XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Country Restriction: AU only
Risk Type: Tax Risk
Business Function: Contacts
Overview
The "Large GST activity for contact without ABN" XBert identifies suppliers or customers that have high volumes of GST-related transactions but no ABN recorded in your accounting software. This poses a risk for accurate GST claims and ATO compliance.
What it does
This XBert analyses all cash-based GST activity—both income and expenses—over the past year and calculates a total GST activity value per contact.
It highlights contacts with the highest GST activity (top 20%)
It only triggers for contacts with at least $100 in total GST activity
A maximum of three alerts will show at a time, helping you prioritise your reviews
How it works
XBert sums GST on both cash income and expense transactions and ranks all contacts by total GST activity.
If a contact is in the top 20% of GST activity but does not have an ABN entered, XBert generates an alert.
This ensures that GST is only being claimed for suppliers or clients with verified registration details.
Example/Use Case
Maxine runs a surf shop and purchases wetsuits from Ripcurl for resale. While Ripcurl is a registered business, Maxine forgot to enter their ABN in her accounting software. The GST on this purchase is then included in her BAS, despite there being no ABN on file to verify the legitimacy of the claim.
If the ATO audits Maxine’s BAS, she may be required to repay the claimed GST or withhold 47% tax on the payment, leading to compliance issues and financial loss.
Accounting software
Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Which countries it supports
Australia only.
Processes
This XBert is part of the Bookkeeping – Purchases (AP) category. To resolve this issue:
Contact the supplier or customer and request their ABN
Verify the ABN on the ABN Lookup website
Update the contact’s record in your accounting system
Ensure that only suppliers with valid ABNs are used when claiming GST in your BAS
Keeping ABN data up-to-date ensures clean audit trails, accurate BAS reporting, and reduces the risk of ATO penalties.