Elev8 Business Advisory & Tax

31/08/2026

19/08/2026

You bought a franchise to own a business. What you actually own is more complicated than that.

Hospitality franchisees are some of the hardest working business owners I deal with.

They've invested $300k, $500k, sometimes more. They're putting in 60 hrs weeks. The brand is well known, the system is proven, and the customers keep coming.

And yet the numbers often don't reflect the effort.

Here's why the economics of a hospitality franchise are different and why they need to be understood before you sign, not after.

The royalty and marketing levy comes off the top. Before wages, food cost or rent, the franchisor takes their percentage of gross revenue. In hospitality this typically runs 8–14% combined. It's fixed, contractual, and payable whether you had a good week or a bad one. Every other margin sits underneath it.

You don't fully control your cost base. The franchisor specifies your suppliers, fit out, menu, systems and often trading hours. If your labour market is tighter than average or your rent is higher than the model assumed, you can't offset it the way an independent operator can.

The earnings figures in the disclosure document are not a promise. They usually reflect top quartile stores or network averages from flagship locations. Your specific site, your specific rent those determine your outcome. Model your own numbers from the ground up, not from the disclosure document down.

None of this means a hospitality franchise is a bad investment. Some are genuinely excellent businesses. But the ones that work are run by operators who understood what they were buying a licence to use a system, with a specific cost structure attached.

If the numbers feel harder than they should, start by pulling apart the P&L by cost category. Understand what's left after the franchisor's take and the rent. That number tells you what you're actually working with.

If you are looking at buying a franchise or struggling to make the numbers work and would like some sound advice, please contact us on the details provided below.

17/08/2026

You've got $2 million in equipment sitting in the yard. How's the business structure protecting it?

Yellow goods operators are some of the most asset-heavy small businesses in Australia.

An excavator. A grader. A dozer. Maybe a fleet of tipper trucks. The capital tied up in a single machine can run to $400,000 or more and most operators have several.

The business is built around that iron. But often the structure around the business hasn't kept pace with how much those assets are worth.

A few things worth thinking about:

Equipment finance and tax. The instant asset write-off has been a useful tool, but it doesn't suit every situation. Depending on your tax position, your cash flow and your finance structure, there are scenarios where writing off too much too fast works against you. It's worth modelling before you pull the trigger on the next machine.

Asset protection. If your equipment is owned in the same entity that employs people, takes on contracts and carries liability - everything is in one basket. A separate asset-holding structure is worth considering when the numbers get to this level.

Cash flow between jobs. Civil and earthmoving work is lumpy. A large contract finishes, the next one doesn't start for six weeks, but the finance repayments, insurance and fuel keep running. The businesses that manage this well maintain a buffer that's calibrated to their actual fixed costs, they know exactly how many weeks they can carry without new revenue.

The infrastructure pipeline in South East Queensland is significant. There's real opportunity for operators who have their business fundamentals sorted.

Happy to chat if you'd like to talk through the numbers.

13/08/2026

🥇 WELCOME ON BOARD – GOLD SPONSOR 🥇

Rai Sekuwa & MoneyQuest Southport Present
NCGC TEEJ 2026 🇳🇵❤️

is proud to welcome Elev8 Business Advisory & Tax as a Gold Sponsor.

📊 Business Advisory | Accounting | Tax | Growth

Elev8 Business Advisory & Tax is a Gold Coast-based CPA Public Practice firm helping small and medium businesses gain clarity over their numbers, make better decisions and build businesses that last.

Led by Pankaj Halwai, CPA – Director, Elev8 takes an advisory-focused approach that goes beyond traditional tax compliance, working alongside business owners to support their financial and strategic goals.

Their services include:

📑 Accounting & Tax Compliance
💼 Business Advisory
📈 Tax Planning
💰 Virtual CFO Services
🏢 Business Structures & Asset Protection
🏦 SMSF Services
🔨 Construction & Trade Services
📚 Bookkeeping & Payroll Solutions
🚀 Business Start-Up Services

With a focus on clarity, compliance and growth, Elev8 works with businesses across the Gold Coast and Australia, providing practical financial and strategic advice to help business owners move forward.

We sincerely thank Elev8 Business Advisory & Tax and Pankaj Halwai for their generous support of NCGC Teej 2026 and for standing alongside our community.

Your support helps us bring our community together and celebrate our culture, traditions and achievements. 🇳🇵❤️

🌟 NCGC TEEJ 2026 🌟
📅 Wednesday, 9 September 2026
🕠 From 5:30 PM onwards
📍 Southport Community Centre

🥇 ELEV8 BUSINESS ADVISORY & TAX

Pankaj Halwai, CPA
Director

📞 07 5618 8181
📧 [email protected]
🌐 elev8ba.com.au

📍 Unit 25/42 Bundall Road, Bundall QLD 4217

🙏 Let's give a warm NCGC welcome to our Gold Sponsor — Elev8 Business Advisory & Tax!

Clarity. Compliance. Growth. 📊🇳🇵❤️

12/08/2026

The ATO already knows more about your business than you might think.

The ATO is not waiting for you to make a mistake and then asking questions.

In 2026, it is using machine learning to actively monitor over 80 data points - bank transactions, GST claims, contractor payments, asset purchases, TPAR data, and more. Businesses that sit outside the normal range for their industry are flagged automatically, without a human needing to review the file first.

This is not new in concept, but the sophistication and scale of it has changed significantly.

Here is what that means in practice.

If your GST input tax credit claims are materially higher than other businesses of your size in your industry, that is a flag. If the income declared on your BAS does not reconcile cleanly with your tax return, that is a flag. If you have paid contractors but not lodged a TPAR, that is a flag. If your lifestyle property purchases, vehicle registrations, travel does not appear consistent with your reported income, that too is on the list.

None of this means you are doing anything wrong. But it does mean that sloppy record-keeping, unreconciled accounts or unexplained variances are riskier than they have ever been.

The best defence is simple: clean books, timely lodgements, and figures that tell a consistent story across your BAS, your tax return and your bank accounts.

If you have not had your financials properly reviewed in a while, or you know there are gaps in your records, it is worth sorting that out before the ATO sorts it out for you.

07/08/2026

The Division 7A benchmark rate just went up to 8.77%. Here's what that means for private company loans.

Every year the ATO sets a benchmark interest rate for Division 7A the rules that govern loans from private companies to their shareholders and associates. For the 2026–27 financial year, that rate has increased from 8.37% to 8.77%.

This might sound small, but it has a real effect.

If your company has loaned money to you or a related entity on a complying loan agreement, your minimum annual repayment just went up. The higher the loan balance, the bigger the impact.

If you don't make the minimum repayment by 30 June 2027, the shortfall gets treated as an unfranked dividend. That means an unexpected tax bill, and often at your marginal rate.

A few things worth checking now rather than later:

Are your Division 7A loan repayments being tracked accurately in your accounting software? Is the correct rate being used for the 2026–27 year? And if you've been rolling interest rather than paying it what does the cumulative balance look like?

Division 7A catches out a lot of business owners not because they're trying to do the wrong thing, but because the rules are easy to lose track of when you're busy running a business.

This is one of those areas where small errors compound over time.



Source: Australia: ATO Raises Division 7A Benchmark Interest Rate — Reg Follower, 2026 https://regfollower.com/australia-ato-raises-division-7a-benchmark-interest-rate-for-2026-27/

06/08/2026

The ATO issued 84,500 Director Penalty Notices last year. That number is up 136%.

If you are a director of a company that has outstanding PAYG withholding, superannuation guarantee or GST, that's a number worth paying attention to.

A Director Penalty Notice isn't a warning. It's the mechanism that makes you personally liable for the company's tax debt. Once it arrives, you have 21 days to act: pay, enter a payment plan, appoint an administrator or liquidate before personal liability locks in.

The ATO has made it very clear that the soft approach is over. Post-pandemic leniency is gone. Enforcement is back to and in some areas beyond pre-COVID levels.

What's driving this? The ATO's small business tax debt is sitting at $35.9 billion. That's 65% of everything the ATO considers collectible. They're not going to sit on that forever.

What should directors be doing right now?

Know your company's ATO position. If there are lodgements overdue or debts unpaid, find out the actual numbers. Talk to your accountant about your options - a payment plan negotiated proactively looks very different from one entered after a DPN arrives. And remember, from 1 July 2025, the General Interest Charge on ATO debt is no longer tax deductible. The real cost of carrying that debt is higher than most people realise.

This isn't about panic. It's about being clear-eyed about where things stand.

If you are a director with ATO debt and you're not sure where you stand, worth getting some advice before the ATO moves first.

01/08/2026

Hospitality continues to face margin pressure.

Recent data shows hospitality employment declined while sales remained relatively flat, yet wage costs continued to rise. For cafés, restaurants and accommodation businesses, that's creating increasing pressure on profitability.

When revenue isn't keeping pace with rising costs, understanding your numbers becomes more important than ever. Monitoring key metrics like prime cost, labour-to-sales ratio, and RevPASH can help identify issues early and support better business decisions.

Good operators don't just manage the floor, they manage the numbers behind it.

Source: Xero Small Business Insights Australia.

23/07/2026

Most business owners wait until March to think about their tax return.

The problem? By then, there's very little time to do anything about the outcome.

Lodging early gives you real advantages:

✅ Know your tax position before the bill arrives
✅ Plan your cash flow and set aside the right amount
✅ Reconcile your BAS, payroll and financials while everything is still fresh
✅ Identify any issues early—not when deadlines are looming

If your bookkeeping is up to date, there's rarely a benefit in waiting.

The earlier you know your numbers, the more options you have.

Don't leave your tax return until the last minute, use it as a planning tool, not just a compliance exercise.

📞 07 5618 8181
🌐 elev8ba.com.aubusiness owners wait until March to think about their tax return.

17/07/2026

Every business starts with a vision.

A few months ago, our firm opened its doors with a simple goal: to provide practical, proactive accounting advice backed by genuine relationships.

Since then, we've had the privilege of working alongside business owners, families, and growing businesses, helping them navigate everything from tax compliance to strategic planning with confidence.

We believe great accounting is about more than meeting deadlines or lodging tax returns. It's about understanding each client's goals, reducing financial stress, and providing clear, practical advice that supports long-term success.

Our services include:
• Taxation & Compliance
• Business Advisory
• Tax Planning
• Business Start-ups & Restructuring
• QBCC Compliance
• Virtual CFO Services
• SMSFs

We're incredibly grateful for the support we've received from our clients, referral partners, and the wider business community during our first few months.

As we continue to grow, our commitment remains the same: delivering trusted advice, building lasting relationships, and helping businesses make confident financial decisions.

If you're looking for an accounting firm that takes the time to understand your business and supports you beyond tax time, we'd love to connect.