Reconcile the tax figures used in a winding-up response

Several documents can show different amounts

The winding-up application states one tax amount, the current account shows another and the accountant is preparing outstanding lodgements. Give the lawyer a clear reconciliation rather than choosing the smallest number. Differences may have explanations, but they need to be identified accurately. Ask the advisers how the tax position and any disputed amounts affect the response to the application.

Date each source

Imagine a company making a payment after the application was prepared while a later liability appears on its account. Record the dates of the application, account extract, payment and relevant lodgements. Keep the original documents. A current total and an earlier claimed amount can both be correctly transcribed while describing different points in time or different components of the account.

Preserve the transaction evidence

business.gov.au recommends secure and accurate business records. Retain payment references, receipts, account extracts and lodgement confirmations through authorised access. Work from copies and explain any missing item. Do not alter the accountant's schedule to make it match the court document without tracing the difference, or assume that an unprocessed lodgement has already changed the official account.

Source: business.gov.au: Record keeping

Build the movement schedule

Ask the accountant to identify the opening amount and subsequent payments, charges, liabilities or adjustments supported by the records. In the example, show the payment separately from the later liability rather than simply netting them into a new unexplained figure. Mark uncertain or disputed components and give the supporting documents to the lawyer for assessment.

Separate arithmetic from the legal response

A reconciliation does not decide whether the application can proceed or what arguments should be made. Ask the lawyer about those issues and any urgent requirements. Do not assume that paying part of a balance, disputing an entry or lodging a return automatically changes the court timetable. Keep the accountant's work and the procedural response coordinated without treating them as interchangeable.

Use a controlled current version

Date the completed schedule and record which advisers received it. Update it when confirmed information changes, explaining the difference. Keep the company decision-makers informed of unresolved items. A clear movement schedule helps the response rely on a consistent factual tax position while avoiding unsupported claims about what a revised balance means for the winding-up proceeding.