Special situations
Dormant company bookkeeping
A Pty Ltd that is registered but not trading usually still has ongoing ATO and superannuation obligations, even with zero activity. Finbryn keeps a dormant company's books simple, tracks GST and BAS status, and prepares the numbers each financial year for your TPB-registered agent to lodge, so the entity stays in good standing until it reactivates or winds down.
Bank reconciliation summary
Illustrative client · August 2026
AUD
| Account | Difference | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating account··4821 | 184,220.16 | 184,220.16 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Reserve account··0937 | 60,000.00 | 60,000.00 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Company card··1006 | (12,418.52) | (12,418.52) | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Card processor clearing | 8,905.40 | 8,905.40 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Payroll clearing | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
Last weekly runFri, 28 Aug, every account agreed to its statement.
Two open itemsTwo card receipts requested from you, marked on the card account until they arrive.
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
Staying in good standing with nothing actually happening inside
A dormant Pty Ltd is different from one that has shut its doors for good. A director steps away to take on other work, a holding entity sits between two deals, or a subsidiary stays alive for a future use, and in each case the company remains registered with ASIC, still carries obligations to the ATO, and typically still owes an annual review fee, all with no trading activity behind it. Leave a dormant entity unattended for long enough and it drifts toward overdue lodgements or a deregistration nobody actually chose.
Finbryn keeps a dormant company's bookkeeping deliberately small: a simple set of books confirming no activity for the period, a GST position checked against the A$75,000 turnover threshold (a business sitting below it can generally deregister rather than lodge nil BAS statements indefinitely), and figures prepared each financial year, which runs 1 July to 30 June, for your TPB-registered agent to lodge.
Superannuation obligations only stop once there is genuinely no one left on payroll; a dormant entity still paying even one part-time wage needs Single Touch Payroll reporting kept current regardless of how little else is happening. Fringe benefits rarely apply to a genuinely dormant entity, but if a director keeps any benefit through the company, such as a vehicle, the FBT year still runs its own 1 April to 31 March cycle and needs a separate look. We build a short annual check-in into every dormant engagement so the choice between reactivating, staying dormant and winding down gets revisited on purpose each year, rather than by default.
When dormancy turns into a decision to close for good, see wind-down exit pack for what changes, or income tax return preparation for how a dormant year gets ready for lodgement.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Dormant company bookkeeping
Does a dormant Pty Ltd still need to lodge a BAS?
Only if it stays registered for GST. A dormant entity below the A$75,000 turnover threshold can usually deregister for GST rather than lodge nil BAS statements every period.
What happens if we just stop lodging for a dormant company?
Overdue lodgements and unpaid ASIC annual review fees can push the company toward deregistration, which is generally harder and more expensive to reverse than staying current each year.
Do we still need Single Touch Payroll reporting if the company is dormant?
Only while it has employees drawing a wage. Once payroll genuinely stops, STP obligations stop with it, but we check that status each year rather than assuming it.
What access do you need for dormant company bookkeeping?
Read-only access to the bank account, if any remains open, and the company's ASIC record, since transaction volume is minimal by definition.
Does a dormant company still need to file anything?
Usually, yes. Most entity types still owe some form of annual filing even with zero activity; we prepare the numbers, and a credentialed signer or your local filing agent handles the filing itself.
What happens if we just stop filing?
Missed annual filings or registered-agent lapses can put the entity into bad standing or lead to administrative dissolution, which is harder to unwind than staying current.
How is dormant company bookkeeping priced?
Pricing for dormant company bookkeeping depends on your transaction volume, the software you use, and how much cleanup is needed before ongoing work starts. Current ranges are published on the pricing page, and your exact fee is confirmed in writing before anything begins.
What software works with dormant company bookkeeping?
Dormant company bookkeeping runs inside QuickBooks Online or Xero, whichever you already use. If you are not yet set up in either, we can configure a file in your name so you keep ownership of it once the engagement is under way.
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.