How Many Hours Does BAS Season Really Take?
Every quarter the same pattern: a rush of transaction classification, chasing clients for receipts and tax invoices, then review and lodgement. This calculator puts hours and a cost on that quarter, separates the classification and substantiation share that AI can take, and converts the hours freed into extra BAS clients at the new time per file.
Use the average hours per BAS across your client base, including chasing and review. Aggregate figures only.
BAS Preparation Time Calculator
Average across your client base, including chasing and review. Aggregate figures only.
Quarterly lodgers. Count monthly lodgers as three per quarter.
Classification, chasing, review, queries and lodgement, averaged.
Depends on file health. Start conservative.
Quarterly hours, times the classification share, times the reduction you set.
An estimate from the figures you entered, not tax, accounting or financial advice. Review, judgement and lodgement remain with the registered agent. The AI subscription is not deducted; compare against the pricing page. Enter aggregate figures only.
Reading the Result
The calculator gives the quarterly load today, the hours and cost freed by reducing the classification and substantiation share, and the number of extra BAS clients that capacity supports.
Quarterly hours are the load you staff for
BAS clients multiplied by hours per BAS is the total quarterly effort. It arrives in a compressed window, which is why firms feel it more than the annual total suggests. Multiplied by the loaded hourly cost, it is what the quarter costs the firm before any fee is considered.
Only part of a BAS is automatable
Coding bank lines, matching receipts, checking GST treatment on each transaction and chasing clients for missing tax invoices is where most of the hours go. Review, judgement on unusual items, client conversations and lodgement stay with a registered agent. The share slider is your estimate of the first group.
Capacity is measured in clients, not hours
Hours freed divided by the new hours per BAS gives the number of extra BAS clients the same team could handle next quarter. That is the figure that matters for growth planning. Whether you take on clients or reduce overtime is a business decision the calculator does not make for you.
How the Numbers Are Built
Five steps using figures from your own timesheets and client list. Every figure is one you entered.
Quarterly hours and cost
BAS clients per quarter multiplied by hours per BAS today. Hours multiplied by loaded hourly cost gives the quarterly cost.
Automatable share
Quarterly hours multiplied by the share you set for transaction classification and substantiation chasing.
Hours freed
The automatable hours multiplied by the reduction you consider achievable. Cost freed is those hours at the hourly cost.
New hours per BAS and extra client capacity
Hours per BAS less its automated portion gives the new time per file. Hours freed divided by that figure, rounded down, is the additional clients the same team can take.
Where BAS Hours Concentrate
Four parts of a typical quarterly BAS engagement, and what AI can and cannot take from each.
Transaction classification
Every bank line needs an account code and a GST treatment. Most lines repeat from previous quarters: the same suppliers, the same subscriptions, the same fuel and phone charges. AI proposes the coding from the file history and the person confirms it. Lines with no history, split treatments or unusual amounts are routed for a decision.
- Proposals come from that client file, not a generic rule set
- Mixed-supply purchases are flagged for a person rather than guessed
- Consistent coding history raises the accuracy of every proposal
- A person confirms the coding before anything is finalised
Substantiation chasing
Missing tax invoices and receipts are the slowest part of many BAS quarters, because the delay is on the client side. Automated requests list exactly which transactions need a document, send on a schedule, and match what comes back to the bank line. The person sees what is still outstanding rather than building the list by hand.
- Requests name the transaction, date and amount so clients can find the document
- Reminders go out on a schedule instead of when someone remembers
- Returned documents are matched to the bank line and attached
- The outstanding list is visible across all clients at once
Review and lodgement
The GST reconciliation, the review of unusual items, the PAYG figures and the lodgement itself sit with a registered BAS agent or tax agent. This is judgement and responsibility, and the calculator assumes none of it is automated. The time saved elsewhere is what makes room to do this part properly rather than at speed.
- GST control account reconciled by a person each quarter
- Unusual items reviewed with the transaction and the document side by side
- Lodgement approved and submitted by the registered agent
- Working papers kept with the file for the agent’s records
Client communication
Queries about what a transaction was, what the BAS figure means or when the payment is due recur across the client base every quarter. Drafted responses with review take the composition time out while a person stays accountable for what is sent. Advice remains with the qualified person.
- The same questions recur every quarter across many clients
- Drafted replies are reviewed before they go, never sent unread
- Payment reminders for the BAS liability can be scheduled
- Anything that is advice goes to the agent, not the queue
Next Steps
AI BAS Preparation
How classification, substantiation and review work inside the ledger.
See how it works →AI for BAS Agents
What changes for a registered BAS agent when AI prepares and a person approves.
Read for BAS agents →Frequently Asked Questions
Take last quarter’s timesheets for BAS work and divide the total by the number of BAS lodged. Include classification, chasing, review, client queries and lodgement. If your firm does not record time by task, pick ten clients across the size range, estimate each one honestly, and average them. The figure is an average; some clients will take a fraction of it and a few will take several times it.
Look at where the hours went on a few recent files. Coding bank lines, matching receipts, checking GST treatment line by line and chasing clients for tax invoices is the share the slider is asking about. Review, unusual items, client conversations and lodgement are the rest. Firms with clean bank feeds and clients who send documents promptly have a lower share; firms doing a lot of chasing have a higher one.
It depends on the state of the client files. A file with a documented chart of accounts, complete bank feeds and consistent coding history gives AI a lot to work from and a high reduction is plausible. A file with a large suspense balance and inconsistent coding gives it very little. Set a conservative figure, run the client file health checklist on your files, and revise once you see the real result on a pilot group.
No. Lodgement, the GST reconciliation and the review of the figures stay with the registered BAS agent or tax agent. AI prepares the classification, gathers the substantiation and drafts the queries. The person reviews, decides and lodges with the ATO. The obligations of a registered agent under the Tax Practitioners Board code do not transfer to software.
As a planning number. It tells you how many more BAS clients the same team could take at the new hours per file, which is useful when deciding whether to accept new work, whether to recruit and what to quote. It does not tell you whether those clients exist or what to charge. Use it alongside the practice capacity calculator to convert hours into fee revenue.
No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is transmitted. Your slider positions are saved in your own browser storage so they are there when you return, and the reset button clears them. Only aggregate figures are requested. No client names, BAS figures or transaction data should be entered into this or any similar web tool.
Sources and further reading
Want to Test the Reduction on Real Files?
Tell us your BAS client count and the ledgers they are on. We will pick a pilot group, show you the classification accuracy on those files and price the plan against the hours you just calculated.