EOFY Checklist for Hospitality Venues
The end of the financial year lands on 30 June.
For hospitality operators, that date brings a specific set of obligations that are more complex than most industries.
High staff turnover, large casual workforces, split revenue streams and the start of Payday Super on 1 July all make this EOFY one of the more demanding in recent years.
This checklist covers what needs to happen before 30 June, what falls due shortly after, and what you need to have in place for the new financial year.
Key Dates
Date What's Due
30 June 2026 End of financial year. Stocktake. Last day to have Q4 super received by funds if you want the deduction in FY2026. Last day for $20,000 instant asset write-off.
1 July 2026 Payday Super begins. ATO Small Business Superannuation Clearing House closes. New award rates take effect.
14 July 2026 STP finalisation deadline. 21 July 2026 Monthly BAS due (June).
28 July 2026 Quarterly BAS due (Q4). Final quarterly super guarantee payment deadline.
28 February 2027 Company and trust tax returns due (via registered tax agent, income under $2 million).
31 March 2027 Company and trust tax returns due (via registered tax agent, income over $2 million).
31 October 2026 Individual and sole trader tax returns due (self-lodging).
15 May 2027 Individual and sole trader tax returns due (via registered tax agent).
Note: Company and trust lodgement dates depend on your income level and whether you use a registered tax agent. Confirm your specific due date with your accountant.
1. Get Your Books Clean Before 30 June
This is the foundation everything else depends on
If your accounts are behind, your tax agent cannot prepare an accurate return. Gaps found in August cost more to fix than gaps found now.
Work through these before the end of the month:
Reconcile all bank accounts
Match your GST coding against actual transactions
Clear outstanding supplier invoices
Chase any outstanding supplier credits. Hospitality venues regularly carry unresolved credits from returned stock, short deliveries, overcharged invoices and beverage supplier rebates. If these are not applied before 30 June, your expenses are overstated and your accounts payable balance is wrong. Contact suppliers directly, get credit notes issued and have them applied in your accounting software before the financial year closes.
Review accounts receivable and write off any unrecoverable debts before 30 June to reduce taxable income
Confirm all sales data from your POS has flowed correctly into your accounting software
Hospitality venues often have mismatches between POS totals, bank settlements and accounting records. Now is the time to find and fix them.
2. Complete Your Stocktake
A physical stocktake is required before 30 June. Your closing stock figure affects your taxable income directly.
For most venues, this means counting food, beverage and any retail stock. Gaming venues also need to account for gaming machine consumables and related supplies.
Count everything. Record damaged, spoiled or unsellable stock separately and write it off. Do not carry obsolete stock at full value into the new financial year.
Your stocktake figure needs to reconcile with your accounting records. If there is a significant variance between your physical count and your system, investigate before you close the books.
3. Review Payroll and Super Before the Cutoff
This is where most hospitality venues carry the highest compliance risk at EOFY.
Superannuation
The super guarantee rate for FY2026 is 12% of ordinary time earnings.
Your Q4 super payment covering April to June is technically not due until 28 July 2026. However, if you want to claim it as a tax deduction in this financial year, the payment must be received by your employees' super funds on or before 30 June 2026. Not just sent. Not just processed by a clearing house. Received by the fund.
If Q4 super is paid after 30 June but before the 28 July deadline, it is still deductible. It simply moves to the FY2027 return instead. That may or may not suit your tax position, so it is worth discussing with your accountant now rather than making assumptions.
Bank transfers and clearing house processing can take two to three business days. If you want the deduction in FY2026, initiate your Q4 super payment no later than 23 to 25 June to allow time for the fund to receive it.
Late super that misses the 28 July due date is a different matter. Payments that miss the quarterly deadline trigger the Super Guarantee Charge, which is not deductible and comes with additional penalties.
Also check super on any staff who left during the year. Unpaid super on terminated employees is one of the most common gaps the ATO's data matching picks up.
Payroll reconciliation
Before the end of June, reconcile your total wages paid against what your payroll software has reported to the ATO via Single Touch Payroll.
Check that PAYG withholding has been remitted correctly throughout the year. Discrepancies between what you reported and what you paid trigger ATO attention.
STP finalisation
After your last pay run for the financial year, you need to lodge your STP finalisation declaration with the ATO. The deadline is 14 July 2026.
This is how your employees receive their income statements for their own tax returns. Do not leave this until late July.
4. Prepare for Payday Super Starting 1 July
This is the single biggest operational change arriving at EOFY.
From 1 July 2026, super must be paid at the same time as wages. Contributions must reach your employees' funds within seven business days of each payday.
The quarterly model ends.
For hospitality venues, this has a direct cashflow impact. If you currently rely on that quarterly super balance sitting in your account, it will no longer be available.
Before 30 June, you need to:
Confirm your payroll software is Payday Super compliant
Rebuild your cashflow forecast without the quarterly super float
Move away from the ATO Small Business Superannuation Clearing House if you are currently using it. That service closes on 30 June 2026. You need a SuperStream-compliant clearing house such as Beam in place before 1 July.
Do not leave this migration until the last week of June.
5. Check Award Rates and Employment Records
New award rates take effect from 1 July 2026 under the Fair Work Commission's annual review.
Before the new financial year begins, confirm your payroll system has been updated to reflect any changes to the Hospitality Industry (General) Award. Rates for full-time, part-time and casual employees, along with Saturday, Sunday and public holiday penalty rates, all need to be current from the first pay run in July.
Also use EOFY as a prompt to review employment records:
Are employment contracts up to date?
Do casual employees have correct engagement terms?
Have any annualised salary arrangements been reconciled against actual hours worked?
Underpayment risks in hospitality are significant and the Fair Work Ombudsman is active in the industry.
6. Review GST and Prepare for BAS
Your June BAS is due on 21 July (monthly lodgers) or 28 July (quarterly lodgers).
Before 30 June, review your GST coding to make sure it is accurate. The ATO has flagged incorrect GST credits and GST on private expenses as audit focus areas for 2026.
In hospitality, common GST issues include:
Mixed GST treatment on food and beverage sales coded incorrectly
GST claimed on exempt food items
Supplier invoices coded without checking GST registration
It is also worth reviewing whether your instalment amounts reflect your actual income this year. If revenue has been lower than expected, you may be able to vary your Q4 instalment to ease cashflow pressure before July.
7. Claim the $20,000 Instant Asset Write-Off Before 30 June
For venues with turnover under $10 million, the $20,000 instant asset write-off applies to eligible assets purchased and installed ready for use before 30 June 2026.
This applies to equipment, technology, appliances and fit-out items under the threshold. After 30 June, this limit is scheduled to drop to $1,000.
If you have been considering a replacement coffee machine, POS hardware, kitchen equipment or similar purchases, now is the time to make and install them.
8. Check Your Venue Structure and Tax Position
EOFY is a useful time to step back and review whether your current structure, pricing and cost base still make sense.
In particular, consider whether your revenue mix, wage costs and margins are heading in the right direction for the new financial year. Payday Super, updated award rates and (from October 2026) the card surcharge ban all have cashflow implications that are worth modelling now rather than discovering mid-year.
EOFY Checklist Summary
Before 30 June
Books reconciled and up to date
Outstanding supplier credits chased and applied
Stocktake completed and recorded
Q4 super initiated early enough for funds to receive it by 30 June (if claiming the FY2026 deduction)
Super on terminated employees checked
Instant asset write-off purchases made and installed
SBSCH migration to new clearing house completed
By 14 July
STP finalisation lodged
By 28 July
June or Q4 BAS lodged
Q4 super guarantee payment received by funds (final quarterly deadline)
From 1 July
Payday Super in place
Payroll software updated for new award rates
Cashflow forecasts updated
Tax return lodgement (after 30 June)
Individuals self-lodging: 31 October 2026
Individuals via tax agent: 15 May 2027
Companies and trusts (income under $2 million, via tax agent): 28 February 2027
Companies and trusts (income over $2 million, via tax agent): 31 March 2027
Confirm your specific lodgement date with your accountant. Company and trust deadlines do not follow the individual 31 October date.
EOFY is manageable with the right preparation. If your books are not where they need to be, or you are not sure whether your payroll and super setup is ready for July, we are here to help.