BAS Agent's urged to send CAL instruction to Tax Agents

New resource supports BAS Agent Members to educate Tax Agents

The November 13 rollout of the new Client Agent Linking (CAL) process prompted the Australian Bookkeepers Network (ABN) to support BAS Agents to close a concerning loophole with a new resource to send to their new clients' Tax Agents.

ABN member’s showed significant concern following the ABN’s story last month about the glitch in the Online Services for Agents (OSfA) system, which could lead to Tax Agents inadvertently removing their clients’ BAS Agent’s access to OSfA.

It would leave BAS Agents unable to perform some basic business functions for their client, like STP payroll reporting, Activity Statement lodgement, SBSGCH lodgement and/or deal with the ATO on their client’s behalf.

Until clients successfully re-nominate their BAS Agent, essential processes would be halted such as STP payroll reporting, Activity Statement lodgement and SBSGCH lodgement.

The ABN has now developed a resource for BAS Agent members to send to the Tax Agents working with every new client.

New resource supports BAS Agent Members to educate Tax Agents

The instructional letter titled ‘Care with OSfA Onboarding – Don’t Hurt Your Client’ urges Tax Agent caution when onboarding new clients to the OSfA system and guides them on how to prevent BAS Agents from being locked out.

ABN Director, Peter Thorp, explains that this will help ensure bookkeepers stay ahead of the potential issues of the CAL process to protect their business.

“Client Agent Linking has changed the way Tax Agents onboard clients,” said Peter. “The process is confusing and may result in Tax Agents accidently kicking BAS Agents off the OSfA system for new clients.”

“This would likely do more than further frustrate both the client and BAS Agents,” continued Peter. “It could damage the client relationship and even lose the BAS Agent their client as a result of the potential charges and fines that can come from such a delay.

“This resource helps protect BAS Agents by improving their communication with Tax Agents to warn them how to step through this process without further risk of disruption,” said Peter.

Download this guide here