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2 posts tagged with "Compliance"

Compliance-oriented bookkeeping guidance

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GST claims depend on records — Australia vs New Zealand (tax invoices vs evidence)

· 4 min read
Shan Xiao
Developer & Bookkeeping Learner

When you design or review a GST process, the control you implement should match the legal evidence standard.

1 One-line conclusion:

In Australia, claiming GST credits usually hinges on holding a valid tax invoice (especially above the A$82.50 threshold).
while in New Zealand, claiming GST relies on keeping sufficient taxable supply information, which can be supported by a combination of records rather than a single “tax invoice” document. ([Australian Taxation Office][1])

NZ vs AU GST returns — forms, labels, and how Xero generates them

· 9 min read
Shan Xiao
Developer & Bookkeeping Learner

New Zealand and Australia both operate a GST system, but the practical experience of preparing and filing returns differs a lot once you get into the return form structure (NZ) vs BAS / Activity Statement labels (AU), and how accounting software (like Xero) maps transactions into those structures.

This post focuses on:

  1. Common GST principles (what’s the same in both countries)
  2. Differences in return forms + links to official documents
  3. Operational details in Xero: what Xero includes, where the rules come from, and what you can configure