What is nonprofits?
Restricted-fund tracking and reporting a board and a funder both accept.
An Australian nonprofit's books answer to the same three audiences as anywhere else — the board or committee that needs a clear picture at each meeting, the grant officer checking that funding was spent on what the funding agreement said, and the accountant or registered agent who turns the year's activity into the ACNC's Annual Information Statement and the financial report it's attached to. What's different here is the regulator: charities register with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and their reporting tier — small, medium, or large — is set by annual revenue, which determines whether the year-end obligation is a statement, a review, or a full audit.
Restricted versus unrestricted funding is handled through AASB 1058 and AASB 15, the income-recognition standards that took effect for NFPs from 2019 and replaced the older, looser approach most small charities were still running on. A grant with genuine performance obligations attached is recognised as the obligations are satisfied, not the day the funds land in the bank account — which means a ledger that books grant income on receipt is quietly misstating every monthly report the committee sees until the accountant corrects it at year-end.
Who does what
| Your CapEasy team | Nonprofits, the reconciliations and reporting behind it, and the questions list that keeps it honest. |
| Your registered BAS or tax agent | Everything that carries a licence in Australia — rendered exactly as written: work out what goes on your bas, or advise you on it — under tasa 2009 that requires registration we do not hold. |
| You | One conversation with one named person, and the decisions that are genuinely yours. |
Nonprofits in Australia
ACNC registration and reporting tiers
Registered charities report to the ACNC by annual revenue tier: small (under $500,000) files an Annual Information Statement with basic financial information, medium ($500,000 to $3 million) needs a reviewed or audited financial report attached, and large (over $3 million) requires a full audit. A charity that crosses a tier boundary mid-year is a common source of a late scramble — we track revenue against the tier thresholds through the year so a reclassification is visible early, not discovered at lodgement time.
DGR status and what it actually governs
Deductible gift recipient endorsement, granted by the ATO, determines whether a donor can claim a tax deduction for a gift — it doesn't change how the charity's books are kept, but it does mean gifts to a DGR fund need to be tracked separately from general revenue if the charity runs mixed DGR and non-DGR activities. We maintain that fund separation in the ledger; whether a particular activity or gift qualifies for DGR treatment is the accountant's determination.
Income recognition under AASB 1058 and AASB 15
Since the 2019 standard changeover, a grant or gift with enforceable, sufficiently specific performance obligations is recognised as those obligations are satisfied under AASB 15; a grant without that structure — most unconditional grants and donations — is recognised on receipt under AASB 1058. Getting this wrong in either direction distorts the monthly committee pack, and it's a judgment call the accountant makes on each award's terms — we code the transaction and flag the grant agreement's structure, but the recognition timing itself is theirs to determine.
GST charity concessions and FBT rebates — named, not applied
Registered charities can access GST concessions (on certain sales and importations) and FBT rebates or exemptions depending on charity type, which materially change how transactions should be coded. We can flag when a transaction pattern looks like it should qualify, but whether a concession applies, and how it's claimed on the BAS or FBT return, is a tax position that stays entirely with the charity's registered tax or BAS agent under TASA — we don't ascertain or advise on it.
What your registered BAS or tax agent receives from us
- A general ledger with restricted and unrestricted funds tracked separately and reconciled monthly
- Grant-coded transaction detail — every expense tagged to the funding agreement and budget line it belongs to
- Grant acquittal packages built to each funder's own reporting format and due date
- DGR fund separation maintained in the ledger where the charity runs mixed DGR and non-DGR activity
- Committee or board packs: program-level P&L, budget-to-actual variance, and a restricted-versus-available funds summary
- A restricted-fund rollforward showing balance, additions, and releases by grant or donor restriction


