Australian GST-registered businesses should keep records that link each input tax credit (ITC) to the acquisition, the GST charged or paid, its business purpose, any apportionment or adjustment, and the amount reported on the BAS. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) generally requires relevant records to be retained for five years, but some must be kept longer to cover a period of review.
What records support a GST credit claim?
Build a file that lets you trace a BAS credit back to the transaction and understand how you calculated the amount. Keep the evidence and the working behind the claim, not just a GST summary or the final BAS figure. The ATO warns that inadequate supporting records can lead it to adjust or deny claims (ATO: Records required for GST).
- Acquisition evidence: supplier tax invoices and other documents that identify the purchase, its amount and the GST relevant to the credit.
- Transaction records: records of relevant purchases, sales, fees, expenses and other GST-related transactions used to calculate and support reported amounts.
- Purpose and use: enough information to explain the business connection and, where applicable, the business-use share of an acquisition.
- Calculations and decisions: workings, adjustment records and documents explaining a GST decision, including how you arrived at a claim amount.
- BAS link: a practical way to reconcile the supporting records and calculations to the amount reported.
Keep records in English or in a form that can be readily translated. The ATO accepts paper or electronic records; either way, the records need to explain the transactions (ATO: What records to keep).
Do you need a tax invoice to claim GST?
For a creditable acquisition with a GST-exclusive value over $75, the general rule described in ATO GST Ruling GSTR 2000/10 is that you must hold a tax invoice when you lodge the BAS on which you claim the credit. The ruling describes an exception for acquisitions of $75 or less. Because invoice requirements can have exceptions and the cited source is a ruling, check current ATO guidance and legislation for your circumstances (ATO: GSTR 2000/10).
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Keep the invoice with the transaction evidence and calculation it supports. Do not treat a bookkeeping entry or GST report as a substitute for a required tax invoice.
What records do you need for GST on imports?
For taxable imports, a tax invoice is not required to claim the GST credit. Retain Department of Home Affairs documentation showing the GST paid, together with records that connect the import to the business and the amount claimed (ATO: Records required for GST).
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How should you document mixed business and private use?
If an acquisition is used partly for business and partly for another purpose, retain the allocation method, its particulars and the basis for the calculation. The method should be fair and reasonable. Keep enough detail to show how the business-use share was determined and how it affected the credit claimed. ATO GST Ruling GSTR 2006/4 discusses apportionment and recordkeeping in this context (ATO: GSTR 2006/4).
How long should GST records be kept?
The ATO’s general GST recordkeeping guidance says to keep records for five years from the later of when they were prepared or obtained and when the related transaction or act was completed (ATO: Records required for GST). This is not a universal maximum: the required period can extend beyond five years where necessary to cover the applicable period of review. GSTR 2006/4 also describes longer retention outcomes for relevant records relating to periods after 1 July 2012, including a refreshed period after an amended assessment (ATO: GSTR 2006/4).
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Apply the rule to the relevant transaction and assessment rather than assuming every file has the same destruction date. If an assessment is amended or a review remains open, retain the associated records as long as needed for the relevant review period.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How can you organise records so a claim is easy to support?
Use a consistent filing process that preserves the connection between source documents, calculations and BAS reporting. The ATO notes that accounting software can help generate invoices, summaries and GST reports, but that does not remove the need to retain adequate underlying evidence (ATO: What records to keep).
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- File invoices and import evidence against the related transaction.
- Save calculations and explanations for adjustments or apportionments alongside the documents they rely on.
- Use a consistent reference or filing convention so a BAS amount can be traced back to its supporting records.
- For electronic records, consider searchability, backups, disaster recovery, access controls and the ability to export records. For paper records, make sure they remain legible and retrievable.
The ATO permits paper and electronic recordkeeping but does not rank particular systems. Choose a process that keeps records understandable and retrievable for the required retention period. Ride-sourcing enterprises may have additional recordkeeping requirements; check the ATO’s dedicated sharing-economy guidance rather than relying on this general checklist (ATO: Sharing economy and tax).
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