Bookkeeping templates for Australian practices and their clients
Built the way an Australian bookkeeper needs them — GST at one eleventh, a 1 July financial year, BAS field labels on every account and ATO record-keeping rules written into each file. Free Excel downloads with working formulas, ready to hand a client.
Browse the templatesWritten against current ATO guidance on tax invoices, the logbook method and business record keeping. Last reviewed 28 August 2026.
These templates are general information for Australian businesses. GST treatment, account coding, BAS reporting and deduction eligibility depend on your circumstances — confirm them with your accountant, a registered BAS agent or the ATO. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
Most free bookkeeping templates you will find were written for the United States. They calculate sales tax as a percentage added on top rather than GST as one eleventh of a GST-inclusive price, they run a January financial year, and they have no concept of a BAS. Everything on this page was built the other way round — Australian rules first.
Key takeaways
- GST is one eleventh of a GST-inclusive amount, not a percentage added on top — every template here calculates it that way.
- The Australian financial year runs 1 July to 30 June.
- Business records must generally be kept for at least five years, in English, explaining the transaction.
- A tax invoice under $1,000 needs the words 'tax invoice', the seller's ABN, the date, what was sold, and the GST amount.
- The ATO logbook method requires 12 continuous weeks of records that are representative of your year.
Free bookkeeping templates
Fifteen Excel files with working formulas. Nothing asks for your email address.
Core bookkeeping (5)
General ledger template
Double-entry ledger with an editable Australian chart of accounts, GST at one eleventh, BAS labels and a self-checking trial balance.
Read moreChart of accounts template
52 accounts with codes, default GST codes and the BAS label each one feeds. A starting point to cut down.
Read moreTrial balance template
Prove debits equal credits before you report anything, with the divide-by-nine transposition test built in.
Read moreBank reconciliation template
Proves your cash balance matches the bank and explains every dollar of difference. The difference line has to read $0.00.
Read morePetty cash book template
Imprest float with automatic GST, a running balance and a tin count that has to reconcile before you reimburse.
Read moreAssets, debtors and expenses (4)
Depreciation schedule template
Fixed asset register with prime cost and diminishing value, rate derived from effective life, written-down value tracked.
Read moreAccounts receivable template
Invoice tracker that ages every unpaid balance into current, 30, 60 and 90-plus day buckets automatically.
Read moreMotor vehicle logbook template
Set up for the ATO logbook method — 12 continuous weeks, odometer readings at both ends, business-use percentage calculated.
Read moreEmployee expense claim form
GST separated per line for the business credit, receipt tracking, employee declaration and manager approval.
Read moreReporting and planning (3)
Profit and loss template
Gross, operating and net profit with every line as a percentage of revenue, including labour cost percentage.
Read moreCash flow forecast template
Twelve months July to June, with each closing balance carried forward as the next opening balance automatically.
Read moreBusiness budget template
Budget, actual and variance sheets that talk to each other. Variance calculated in dollars and percent.
Read moreFor bookkeeping practices (3)
BAS preparation checklist
39 checks across reconciliation, GST coding, payroll and lodgement — in the order that saves time.
Read moreClient onboarding checklist
53 steps from first conversation to first completed period, including opening balance verification and payroll setup.
Read moreClient handover checklist
46 steps for moving a file between practitioners — what to request, what to verify, how to close access down.
Read moreWhat makes these Australian
Four differences that decide whether a template is usable here.
GST at one eleventh
Australian GST is 1/11th of a GST-inclusive price. A template that adds a percentage on top produces the wrong number on every line.
1 July to 30 June
The financial year does not start in January, and a ledger set up on a calendar year makes year-end harder than it needs to be.
BAS labels, not tax returns
Accounts are mapped to G1, G11, 1A and 1B so the totals line up with the business activity statement you actually lodge.
ATO record-keeping rules
Five-year retention, records in English, and the substantiation thresholds — written into the instructions sheet of every file.
Other free template shelves
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Learn moreRelated guides, tools and definitions
Where to go next once the spreadsheet is filled in.
Guides
Definitions
Sources
The Australian rules these templates are built against.
Do you have clients running shift-based businesses?
Cafés, venues, shops, clinics and care providers are the clients where the books balance but the award rate underneath the wages line is wrong. Accountants, bookkeepers and BAS agents who bring those clients onto RosterElf earn recurring monthly income for every employee managed — plus a bonus on every new client business.
Recurring monthly income
$1.00–$2.00 per active employee
Signup bonus
$100 per new client business
Tiered rates
Bronze through Diamond
Bookkeeping template questions
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Yes — genuinely free Excel downloads with no signup, no email wall and no trial. Download them, edit them, keep them.
We build them because businesses that outgrow a spreadsheet often need rostering and payroll software next, and we would rather be useful first.
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Because GST works differently from sales tax. Australian GST is one eleventh of a GST-inclusive price, not a percentage added on top, so a US template calculates the wrong figure on every taxable line.
On top of that, the financial year runs 1 July to 30 June, reporting happens on a BAS rather than a sales-tax return, and record-keeping rules differ. Those are not cosmetic differences.
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Microsoft Excel, or anything that opens .xlsx files — Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers all work.
Dropdowns and conditional formulas generally survive the conversion to Google Sheets, but check the GST column calculates before you rely on it.
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Yes. The chart of accounts is meant to be edited, and every sheet is unlocked.
The one thing worth leaving alone is any cell containing a formula — the GST columns, running balances, trial balance totals and reconciliation lines. Typing a value over a formula is the most common way a working template quietly stops working.
Before you download
General information only — not legal advice
This document is a general HR template provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the latest changes in legislation or apply to every workplace situation. RosterElf Pty Ltd and the template provider accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this document. Users should seek independent legal advice and customise the template to ensure it complies with all relevant laws, awards and workplace requirements.