Welcome to BAS-I.C Small Business Accounting

Q: Getting Started with BAS-I.C?

1.Open BAS-I.C https://bas-i.com.au. Initially a Welcome overlay page is presented with main navigation icons Join , Plans and Pricing , Profile , Help , Contact Us , Privacy on the top left. The overlay Close is on the top right. 2.Click Join to set up an account. For BAS-I.C Plus select the term (Monthly or Annually) or for BAS-I.C Free input your email address and click the button. Plans and Pricing provides full features and details. 3.An Account Code link email is sent when you join. Click the link in this email to activate your account. To retrieve a lost Account Code link go to Resend, for more detail see Managing your BAS-I.C Account. Close the overlay and you have account access. The Message Line at the top right provides help and information as you mouseover items. You can close the overlay at any time for account access. 4.Click Business Name and input the name of your business, press enter on your keyboard or click outside the input to save. Financial year data is set automatically. If required you can change it by clicking the Start Month button and selecting the month or the Start Year button and inputting the year using 4 digits. More displays additional initial setup options. These determine the default Tax and Accounts applied, you can select as required. Include GST is selected by default, for most businesses without employees this will be the only selection required. If you require wages accounts select Include Wages, if you have Input Tax Sales select Include Input Sales, if you intend to record Non-deductable or Private Use transactions select Include Private, if you intend to record Adjustments select Include Adjustments. The message line provides help information. 5.Click a Month button to activate (an active button glows), click Revenue or Expense, click a current account button. Account buttons are the green (revenue) or red (expense) buttons beside the New Account button. This adds a transaction. Transactions can also be added using Import (top right) to load bank account or other CSV data. Shared transactions can be loaded by opening a shared file i.e Test Data ATO Scenerio Mixed Supplies and clicking the button. BAS-I.C Account Transactions for GST and BAS provides additional detail. 6.Input the Total for this transaction. Other values will be automatically calculated. Only the transaction Month, Note and Total can be directly edited. Transaction control icons Delete , Copy and Repeat are on the left. Revenue transactions also include Invoice . Invoice data is saved in the note field, click Invoice to open and edit, Clear , Print or Email an invoice. Invoice Close is top right. If you do not use Invoice you can insert text directly in the note field. Repeat for other transactions. 7.Basic Accounts and Tax settings are preset. Click Generic, Trade, Service, Retail or Internet to load or remove preset accounts for your business. See Chart of Accounts for GST and BAS Reporting for detail on preset options. You can add a New Account, Delete or Search by account. More displays the Tax settings which have similar functions. 8.Display is set as the active Month, by Quarter (Q1 to Q4), Half Year (H1 or H2), Full Year, ALL or by Search term. 9.BAS View calculates and builds a Business Activity Statement for the current display transactions. Summary View displays Account and Tax totals for the current display transactions. List View lists current display transactions. In List View you can Print displayed transactions, Replicate transactions, select Edit Mode to change transaction Month or Account and Sort . 10.Data is automatically saved to your local system when you have an active account. The icons Share , Backup , Archive , Restore , Export , Import at the top right below the message line provide data functions allowing you to save and share data including importing CSV bank account files. Reset clears all data and settings.

Q: Why should I use BAS-I.C small business accounting?

BAS-I.C is different to other accounting systems in structure, layout and functions. It is designed specifically to be easy for sole traders and small business with a simple layout and display.

- BAS-I.C is easy to use and quick to set up. Saving you time and reducing stress. - BAS-I.C saves your data on your computer. It is secure and can easily be shared keeping you in control. - BAS-I.C keeps your computer safe. There is nothing to download or install BAS-I.C runs directly in your browser providing the highest level of security. - BAS-I.C costs less. Saving you money. - BAS-I.C is better value.

Q: What GST accounts should I use?

Preset account options include Generic, Trade, Service, Retail or Internet. When you click these buttons preset accounts will be loaded. You can start by selecting the preset option that best matches your business. If you do not require any further transaction grouping you can simply use these to record transactions and complete your BAS. If you prefer you can add a Revenue or Expense New Account, give it a descriptive name i.e. Item 1 Sales or Item 1 Costs, select the applicable Tax and then add transactions to the new account. If some of the preset accounts are not required they can be individually deleted. Chart of Accounts for GST and BAS Reporting provides further detail.

Preset Generic Revenue Accounts include:

- Sales GST set with tax as GST at 10%, this is for revenue where GST is charged. - Sales GST Free set with tax as Other GST Free at 0%, this is for other revenue where no GST is charged. - Interest set with tax as Input Taxed Sales No GST at 0%, this is for other revenue from interest earned. - Sales Export set with tax as Export No GST at 0%, this is for revenue from export sales where no GST is charged.
Preset Generic Expense Accounts include:

- Supplies GST set with tax as Non-Capital GST at 10%, this is for non-capital items where GST is paid. - Equipment GST set with tax as Capital GST at 10%, this is for capital items where GST is paid. - Supplies No GST set with tax as Non-Capital No GST at 0%, this is for non-capital items where no GST is paid. - Equipment No GST set with tax as Capital No GST at 0%, this is for capital items where no GST is paid.
Preset Trade, Service, Retail and Internet options include additional accounts to suit these business types.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Business GST Information provides further detail. Additional preset generic accounts are included when Wages, Input, Private, or Adjustments are included in the settings.

Q: How do I complete my Business Activity Statement?

Add all transactions to BAS-I.C, activate the BAS period (month, quarter, half year or full year) and click BAS View. BAS labels with calculated values are displayed. Use these to complete your Business Activity Statement. Print formats for printing. Email sends a summary BAS as a plain text email, the default email address is the account email. Close at the top right closes BAS View. Summary View also provides account and tax item totals for the period. Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Business GST Information provides further detail.

Q: Can use I use BAS-I.C if I am not GST registered and do not require GST and BAS reporting?

Yes. You can use preset accounts (or add new accounts) to record your revenue and expense transactions. Tax amounts can be ignored. Summary View provides account and tax item totals for the period to complete your tax return. If BAS reporting is required in the future your data will already be available.

Q: Is BAS-I.C suitable for my business?

BAS-I.C is a streamlined accounting system designed for sole traders and small business. It only includes the basic accounting functions required to easily record, manage and report revenue, expenses and Goods and Services Tax (GST). It does not include advanced inventory, payroll, multi-currency or reporting functions. However if you need a basic recording system that will easily allow you to meet your reporting and taxation requirements BAS-I.C could be for you.

If your business:
- has no more than around 100 transactions to record per day. - recognises and records revenue and expenses when received or paid (ie operates on a cash based accounting system). - prefers to maintain control of its data and does not want to be locked into a specific software application. - does not require advanced reporting systems. - would like to be able to easily share data with others. - is looking for an easy to use and economical accounting solution supporting GST and BAS. then BAS-I.C will provide better value for you.

Q: How can BAS-I.C pricing be so much cheaper than competitors?

BAS-I.C:
- focuses on delivering the basics, minimising operational and development costs. - limits marketing expenditure and builds business through customer referrals and value based word of mouth. If you think we offer value please let others know. - maintains a streamlined business structure with minimal overheads (we are a local small business). - leverage technology in service development, delivery and support. - minimize infrastructure requirements and costs with local data storage. - keep it simple to minimise costs, enhance flexibility and maximise responsiveness. - support small business by keeping margins low and passing savings onto users. Please consider supporting BAS-I.C.

Q: Can use I use BAS-I.C with my accountant?

Yes. BAS-I.C allows you to easily Share your data for use by your accountant (or anyone else you choose). Shared data is valid for the current session only but can be edited and re shared to include changes.'

Q: I am an accountant can use I use BAS-I.C with my clients?

Yes. Your clients can easily Share data with you for review and completion of Business Activity Statements or any other required activity. Shared data is not saved to your local system but can be edited and re shared allowing multiple sets of data to be used without maintaining local data. Alternatively client data can be archived to a text file saved locally and easily restored . The same approach can be applied to set up and distribute a standard chart of accounts for your clients to use. Saving the local files with a client identifier in the name or saving in a specific client directory allows multiple client files to be independently managed. BAS-I.C also provide free Partner Co-branding.

Q: How do I manage my data?

Data is automatically saved to your local system when you have an active account. The icons at the top right below the message line provide a range of data functions allowing you to manage and share your data.

- Share saves all transactions and set up data in a html (web page) file that can be shared with others as a saved file or email attachment. The shared file opens as a local web page. Click the button in the shared web page to open BAS-I.C with the shared data. When share is active data is not saved locally and is valid for the current session only but can be edited and re shared, archived or exported. No saved data is changed. To exit shared mode click the logo at the top left to re-open BAS-I.C. To save any changes you must share, archive or export before you exit shared mode. Shared data provides a simple and streamlined method of sharing data with anyone. It allows multiple sets of data to be isolated in fully independent files and is ideal for providing data to accountants or other professionals. Saving the archive files with a unique file name or in a specific directory allows multiple data sets to be independently managed. - Backup saves all transactions and set up to a local text file. Data can be fully Restored from this file. Regular backup is recommended. - Archive saves active period transactions (revenue and expense) and set up to a local text file and removes transactions from current data. Data can be Restored from this file. Saving the archive files with a unique file name or in a specific directory allows multiple data sets to be independently managed. Using Archive and Full Restore to manage multiple data sets maintains data integrity and independence. - Restore previously saved Backup or Archive data. Transaction Restore adds the restored transactions to your data. Full Restore replaces all existing transaction and setup data. Cancel aborts the restore. Any existing data should be backed up prior to a Restore. - Export active period transactions to local CSV file. CSV files are displayed in a spreadsheet i.e Excel. - Import transactions from a local CSV file. This can be a previously Exported file or a Bank Account CSV file. Bank Account CSV file data columns should be in the order Date, Amount, Description. Importing a Bank Account allows all transactions to be automatically recorded, reviewed and saved. - Reset clears all data and settings.
BAS-I.C Account Transactions for GST and BAS provides additional detail.

Q: I have an employee does BAS-I.C support Pay as you go (PAYG) tax withheld

Yes. Simply select Include Wages in the initial setup options.

Q: Does BAS-I.C comply with ATO requirements?

Yes. You can load Test Data ATO Test Scenerio Mixed Supplies and see an example. The test data is saved using Share. Simply open the shared Test Data ATO Scenerio Mixed Supplies and click the button. This will open BAS-I.C with the shared test data. This data matches both the ATO Goods and Services Tax (GST) Derived from Accounts Method Test Scenario - Mixed Supplies and ATO Goods and Services Tax (GST) Calculation Sheet Method Test Scenario - Mixed Supplies

Q: Can use I use BAS-I.C without an account?

Yes. Simply Close the overlay and you have unactivated account access. This allows you to explore BAS-I.C functionality without saving any data. To save data an active account is required. Join BAS-I.C Plus or BAS-I.C Free to set up an active account and save your data.

Q: What do I need to use BAS-I.C?

BAS-I.C is a web based application that runs in your browser. It requires:

- A computer with a current browser. Current versions of Google Chrome (recommended), FireFox or Internet Explorer are suitable and can be downloaded for free. - An internet connection.

Q: How do I create an invoice?

Open a revenue transaction invoice by clicking . The invoice is pre filled with data from the last invoice viewed in the session. Click a field to edit. Clear clears all invoice fields, Print formats the invoice for printing. Google's Chrome browser includes a Print to PDF function or if you have print to PDF software you can save the invoice as a PDF file and print the PDF or email it as an attachment. Print to PDF software options include the free Primo PDF or the paid Adobe Acrobat XI Standard. Email sends a summary invoice as a plain text email. Close at the top right closes the invoice.

Q: I have a suggestion?

Great. Contact Us to send us your ideas and suggestions. BAS-I.C is continually being improved and refined. If there is something that would add more value for you please let us know.

Q: Can I get more help?

Yes. Use our Full Site Search, browse more Questions and Answers or if you are unable to find an answer Contact Us and we will be able to help.