Accounting & tax — FBT
FBT Return Accountant
Fringe Benefits Tax returns for Australian employers — car, expense-payment, entertainment and other benefits, grossed-up values, employee declarations and the FBT return, prepared by a Chartered Accountant and registered tax agent.
- Car fringe benefits
- Entertainment
- Expense payment
- Grossed-up values
- Employee declarations
- FBT year 1 Apr–31 Mar
Eternity Group Accountants is a registered tax agent (TPB 25523469). Information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute personal tax advice. Before acting, consider whether the information is appropriate to your circumstances and seek advice from a qualified tax professional.
Scope of work
What's included in your FBT return.
A defensible FBT position — reportable benefits identified, car benefits valued under the appropriate method, values grossed up correctly and the return lodged — prepared as a single piece of work rather than disconnected steps.
Identifying reportable benefits
Benefits to employees & associates
We review the year's activity to identify benefits that may attract FBT — vehicles, expense payments, entertainment, loans, housing and other categories — provided to employees or their associates. Whether each item is a fringe benefit depends on the facts and the relevant rules, so we work through them rather than assuming a default treatment.
Car fringe benefits
Statutory formula · operating cost
Where a car is available for private use, the taxable value can generally be worked out under the statutory formula method or the operating-cost method, and the better outcome depends on usage and records such as a logbook. We assess which method suits your situation in general terms rather than defaulting to one.
Grossing-up & the FBT return
Type 1 / Type 2 · Form FBT
Taxable values are split into the appropriate gross-up category — broadly Type 1 where a GST credit applies and Type 2 where it does not — grossed up using the correct factor and carried through to the FBT return. The treatment depends on the benefit type and the relevant rules, which we apply benefit by benefit.
Declarations, records & STP reporting
Declarations · RFBA
We collate the employee declarations and supporting records the return relies on, and where a reportable fringe benefits amount arises, we work through how it is calculated and reported against the employee through Single Touch Payroll. Whether an amount is reportable depends on the circumstances and the relevant rules.
Suited to
Employers we prepare FBT returns for.
Employers providing company vehicles
Businesses with one or more vehicles available to employees for private use, including cars garaged at home. We value the benefit under the method that suits the usage and records, considering the statutory formula and operating-cost approaches in general terms each year.
Businesses providing entertainment or meals
Employers shouting staff functions, client meals or other hospitality. Entertainment can be one of the trickier FBT areas, so we work through which costs may attract FBT and how they should be valued, rather than assuming all hospitality is exempt or all is taxable.
Businesses with salary-packaged benefits
Employers offering salary-packaged arrangements such as novated leases or packaged expenses. We bring the packaged benefits into the FBT return, gross up the values correctly and consider any reportable amount that flows through to the employee's Single Touch Payroll reporting.
Payroll & STPEmployers unsure whether FBT applies
Businesses that provide benefits to staff but have never reviewed whether FBT is in play. We assess the year's activity in general terms, flag where a return may be required and document the reasoning, so the position is settled rather than left to chance.
Process
From benefit review to lodgement — one clear sequence.
A document-driven engagement where you always know what is next, what the fixed fee covers and when lodgement happens. We also coordinate with the rest of your accounting work — see all our accounting services on the main Accounting page.
Benefit review
We review the year's activity from 1 April to 31 March and identify the benefits that may attract FBT — vehicles, expense payments, entertainment and other categories — so the scope of the return is clear before any calculations begin.
Calculations & employee declarations
Taxable values are worked out under the appropriate method, grossed up into their Type 1 or Type 2 category, and supported by the employee declarations and records the return relies on. This is general in nature and depends on your circumstances, so we document the reasoning.
Lodge & report RFBA
The FBT return is finalised and lodged through the tax-agent portal, and where a reportable fringe benefits amount arises, it is reported against the employee through Single Touch Payroll so the positions line up.
Frequently asked questions
FBT return — common questions.
Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) is a tax employers generally pay on certain non-cash benefits provided to employees or their associates — for example a company car available for private use, a payment of an employee's private expense, or some forms of entertainment. It is separate from income tax and is generally the employer's liability rather than the employee's. Whether a particular benefit is subject to FBT, and how it is valued, depends on your circumstances and the relevant rules, so we review each arrangement rather than assuming an outcome.
Related
Where this fits in the bigger picture
An FBT return rarely sits in isolation. The company return, payroll and Single Touch Payroll, the activity statements and the underlying bookkeeping all connect to the benefits you provide your team.
- Tax & Accounting
Company tax return
For the employing company — prepared alongside the FBT return so deductions for benefits, the FBT liability and the income tax position reconcile across the year.
- Business Services
Payroll & STP compliance
Single Touch Payroll reporting, including the reportable fringe benefits amounts that flow from the FBT return through to each employee, kept aligned across the year.
- Business Services
BAS preparation & lodgement
Quarterly activity statements where GST credits on benefit costs and the gross-up category of those benefits need to be consistent with the FBT working papers.
- Business Services
Monthly bookkeeping
Clean, coded records make the annual FBT review straightforward — benefit costs, vehicle expenses and entertainment captured correctly through the year rather than reconstructed at year end.
- Guide
How One Roof works
See how the engagement runs end to end — scoping, the written fixed fee, document collection and lodgement — across the FBT return and the rest of your accounting work.