EOFY Checklist for Tradies: What to Do Before June 30

For many tradies, June is one of the busiest months of the year. Alongside finishing jobs and managing clients, there’s also the end of financial year paperwork waiting in the background. Having an EOFY checklist for tradies can make the process more manageable and help you stay organised before 30 June rolls around.

Here’s what tradies should be looking at before June 30.

Get Your Records Up to Date

The first step is making sure your records are accurate and complete. That includes checking invoices, expenses, receipts, payroll records, and supplier payments.

A few areas worth reviewing include:

• Outstanding invoices from clients
• Unpaid supplier bills
• Vehicle and fuel expenses
• Equipment and tool purchases
• Insurance payments
• Bank transactions
• Subcontractor payments

If you’ve still got paper receipts sitting in the ute or toolbox, now’s the time to digitise them. Keeping everything in one place makes tax time easier and reduces the chance of missing deductions.

Many tradies now use accounting apps to track expenses and invoices throughout the year. If your current setup still involves spreadsheets and folders full of receipts, EOFY may be a good time to look at a more efficient system.

Review Your Income and Expenses

Before lodging anything, take a close look at how your business performed over the past 12 months.

A profit and loss statement can help you understand:

• How much revenue came in
• Where your money went
• Which jobs were most profitable
• Whether costs increased compared to last year

This is especially useful for tradies who’ve had fluctuating workloads due to weather, material costs, or changing demand.

Reviewing your numbers now can also help with pricing decisions for the next financial year. If fuel, supplier costs, or labour expenses have increased, it may be time to reassess your rates.

Check What You Can Claim

Tax deductions are one of the biggest EOFY discussion points for tradies. The key is making sure claims are legitimate, work-related, and supported by records.

Depending on your trade and setup, deductions may include:

• Tools and equipment
• Vehicle expenses
• Protective clothing and workwear
• Mobile phone and internet costs
• Insurance
• Training and licences
• Accounting and bookkeeping fees
• Advertising and marketing
• Home office expenses for admin work

If you purchased larger assets this financial year, speak with your accountant about depreciation and any temporary asset write-off rules that may apply.

It’s also worth reviewing old equipment or unpaid invoices that may need to be written off before June 30.

Finalise Super and Payroll Obligations

If you employ staff or apprentices, EOFY is the time to make sure payroll reporting is accurate and up to date.

This may include:

• Finalising Single Touch Payroll (STP)
• Checking PAYG withholding records
• Confirming superannuation payments
• Reviewing leave balances
• Preparing payroll summaries where required

Late super payments may not be tax deductible, so it’s worth checking deadlines carefully.

For tradies running small crews, payroll tasks often get pushed aside during busy periods. Leaving everything until the last week of June can make the process harder than it needs to be.

Lodge BAS, GST, and Other Compliance Tasks

Depending on your business structure, you may also need to complete:

• BAS lodgements
• GST reporting
• Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) obligations
• Payroll tax reporting
• ASIC reporting for companies

EOFY is often a reminder that compliance tasks pile up quickly when records aren’t maintained regularly throughout the year.

Working with a registered accountant or bookkeeper can help keep everything accurate and avoid penalties later on.

Review Your Tools, Vehicles, and Equipment

EOFY is also a practical checkpoint for the operational side of your business.

Ask yourself:

• Are your tools still reliable?
• Does your vehicle setup still suit your workload?
• Are you paying for subscriptions or software you no longer use?
• Do you need updated safety equipment or technology?

Tradies often rely heavily on vehicles, phones, scheduling apps, quoting software, and power tools every day. Small upgrades can improve efficiency across jobs and admin work.

Some businesses also use EOFY to plan future purchases rather than making rushed spending decisions at the last minute.

Watch Out for EOFY Scams

Scam activity tends to increase around tax time, particularly emails and text messages pretending to be from the ATO or banks.

Common EOFY scams include:

• Fake tax refund notifications
• Requests to update payment details
• Suspicious invoice attachments
• Messages demanding urgent payment

If something looks unusual, verify it directly through official channels before clicking links or downloading files.

For tradies constantly working on-site, it’s easy to skim messages quickly between jobs. Taking a few extra seconds to double-check can prevent larger problems later.

Plan Ahead for the New Financial Year

EOFY isn’t only about wrapping things up. It’s also a chance to think about what comes next.

That might include:

• Setting revenue goals
• Hiring apprentices or subcontractors
• Expanding service areas
• Updating pricing
• Improving cash flow
• Investing in marketing
• Reviewing business insurance
• Updating licences and certifications

For tradies who rely on steady lead flow, visibility heading into the new financial year also matters.

Many homeowners start researching projects in winter and early spring, especially for renovations, repairs, landscaping, painting, roofing, and outdoor work. Keeping your business profile updated online can help you stay visible when demand picks up.

Listing your services on ServiceSeeking.com.au can help tradies connect with homeowners actively searching for local professionals across a wide range of trades.

Create an EOFY Checklist That Works for Your Business

Every trade business runs differently, so your EOFY checklist may look different depending on your size, structure, and workload.

A sole trader chippy may only need to focus on invoices, deductions, and tax returns. A larger electrical company may also be managing payroll, vehicles, subcontractors, software subscriptions, and compliance reporting.

The earlier you start preparing, the easier EOFY becomes. Even setting aside a few hours each week during June can make a noticeable difference compared to leaving everything until the final days before June 30.