and unsurpassed attention to detail, we can provide peace of mind that your BAS lodgement will be compliant and on-time.
You must register for Goods and Services Tax (GST) if:
- your business or enterprise has or is expected to have gross sales (GST turnover) of $75,000 or more;
- you provide taxi or limousine travel for passengers (including ride-sourcing) regardless of your GST turnover.
You must register for Pay As You Go Withholding (PAYGW) if you pay employees.
More Australians are choosing to manage their super, taking charge of their financial decisions and designing the life they want to live come retirement. Recent statistics have indicated that over one million Australians are opting to take control of their retirement savings with more than $800 billion invested in self-managed super funds (SMSFs) and the median age for SMSF members of newly established funds in 2022 was 46.
Managing SMSF compliance can be complicated. Cleave Accounting’s SMSF specialists work with clients every step of the way to ensure trustees are adequately informed of their compliance obligations, adhere to strict legislation and seek timely financial advice to develop effective investment strategies.
Cleave Accounting has extensive experience in conducting Audits for many different industries, with a particular interest in support Not-for-Profit organisations. Over time we have developed a streamlined process that simplifies the effort required from those involved in arranging the audit.
Cleave Accounting checks the financial reports of charitable organisation’s to give the members an opinion as to whether the financial reports are true and fair. This helps the members to know what all the assets and liabilities are, and what has happened to the money of the charitable organisation during the last twelve months. The information obtained from the audit can be used to make and evaluate decisions about scarce resources.
We’ve accumulated a solid understanding of the legal requirements and knowledge of common problems that arise in relation to solicitor, real estate and automotive trust account audits and take pride in offering audit solutions that take your particular needs into account.
Financial Controlling
With the introduction of the ATO’s digital strategy 2022-25, digital compliance obligations grow annually. It is not a good feeling nor situation to spend hours in the office reading through the latest update in legislation to ensure your payroll or GST is reported correctly or worst yet, to find about changes after they take effect and have to spend time fixing mistakes. Cleave Accounting’s core focus is to help keep you in the business of running your business while we take care of the rest. We have been doing what we do for over ten years; we are quick with our process, thorough with our methods and meet our deadlines. Our experience gives our clients peace of mind knowing that risks are managed with no nasty fines or costly service charges.
We can be your bookkeeping partner across a variety of facets, including:
- Accounting Software Advice
- Accounts Payables and Receivable
- BAS Preparation & Lodgement
- IAS Preparation & Lodgement
- Budget and Report Preparation
- Data Entry
- General Bookkeeping
- Inventory Management
- Payroll including STP reporting & year end finalisation
- Superannuation preparation, lodgement & year end reconciliation
With the introduction of the ATO’s digital strategy 2022-25, digital compliance obligations grow annually. It is not a good feeling nor situation to spend hours in the office reading through the latest update in legislation to ensure your payroll or GST is reported correctly or worst yet, to find about changes after they take effect and have to spend time fixing mistakes. Cleave Accounting’s core focus is to help keep you in the business of running your business while we take care of the rest. We have been doing what we do for over ten years; we are quick with our process, thorough with our methods and meet our deadlines. Our experience gives our clients peace of mind knowing that risks are managed with no nasty fines or costly service charges.
We can be your bookkeeping partner across a variety of facets, including:
- Accounting Software Advice
- Accounts Payables and Receivable
- BAS Preparation and Lodgement
- IAS Preparation and Lodgement
- Budget and Report Preparation
- Data Entry
- General Bookkeeping
- Inventory Management
- Payroll including STP reporting and year end finalisation
- Superannuation preparation, lodgement and year end reconciliation
With payroll legislation always changing it is difficult for employers to keep up with changes to employment law/industry awards; STP reporting requirements and superannuation rates are changing annually, maternity leave provisions are growing and there is a move to greater work/life balance. We have the expertise to apply any changes as they relate to your organisation to ensure your business is compliant and employees happy.
We know, from timesheets to the preparation of pay slips and payment of salaries and superannuation, payroll is a time consuming activity. Accrual and recording of annual, sick and long service leave is a headache most employers can do without. Cleave Accounting processes your payroll on time and accurately, in accordance with the relevant award.
Payroll tax is paid on wages to employees across each Australian state. Unfortunately, administration across the states tends not to be effectively coordinated and can accrue unnecessary time and resource costs for a business.
Cleave Accounting has been advising businesses on payroll tax related matters for over 10-years, and we have become pretty good at what we do. We provide a single point of contact for our clients and guide them through the taxation process, so they fully understand their obligations. Clients can then enjoy being well informed of business obligations with a strong understanding to make important commercial decisions.
Cleave Accounting can help with:
- Cost and time efficient payroll compliance
- Reduce risk and optimise efficiencies throughout the Payroll Tax process
- Act as your liaison across various offices of state revenue
- Manage the full payroll audit process
Sound business decisions rely on accurate cash flow and forecasting. This hinges on robust internal accounting procedures and capabilities. Cleave Accounting gathers precise, timely, and relevant information for our clients’ business reporting, ensuring they can make informed decisions.
We provide quantitative support in the decision-making process based on the data we present in our reporting routines. Our advisers work to stay up to date with not only reporting requirements for compliance but the current market and operational status of our clients. When partnered with Cleave Accounting, clients will have a point of contact that provides ‘on-call’ customised business advice, acting as an extension of their business.
New Business
Cleave Accounting knows first-hand what life is like for a new start up. We were once in your shoes; we have endured the headaches, the battles and the enjoyment that startups experience. Our team is familiar with the duties associated with structuring a business for performance and compliance. Cleave Accounting works to empower startups so that they can focus on growing their business and relish the rewards it can offer. We do this by sticking to our strengths and doing them well, giving you less risk, fewer headaches, and optimal business performance.
We partner with startup clients to advise on:
- Tax structuring
- Asset protection
- BAS preparation and lodgement
- Legal requirements and compliance advice
- Company structure
- Financial reporting and planning
- General accounting
Cleave Accounting has had first-hand experience of what life is like for a start-up business. We were once in your shoes; we have endured the headaches, the battles and the enjoyment that start-ups experience. Our team is familiar with the duties associated with structuring a business for performance and compliance. Cleave Accounting works to empower start-ups so that they can focus on growing their business and relish the rewards it can offer. We do this by sticking to our strengths and doing them well, giving you less risk, fewer headaches, and optimal business performance.
We partner with start-up clients to advise on:
- Tax structuring
- Asset protection
- BAS preparation & lodgement
- Legal requirements and compliance advice
- Company structure
- Financial reporting and planning
- General accounting
Cleave Accounting focuses on doing the groundwork for clients when deciding on the right structure that will gear their business for the road ahead.
Defining a legal structure for a business is an important decision that can leave operations exposed to potentially complex tax implications. Businesses can choose to operate through a variety of structures, whether it be a company, trust, partnership or as a sole trader. Cleave Accounting has been advising small to medium sized businesses for over ten years and is well-equipped to advise on the advantages and disadvantages of each structure.
We appreciate that taxation is only one facet of a vast web of complexities when it comes to choosing how to structure a business. Our advisors support clients with a thorough understanding of the complexities and the consequences of the particular business structures relevant to their circumstances.
Our approach is multi-faceted and extends across a full range of business advice:
- Selecting the right structure for startups
- Restructuring for existing operations
- Structuring for international business
- Intuitively protection of your business and/or personal assets
- Establish and oversee concise frameworks for reporting and compliance obligations from ASIC and other regulatory bodies
- Evaluating your business operating costs
- Financing options for special projects with thorough consideration of tax implications
When buying a business, it is recommended you complete due diligence to investigate all aspects of the business before you make a binding decision to buy.
Through conducting a thorough review of the business’ financial reports we can assist you to determine you are not making risky or poor decisions, paying too much for the business and that the business is profitable as claimed. With this information you can make informed decisions about the business purchase, the right price to pay and how it should be handled.
Ensuring ASIC regulatory compliance is crucial to maintain your company’s reputation and avoid legal penalties. Many companies rely on ASIC corporate compliance services to ensure they are meeting regulatory requirements as the consequences of non-compliance become more severe.
As your ASIC Registered Agent we will can handle the following corporate compliance on your behalf:
- Updating company addresses
- Appointing or removing company officeholders
- Adding or removing ultimate holding company information
- Modifying share structure
- Appointing or ceasing company members
- Updating office holder details
- Passing company resolutions (e.g., change of company name)
- Updating shareholder details
Cleave Accounting can help manage your accounting software and information technology frameworks geared to drive business performance.
We recognise the potential costs and time associated with implementing or upgrading your accounting software. That’s why we take the time to understand your business requirements so we can recommend software suitable to your specific situation, be that a simple and low cost option, that the user has limited IT knowledge or that you need an integrated package of software applications to address various business functions. We can highlight opportunities for improvement in an existing set up and manage every step of the process to introduce a new system that ensures minimal business interruption. We provide honest advice on the best solution because we do not align ourselves with one software provider.
A proud member of the Australian Childcare Collective, Cleave Accounting specialises in the Childcare Industry, assisting with all aspects of accounting for childcare services.
We advise those entering or investing into the childcare sector and regularly provide support to existing centres to improve the financial operations of their service. Leveraging our experience in this industry, along with the large volume of Centres we manage, means we are able to confidentially advise on income and expense management, opportunities for improvement and benchmarking your service against similarly sized centres in your area. Working closely with Service Managers and owners, we can assist with Financial Controlling, Payroll, Budgeting and Cashflow Management to ensure you have the best Childcare service possible.