Business Advisory and Structuring in Melbourne
Setting up a company or trust, working out whether the current structure still fits, or putting numbers behind a plan before the bank asks for them. We advise Melbourne businesses on the decisions that are expensive to reverse, and we do it before they are made rather than at the next tax return.
Let's Talk
Tell us what you need and one of our accountants will call you back within one business day.
36k+
4k+
Trusted Clients
25+
Years Experience
Decisions Made Before They Cost You
Most of the expensive problems we see started as a structure decision made quickly, years earlier. A business run through a sole trader ABN that should have been a company. A trust with a deed that never got updated. A property bought in the wrong name and now carrying a capital gains bill nobody planned for. None of these were bad businesses. They were good businesses set up in a hurry.
We look at what you are actually doing, what you are likely to do next, and what the tax and asset protection consequences are of each option. Then we tell you what we would do and why. Sometimes the answer is to change nothing, which is a legitimate outcome and one you will not be charged extra for hearing.
Our Business Advisory Services
Company Formation
Trust Formation
Business Plans and Cash Flow Forecasts
Business Plans and Cash Flow Forecasts
Growth and Virtual CFO Advisory
Restructures and Succession Planning
Benchmarking and Management Reporting
Call us today to book a free consultation.
Individual Tax Returns
Company Tax Returns
Trust Tax Returns
Tax Planning
BAS, GST and PAYG
ATO Audits & Reviews
Call us today to book a free consultation.
ATO Audits & Reviews
ATO Audits & Reviews
ATO Audits & Reviews
ATO Audits & Reviews
Call us today to book a free consultation.
How We Work
Structure work starts with a conversation, not a form. We would rather spend an hour understanding the business than a week undoing a setup that was wrong from the start. Offices in Kew, Hoppers Crossing and the Melbourne CBD, with meetings in person or over video.
Understand the Business
What you do, who you sell to, and where it is heading.
Model the Options
Tax, asset protection and running cost, compared side by side.
Set It Up
Registrations, deeds, director IDs and the ATO paperwork handled.
Review Annually
We check the structure still fits at each year end, not once at setup.
Who it’s for
Starting
out
First time operators deciding between a sole trader ABN and a company.
Outgrowing the setup
Sole traders whose income and risk have both moved past the structure.
Family
businesses
Owners planning succession, or bringing the next generation in.
Buying or
selling
Businesses in a transaction where the structure decides the tax bill.
Starting out
First time operators deciding between a sole trader ABN and a company.
Outgrowing the setup
Sole traders whose income and risk have both moved past the structure.
Family businesses
Owners planning succession, or bringing the next generation in.
Buying or selling
Businesses in a transaction where the structure decides the tax bill.
Individuals
Wage earners, landlords and investors who want a stress free 31 October.
Sole traders
Freelancers and contractors juggling BAS against a growing workload.
SMEs
Companies and partnerships that have outgrown the spreadsheet.
Trusts & SMSF
Family trusts and self managed funds with reporting that has to be right.
What Changed, FY 2026/27
Two significant changes landed on 1 July 2026 and both affect how a business is set up and run. If nobody has raised either with you, that is worth a conversation.
| Item | Detail | Note |
|---|---|---|
| AML/CTF obligations | In force from 1 July 2026 for company and trust formation, nominee director roles and registered office services | Routine tax and accounting work is not a designated service |
| Director identification number | Required before a person is appointed as a director | Earlier than the general agent date |
| ASIC annual review | Falls on the anniversary of the company's registration date | Late review fees accrue quickly and are avoidable |
| GST registration threshold | $75,000 turnover, or $150,000 for a not-for-profit | Registration is required within 21 days of passing it |
| Company tax rate | 25% for a base rate entity, 30% otherwise | The passive income test catches more companies than owners expect |
| Victorian payroll tax threshold | Confirm current threshold before publishing | State based, and Victoria has moved it in recent years |
Expertise
Structure advice only works when the person giving it also does the tax returns, because that is where the consequences show up. Our advisory and compliance work sits with the same team. Jignesh Patel, our director, has more than 25 years across accounting, tax and business advisory, qualified as a Chartered Accountant in India and sits on the board of the Institute of Public Accountants.
Everything Else
Under One Roof
A structure decision touches your tax, your books and often your super. Having all of it in one office is what stops the advice contradicting itself.
Structure Questions We Get Asked Most
Company or trust, which one should I use?
It depends on what the business does, who the income needs to reach and how much risk sits in the operation. A company caps the tax rate and separates liability. A trust gives flexibility over who receives the income. Plenty of businesses end up with both. The wrong question is which is better, because the right one is which fits what you are actually doing.
What does it cost to set up a company?
There are two parts, the ASIC registration fee, which is set by the government and changes each July, and our fee for doing the work and getting the structure right. We quote both in writing before starting. Setting up a company cheaply online is easy. Fixing one that was set up with the wrong shareholders is not.
Why are you asking me for identification?
Because company and trust formation became regulated services under the AML/CTF Act on 1 July 2026. Every accounting firm that provides them now has to verify who its clients are before acting. It is a one off process at the start of the engagement, and any firm not asking for it is not meeting its obligations.
Can I change my structure later?
Yes, but it costs more than getting it right at the start, and sometimes it triggers capital gains or stamp duty. There are rollover concessions that can help in the right circumstances. We work out whether one applies before recommending a change, rather than after.
Do I need a business plan if I am not applying for finance?
A plan written only for a bank is usually a document nobody reads twice. A cash flow forecast you actually update is different, because it tells you months ahead whether you can afford the hire, the equipment or the new premises. That is the version we build.
Book a Time That Suits You
Have a Question About Your Tax or Your Books?
