Glossary
A
ABN - Australian Business Number
The ABN, which stands for Australian Business Number, is a one-of-a-kind identifier issued to every business entity operating within Australia.
Accounting Close
Accounting close is the routine of checking, reconciling, and locking records so reports are complete for a period.
Accounts Payable
Accounts payable are short-term amounts a business owes suppliers for bills, invoices, goods, or services bought on credit.
Accounts Payable Turnover Ratio
Accounts payable turnover ratio shows how many times a business pays its average supplier balance during a period.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable is money customers owe a business for invoices, goods, or services already provided but not yet paid.
Accounts Receivable Turnover Ratio
Accounts receivable turnover ratio shows how often a business collects its average unpaid customer balance.
Accrual Basis Accounting
Accrual basis accounting records income when earned and expenses when incurred, even if cash moves later.
Acid Test Ratio
Acid test ratio compares quick assets with current liabilities to show whether a business can cover short-term bills.
Active Planning
Active planning is an ongoing planning approach that updates budgets, forecasts, and actions as real results change.
Activity Base
An activity base is the measure used to link a shared cost to the work, product, service, or department that caused it.
Activity-Based Budgeting
Activity-based budgeting builds a budget from the work a business expects to do and the costs those activities create.
Activity-Based Costing
Activity-based costing assigns overheads to products, jobs, or services based on the activities that create those costs.
Activity-Based Planning
Activity-based planning builds plans around the work a business expects to do and the resources that work needs.
Advertising-Based Revenue Model
An advertising-based revenue model earns income by selling access to an audience through ads, sponsorships, or promoted placements.
Affiliate Marketing Revenue Model
An affiliate marketing revenue model earns commission for referring customers, leads, or sales to another business.
Ageing Analysis
Ageing analysis groups unpaid invoices or bills by how long they have been outstanding so follow-up is easier.
Allocated Costs
Allocated costs are shared costs assigned to products, jobs, departments, or projects using a chosen allocation method.
Allocations
Allocations are the process of spreading shared amounts across accounts, jobs, projects, departments, or periods.
Alpha
Alpha is the return an investment earns above or below a suitable benchmark after allowing for comparison.
Amortisation
Amortisation spreads the cost of an intangible asset, loan balance, or similar amount over the periods it benefits.
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)
Annual recurring revenue estimates the yearly value of recurring subscription income for SaaS and other subscription businesses.
Audit Trail
An audit trail records who changed what, when, and why, helping business owners trace transactions and protect accounting records.
B
Balance Sheet
A balance sheet shows what a business owns, what it owes, and the owner's equity at a specific point in time.
Bank Feed
A bank feed brings bank transactions into accounting software so receipts, payments, and reconciliation stay up to date.
Bank Reconciliation
Bank reconciliation matches bank transactions to accounting records so cash balances, invoices, bills, and reports stay accurate.
BAS - Business Activity Statement
A BAS is the Australian activity statement businesses use to report GST, PAYG and other tax obligations to the ATO during the year.
Budget
A budget is a plan for how money will be spent over a set period.
C
CapEx - Capital Expenditures
CapEx is money spent on long-term assets, such as equipment or fit-outs, that support a business beyond the current period.
CapEx To Revenue Ratio
The CapEx to Revenue Ratio compares long-term asset spending with sales revenue, helping show how capital-heavy a business is.
Capital Gains Tax (CGT)
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is tax on the profit from selling certain assets, reported through your income tax return in Australia.
Cash Basis Accounting
Cash basis accounting records income when money is received and expenses when money is paid, not when invoices or bills are issued.
Cash Budget
A cash budget estimates cash coming in and going out so a business can plan bills, wages, tax, stock and short-term funding.
Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC)
Cash conversion cycle measures how many days cash is tied up between paying suppliers, selling stock, and collecting customer payments.
Cash Flow Statement
A cash flow statement shows money moving in and out of a business, helping owners compare cash timing with profit.
Chart of Accounts
A chart of accounts is the organised list of categories a business uses to record income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and equity.
Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated financial statements combine a parent and controlled entities into one group view of financial performance and position.
Consumption Tax
A tax charged on goods and services when they are purchased or consumed.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
Cost of goods sold is the direct cost of products sold, helping businesses calculate gross profit and understand margins.
Credit Note
A credit note reduces or reverses an earlier invoice, helping customer balances, refunds, and GST adjustments stay accurate.
Current Ratio
Current ratio compares current assets with current liabilities to show whether a business can cover short-term obligations.
D
Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
Days sales outstanding shows the average number of days a business takes to collect money owed by customers.
Deferred Revenue
Deferred revenue is money received before goods or services are delivered, so it starts as a liability until earned.
Depreciation
Depreciation spreads the cost of a business asset over time to reflect that the asset loses value as it is used.
Double-Entry Bookkeeping
Double-entry bookkeeping records every transaction in at least two accounts, keeping debits and credits in balance.
E
eInvoicing
eInvoicing sends structured invoice data directly between accounting systems, improving invoice accuracy, speed, and traceability.
EBIT - Earnings Before Interest & Taxes
Learn what EBIT measures, how it compares operating profitability, and how it differs from net income.
EBITDA - Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation And Amortisation
EBITDA estimates operating profit before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation are taken into account.
Equity
Equity is the owner's interest in a business after liabilities are deducted from assets.
Equity Ratio
A company's assets are everything it owns, including cash, buildings, equipment, and even things like patents.
F
Fixed Asset Register
A fixed asset register tracks long-term business assets, including purchase details, depreciation, use, and disposal records.
Foreign Exchange Gain Or Loss
A foreign exchange gain or loss is the profit or loss caused by currency rates moving between transaction and payment dates.
G
General Ledger
The general ledger is the main accounting record that stores all business transactions by account so reports can be prepared.
Gross Profit Margin
Gross profit margin shows how much revenue is left after direct costs, helping a business understand pricing and production efficiency.
GST - Goods and Services Tax
Australia, the Goods and Services Tax, commonly known as GST, is a 10% value-added tax enforced on the majority of goods and services transactions.
H
I
Input Tax Credit
An input tax credit lets a registered business claim back eligible GST or VAT paid on purchases used for business activities.
Inventory Valuation
Inventory valuation decides the value of stock on hand, affecting cost of goods sold, profit, tax records, and the balance sheet.
Invoice
An invoice is a payment request that records what was sold, who bought it, how much is due, and when payment is expected.
J
Journal Entry
A journal entry records accounting adjustments with debits and credits so the general ledger and reports stay balanced.
K
L
Liquidity Ratio
A liquidity ratio measures whether a business has enough short-term assets to cover short-term debts.
M
Multi-Currency Accounting
Multi-currency accounting tracks transactions, balances, and reports when a business uses more than one currency.
N
Net Cash Flow From Financing Activities
Net cash flow from financing activities shows cash raised from or repaid to lenders, owners and shareholders.
Net Cash Flow From Investing Activities
Net cash flow from investing activities shows cash spent on or received from long-term assets and investments.
Net Cash Flow From Operating Activities
Net cash flow from operating activities shows cash from everyday trading, with a simple formula for comparing profit with cash.
O
P
Payday Super
Payday Super is Australia's rule requiring employers to pay eligible workers' super at the same time as wages from 1 July 2026.
PAYG Instalment
A PAYG instalment is a regular prepayment towards expected tax on Australian business or investment income.
PAYG Withholding
PAYG withholding is tax an Australian employer or payer takes from certain payments and sends to the ATO for the payee.
Profit and Loss Statement (P&L)
A profit and loss statement shows income, expenses, and whether a business made a profit or loss over a period.
Purchase Order
A purchase order confirms what a buyer wants to buy from a supplier before the supplier sends goods, services, or an invoice.
Q
Qualifying Earnings (QE)
Qualifying Earnings are the employee earnings used to calculate Superannuation Guarantee under Payday Super from 1 July 2026.
R
Recipient Created Tax Invoice (RCTI)
A recipient created tax invoice is an Australian GST tax invoice issued by the buyer instead of the supplier under specific RCTI rules.
Retained Earnings
Retained earnings are profits kept in a business after dividends or owner distributions have been taken out.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue recognition decides when income is recorded, so reports show when work is earned rather than only when cash arrives.
S
Sales Tax
Sales tax is a consumption tax added to certain sales, with rules, rates, and names varying widely between countries and states.
Single Touch Payroll (STP)
Single Touch Payroll is Australia's payday reporting system for sending employee pay, tax, and super information to the ATO.
SBSCH - Small Business Superannuation Clearing House
The SBSCH is the ATO super clearing house for eligible small employers, but it closes permanently from 1 July 2026.
Superannuation Guarantee (SG)
Superannuation Guarantee is the minimum super Australian employers must pay for eligible workers, usually based on ordinary time earnings.
SuperStream
SuperStream is Australia's electronic standard for sending super contribution payment data between employers, funds, and service providers.
T
Tax Invoice
A tax invoice is an Australian GST invoice that includes the required details for taxable sales and GST credit claims.
Three-Way Matching
Three-way matching checks a purchase order, goods receipt, and supplier invoice before a bill is approved for payment.
TPAR - Taxable Payments Annual Report
A TPAR reports certain contractor payments to the ATO each year for industries such as building, cleaning, freight, IT, and security.
Trial Balance
A trial balance lists account balances at a point in time so a business can check whether debits and credits balance.
U
V
VAT - Value Added Tax
VAT is a consumption tax that registered businesses collect on sales, record on purchases, and report to the tax authority.
W
Working Capital
Working capital shows the short-term money available to cover everyday business bills, stock, payroll, and operating needs.