By July 28, most Australian small businesses will owe their Q4 super guarantee. The Q4 BAS lands around the same time. Add PAYG withholding and any income tax instalments and you are looking at four overlapping cash outflows in a six-week window. That is the EOFY cash crunch. The businesses that get caught are rarely the ones that were struggling all year. They are often profitable businesses that ran their accounts too close to the line coming into June 30.
What Leaves Your Account in the Six Weeks After EOFY
The six weeks after June 30 carry more ATO obligations than any other window in the financial year. Most business owners know the BAS is coming. Fewer plan for the full picture of what is due and when.
| Obligation | Due Date | Who It Applies To | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Guarantee Q4 (April-June) | 28 July 2026 | All employers with eligible staff | Forgetting it falls in school holidays when owners are distracted |
| Q4 BAS (GST + PAYG) | 28 July (self-lodged) or late October (via tax agent) | All GST-registered businesses | Assuming the tax agent extension applies when it may not |
| PAYG Withholding (monthly lodgers) | 21 July for June | Employers lodging PAYG monthly | Double-counting this with the quarterly BAS |
| Income Tax Instalments | Varies (set by ATO on your BAS or IAS) | Most registered businesses | Not varying the instalment when actual profit is lower |
| Payroll Tax (state-based) | Mid-August for June wages | Businesses above state payroll threshold | Missing that June wages push them over the monthly threshold |
The ATO charges a superannuation guarantee charge on late super payments at an annualised rate above 11% plus a $20 administration fee per employee per quarter. For a business with five employees, a missed July 28 payment costs at least $100 in administration fees before interest. The SGC rate currently sits at 11.5% of ordinary time earnings for the 2025-26 financial year (ATO, 2025), rising to 12% from 1 July 2025 for the new financial year.
| Deadline | Obligation | Who It Affects |
|---|---|---|
| 21 July | PAYG Withholding (monthly lodgers) | Employers on monthly PAYG cycle |
| 28 July | Super Guarantee Q4 + Q4 BAS | All employers + all GST-registered businesses |
| Mid-August | Income Tax Instalments + Payroll Tax | Businesses with IAS or state payroll tax obligations |
How to Calculate Your EOFY Cash Requirement Before June 30
Your EOFY cash requirement is the sum of every obligation you know will land in July and August. Calculate it in four steps before the financial year closes.
- Super: Multiply each eligible employee’s ordinary time earnings from April 1 to June 30 by 11.5%. Do not wait for a payroll summary from your bookkeeper. Pull the data from your payroll system this week and confirm the number. If super was paid monthly, only the June quarter balance is outstanding.
- GST: Look at your net GST collected for the April-June quarter. If you are on cash accounting, it reflects payments received in that period. If accrual, it reflects invoices issued. Check which method applies to your ABN and reconcile it against your accounting file before June 30.
- PAYG withholding: Quarterly BAS lodgers include PAYG in their BAS calculation. Monthly lodgers have a separate July 21 due date for June withholding. If you are not sure which applies to you, check your ATO business portal or ask your BAS agent.
- Tax instalments: Check your most recent BAS or IAS for your instalment amount. If this year’s profit is materially lower than the figure the ATO used to calculate your instalment, you can lodge a variation before your next lodgement date to reduce the amount and free up cash.
A business running $120,000 per month in revenue with two full-time employees and standard GST registration can realistically face $35,000 to $55,000 in combined EOFY obligations across a four-week window. Many founders underestimate this by 30% or more, according to patterns consistently reported by small business accountants. A working cash flow forecast that includes tax obligation dates makes this visible weeks in advance rather than days before.
Why Profitable Businesses Still Run Short in July
Cash and profit are not the same thing. A business can post strong Q4 revenue and still face a shortfall in July if that revenue is sitting in unpaid invoices rather than in the bank account.
Industries with long payment cycles face this disproportionately: construction, professional services, creative agencies, and government contractors. In each case, the June quarter tends to be the highest-revenue period of the year precisely because clients want to finalise work before EOFY. The invoices are large. The payment terms are the same as always. And the ATO due dates do not adjust for your customers’ payment habits.
For accountants managing EOFY reviews for SME clients, this is where the conversation should start: not at tax strategy, but at the client’s projected July bank balance. Advisory firms that build cash flow visibility into their EOFY process catch this problem before it becomes a payment plan request.
What to Do If the Cash Will Not Be There on July 28
The ATO offers payment plans for businesses that cannot meet their obligations in full. Two things to know: the account needs to be current (no existing overdue debt in dispute), and you need to arrange the plan before the due date, not after a penalty has been issued. A payment plan arranged on July 15 is easier and cheaper than one requested on August 10 after SGC has already accrued.
Other options worth exploring before the deadline:
- Invoice financing or debtor finance: You advance against outstanding receivables. Useful if you have strong June invoices not yet paid. The cost is typically 1-3% of the invoice value.
- Short-term overdraft: Arrange this in May or June when your financials look healthy. Banks are less willing to extend facilities when you are already behind.
- Instalment variation: If your actual profit is lower than the ATO’s estimate, vary the instalment before you lodge. This is a legitimate and underused option that reduces your July payment.
- Supplier payment timing: If you control when you pay non-ATO creditors, defer any that have flexible terms. Prioritise the ATO. A supplier can negotiate. The ATO charges SGC.
The ability to see your cash position by date, including all known outflows, is what separates a managed EOFY from a reactive one. A 90-day cash flow view built on your accounting data will show you July 28 as clearly as it shows next week.
Know What Your July Cash Looks Like Before It Arrives
The EOFY crunch is predictable. The dates do not change. The obligations are calculable before June 30. What catches businesses is not complexity but visibility: not knowing the number until it is already due. Connect your QuickBooks or Xero account and get a forward cash flow view that includes your known ATO obligations by due date.
Create your free Finoya account and see what July looks like for your cash position before it arrives.