Strategic Tax Advice for Melbourne Businesses & Professionals

Tax Planning Melbourne — Proactive Strategies for Businesses & Professionals

Proactive, fixed-fee tax planning from a CPA practice and registered tax agent in Chadstone. We forecast your position before 30 June, quantify the strategies worth acting on, and keep your structure aligned with where your business is heading — not just where it has been.

Book a Tax Planning Consultation

Accredited. Connected. Trusted.

Certified Melbourne Accountants Backed by Australia’s Leading Platforms

42 Advisory is a CPA Australia member firm and TPB-registered tax agent (RAN 26303651). We plan tax for Melbourne's medical professionals, e-commerce brands, property investors and local service businesses.

Tax Planning Explained

What is tax planning?

Tax planning is the proactive structuring of your financial affairs to legally minimise tax before 30 June — as distinct from tax compliance, which reports what has already happened. A structured plan forecasts your current-year position across every entity, reviews your structure, selects from the legally available strategies, and quantifies the saving before anything is implemented.

Done properly, tax planning reduces tax, protects cash flow and strengthens long-term wealth outcomes. Done late — after the year ends — most meaningful opportunities are gone. See how planning differs from tax compliance, which we also handle under the same roof.

Our Tax Planning Approach

How does the tax planning process work at 42 Advisory?

Our tax planning engagements follow a structured, documented process: we gather your year-to-date results, forecast full-year income across all entities, review your structures (companies, trusts, SMSFs), select the strategies appropriate to your circumstances, and quantify the projected saving for each. You receive a written tax planning report, an advisory meeting to work through the options, and implementation support before 30 June.

Whether you operate as a sole trader, company, trust or partnership, you get clear explanations and step-by-step guidance — no jargon, no guesswork, and no strategy recommended unless the numbers justify it.

Key Areas We Cover

Which tax planning strategies do we cover?

Our tax planning work for Melbourne businesses and professionals typically covers:

Tax Projection for the Financial Year

Expected profit, tax position and cash requirements mapped before 30 June, so there are no surprises at lodgement.

Strategy Review & Recommendations

Your current position, structure and deductions reviewed against the strategies available to you, with each saving quantified.

Business Structure Review & Selection

Whether your company, trust, partnership or sole-trader structure is still the right fit, and practical restructuring options where it is not.

Dividend & Distribution Planning

Timing and amounts planned to manage personal income levels and franking outcomes. See our guide to how trusts work in Australia.

Division 7A Planning

Private company loans, payments and unpaid present entitlements reviewed for Div 7A (ITAA 1936) exposure, with complying loan agreements and minimum repayments planned where needed.

Division 293 and superannuation contribution planning

Contribution timing for high-income earners, including the additional 15% Div 293 tax on concessional contributions above the threshold.

CGT event management

Timing of capital events, small business CGT concessions and rollover options, particularly ahead of a business or property sale. See the 2026 CGT reform changes.

PAYG instalment variations

Instalments varied to match forecast income, so cash is not locked up with the ATO unnecessarily.

Timing Matters

When should tax planning be done?

Effective tax planning happens before 30 June — ideally beginning in the March–April quarter, when enough of the year is known to forecast reliably and enough time remains to act. Waiting until July removes most meaningful opportunities.

Beyond the annual cycle, we recommend a strategy review before any major decision: business expansion, asset purchases, trust distribution resolutions, superannuation contributions, property transactions or restructuring. Key lodgement and payment dates are in our 2026 ATO due-dates guide.

Fees & Engagement

How much does tax planning cost in Melbourne?

42 Advisory quotes tax planning as a fixed fee, agreed in writing before work begins — typically scoped to the number of entities and the complexity of your group. Our working rule: a strategy must be projected to return at least three times the advisory fee in client benefit before we recommend it — ideally five to ten times. If the numbers do not justify the engagement, we tell you.

Fees paid to a registered tax agent for managing your tax affairs, including tax planning advice, are tax-deductible under ITAA 1997 s 25-5. See fixed-fee versus hourly billing for how our pricing model works.

Compliant by Design

Is tax planning legal in Australia?

Yes — tax planning arranges your affairs within both the letter and the intent of Australian tax law. It is fundamentally different from tax avoidance schemes, which are targeted by the general anti-avoidance rules in Part IVA of the ITAA 1936.

Every 42 Advisory tax plan is documented: savings quantified, implementation steps detailed, and compliance risk assessed — including whether a scheme could attract Part IVA or promoter penalty provisions. If a strategy carries that risk, we will not recommend it. We operate strictly within Australian taxation law and ATO guidance, as a CPA practice bound by APES 110.

One Advisor, Full Visibility

Work directly with a senior advisor who understands your business, not a rotating team. Get consistent advice and full transparency into your financial position—anytime, anywhere

Strategic, Not Just Compliant

We go beyond lodging BAS and tax returns. Our advisors support your business with financial modelling, growth planning, and investor-ready insights designed for long-term success.

Tailored for Melbourne SMEs

We specialise in helping local businesses—from medical clinics and ecommerce brands to IT startups and cafes—navigate tax, cash flow, and growth with confidence.

Why Choose 42 Advisory

Why do Melbourne businesses plan their tax with us?

Because the planning, the compliance and the advisory sit with one team. Your tax plan is prepared by the same CPA advisors who lodge your returns and build your forecasts — so strategies are implemented, not filed away.

Forward-looking, quantified strategies. We model your projected profit, compare tax outcomes across options, and put a dollar figure on every recommendation — timing decisions, deductions, contributions and structure changes.
Structures that fit the next stage. Sole trader, company or trust — we assess whether your structure still serves you, and manage the restructure when it does not.
Advice before it is too late. We meet during the year, not after it: CGT events, PAYG variations, Div 293 exposure, Div 7A loans and profit extraction handled before 30 June closes the window.
Connected advisory. Tax planning links directly to our 3-way forecasting and virtual CFO work, so tax strategy and cash flow strategy are the same conversation.

Designed For Growth

One Partner for Tax Planning, Advice & Smarter Business Decisions

Small business owners need more than end-of-year compliance — they need a partner who understands their direction and plans ahead with them. At 42 Advisory, we combine proactive tax planning with ongoing advisory so you always know what’s coming, what to prepare for and how to make confident, well-timed decisions.

From forecasting profits and minimising tax to optimising structures, dividends, contributions and cash flow, we help you stay one step ahead all year round. Whether you’re laying the foundations or scaling fast, our Melbourne team ensures your strategy is clear, compliant and built for long-term success — with the calm, predictable guidance you’d expect from a firm called 42.

Fixed Monthly fees

Fully digital, Streamlined Setup

Personalised, Proactive Support

Common Questions

Tax Planning FAQs for Melbourne Businesses & Professionals

Do I need tax planning?

If you run a business, hold investment property, earn a high income or operate through a trust or company, almost certainly yes. Tax planning is most valuable where there are choices to make — structure, timing, distributions, contributions. A PAYG employee with no investments has few levers; a business owner with multiple entities has many.

What is the difference between tax planning and tax compliance?

Compliance reports the past — lodging returns and BAS accurately and on time. Planning shapes the future — forecasting liabilities, reviewing structures, selecting strategies and ensuring cash is available for tax payments. We deliver both: see our tax compliance services.

Who benefits most from tax planning?

Business owners, medical professionals, property investors, high-income earners, growing SMEs, trust and company structures, and SMSF holders. Business owners benefit most because multiple income streams and structural options materially change outcomes.

How much can tax planning save?

It depends on income level, structure, available strategies, cash flow capacity and timing. Our rule: a strategy must be projected to return at least 3× the advisory fee — ideally 5–10× — before we recommend proceeding. That keeps planning commercially worthwhile, not theoretical.

Is tax planning only about saving tax this year?

No. A proper plan also considers your future tax profile, retirement and superannuation strategy, CGT on an eventual business sale, asset protection, wealth transfer, and state taxes — payroll tax, land tax and stamp duty. See our 2026 Victorian land tax guide.

Who is the best person to give tax advice?

For tax agent services — advice on tax law, deductions, structuring and ATO matters — Australian law requires a TPB-registered tax agent; a CPA-qualified registered tax agent adds professional-standards accountability on top. Financial advisers can advise on investments and super strategy but cannot provide tax agent services unless registered. 42 Advisory is both a CPA practice and a registered tax agent (RAN 26303651).

What We Offer

Explore Our Core Services

Plan Before 30 June

Book a Tax Planning Review with a Melbourne CPA

A fixed-fee review of your structure, forecast position and available strategies — with every recommendation quantified before you commit to it.

Schedule a Strategy Meeting