Tax and bookkeeping help for Macleod's independents.

Aberdeen Road and Macleod Village

Macleod Village sits on Aberdeen Road, looking out across Macleod Park. Around forty-two independent businesses trade there, with a noticeable share of health services alongside food, retail and the local YMCA, and the Macleod Traders Association keeps them connected. It's the kind of village where owners know their regulars by name, and where most businesses are small enough that the owner also does the books, usually after closing.

Macleod has an unusual backstory. Much of the suburb grew up around the Mont Park hospital, which opened in 1910, and the streets of the Victoria Cross Estate carry the names of Victoria Cross recipients. Up in the north, La Trobe University's Gresswell Forest wildlife reserve keeps a pocket of bushland inside the suburb, a reminder of how close the university and its workforce are.

Two councils, one postcode

Macleod is split between Banyule and Darebin, which matters more than people expect when they go looking for support. On the Banyule side, Business Banyule runs free Small Business Mentoring Service sessions, events and grants. Darebin offers a free business concierge service for owners working through permits and setting up. We don't replace either. What we can do is make sure your numbers are ready when you apply for a grant or sit down with a mentor, so the conversation is about your plans rather than your missing paperwork.

Starting out on the right footing

Plenty of people in Macleod are near the beginning. It might be a physiotherapist or counsellor opening private rooms, someone from the university taking on consulting work, or a tradesperson leaving a salaried job to work under their own ABN. The decisions made in the first few months shape everything after them.

We'll talk through how you plan to operate, work out whether and when you need to register for GST, and set up Xero, QuickBooks Online or MYOB so invoices, bank feeds and receipts land in one place from day one. Health practitioners often find that some of what they charge is GST-free and some isn't, and that's worth settling before your first BAS comes due.

From the first invoice to the first return

The first year in business brings a different kind of tax return, and often PAYG instalments in the year after, which can catch people off guard. Brian prepares and lodges your return as a registered tax agent and explains what the next year will ask of you, including roughly how much to put aside, so the second year doesn't arrive as a shock.

Once things settle, ongoing bookkeeping keeps your records current with as much or as little involvement from us as you want. Some owners prefer to reconcile their own accounts and have us review the file each quarter; others hand the whole job over. Either way, you can ring Brian when a question comes up rather than saving it for tax time, and you'll get a straight answer about what it means for your Macleod business.

Getting together

Macleod station on Birdwood Avenue is two stops down the Hurstbridge line from Greensborough, and the Ruthven Street level crossing is being replaced with a rail bridge due in 2027. Brian is happy to meet at your rooms or shop in the village, at our Grimshaw Street office, or over a video call if that fits around your appointments better.