To support Australian GST reporting, keep records that explain your business’s sales, purchases, expenses, GST adjustments and calculations, plus evidence for the amounts reported on your activity statements and claimed as GST credits. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) accepts paper or electronic records, but they must be complete, readable and retrievable. Keep them for at least five years—and longer when an assessment review period requires it.
Which GST records should your business keep?
The ATO’s rule is practical: your records should show how you arrived at the income, expenses and GST amounts you report or claim. Keep the source documents and enough supporting detail to explain the transaction, its business purpose and how it was treated for GST.
Sales and other supplies
Keep sales records and transaction evidence that support the GST collected and the amounts reported. Records should explain transactions relevant to a supply, not merely show a total that cannot be traced back to its source.
Purchases and expenses
Retain invoices, receipts and other purchase evidence for business costs included in GST reporting. Keep enough detail to establish the amount and business purpose. This includes records for cash, online, EFTPOS, bank, credit-card and debit-card transactions, reconciled with the related sales and expense entries.
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Tax invoices and GST credit claims
A valid tax invoice is generally required to support an input tax credit when you lodge your BAS. The ATO’s GSTR 2000/10 guidance says the tax-invoice requirement does not apply at BAS lodgment to an acquisition with a GST-exclusive value of $75 or less. Keep the invoice when you have one, along with other evidence supporting the purchase and credit claim.
Taxable imports
For GST credits on taxable imports, retain the Department of Home Affairs documents showing the GST paid. The ATO says a tax invoice is not required for this claim.
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Adjustments, elections and calculations
Keep documents explaining GST adjustments and records of decisions, elections, estimates, determinations or calculations made for GST purposes. If you apportion an expense or use a calculation method, retain the method and the information used to arrive at the result.
Business and private use
When a purchase is used partly for business and partly for private purposes, keep evidence showing the business-use share. For example, document how you determined the business portion rather than recording only the amount claimed.
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How long must you keep GST records?
The ATO’s GST-specific guidance sets a five-year baseline, starting from when the record was prepared or obtained, or when the related transaction or act was completed—whichever is later. However, five years is not always the final cutoff. Keep records long enough to cover the review period for an assessment that relies on them; a relevant amendment can also affect the applicable review period. Check the ATO’s GST record-keeping guidance and relevant legal requirements for your circumstances before destroying older records.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you keep GST records digitally?
Yes. The ATO allows records to be kept on paper or electronically. They must explain the transactions, be in English or a form that can readily be translated, and remain readable and accessible for the required retention period. Bookkeeping software can tally amounts and produce GST reports, but software does not replace the need to keep the underlying evidence or support your calculations.
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Choose a record system that makes it straightforward to:
- Retrieve invoices, receipts and import documents for a transaction.
- Reconcile payment records with sales and expense entries.
- Show the basis for adjustments, calculations and business-use apportionments.
- Preserve records through backups and, if you change bookkeeping systems, transfer them accurately.
The ATO’s practical business record-keeping tips also recommend separating business and personal records and capturing cash and card transactions. A paper ledger can help organize entries, but it is an optional tool—not proof of a GST credit by itself and not a substitute for source documents.
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A workable GST record-keeping checklist
- Record each sale, purchase and expense with enough detail to explain its GST treatment and business purpose.
- Keep tax invoices for purchases where required to support input tax credits; retain Home Affairs evidence for GST paid on taxable imports.
- Document adjustments, calculation methods and the business-use share of mixed-use purchases.
- Capture cash, card, online and bank transactions, then reconcile them against the underlying sales and expense records.
- Store records in a readable, retrievable paper or electronic system, with reliable backups and transfer arrangements.
- Apply the five-year baseline from the later relevant starting point, and retain records longer if an assessment review period or other applicable requirement extends it.
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