2018 tax time planner: 5 weeks from 31 March – review your creditors

Similarly, with the process that you followed to review your debtors, you need to ensure that who your accounting software says you owe money to be correct.

If there is an account that you are disputing, why not get it settled before 31 March?

If this means contacting that supplier and communicating your grievance, then so be it, do it now!

You may be able to negotiate a compromise and clear the air which will allow you to both move into the new financial year without unnecessary baggage.

First step is to pull a report of all your creditors.

In MYOB Essentials, simply head to Reports, All Reports and scroll down to the Bills Report section and select Unpaid bills. This report displays the payments due to each supplier, within a range of dates by which they’re overdue.

In MYOB AccountRight, go into Reports, select Purchases, and then select the Payable Reconciliation (summary) Report either as at 31 January 2018 or the current date depending on how up to date your file is.

What you are looking for is that only the suppliers that you still owe you money is on this list, and after you review that is exactly what this list will say.

Review the Payables Reconciliation list especially the 31—60, 61—90 and 90-plus day columns for accuracy and correct for the following anomalies:

• Suppliers may have paid, however the payment hasn’t been allocated against their purchase account and will need to be corrected.
• The supplier is simply not going to be paid as the goods have not been delivered to your satisfaction. A credit note should be raised.
• The supplier will be paid however you have not done so as yet. No action is required in your software.

The information provided here is of a general nature for New Zealanders and should not be your only source of information. Please consult an experienced and registered tax agent as each small business’s circumstance will vary.