A tax strategist looks at your whole business — your structure, income, expenses, and goals — and builds a plan to legally reduce the tax you pay over time. Unlike a standard tax accountant who lodges your return after the financial year is done, a tax strategist works with you proactively, before EOFY, to make sure you're not paying a cent more than you need to.

In practice, that means reviewing your business structure, looking at how you're paying yourself, identifying deductions you're missing, and timing decisions (purchases, dividends, super contributions) so that the tax outcome works in your favour.

If your current accountant only contacts you in July with a tax bill, you don't have a tax strategist — you have a lodgement service.

A tax accountant prepares and lodges your tax returns. A tax strategist plans ahead so those returns are as low as legally possible. Most established small businesses need both — and ideally, the same person doing both, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Tax accountants are reactive by nature: they work with the numbers you give them after the year is done. Tax strategists are proactive: they look at the year ahead, model different scenarios, and recommend changes you can actually act on while you still have time.

At Tax by Lily, I do both. Strategy comes first — we review your position and map out the plan. Then I handle the ongoing tax accountant work to make sure that plan actually gets implemented.

I work with established Australian small to medium businesses turning over between $500,000 and $3 million per year. Most of my clients have 5–15 staff and have been in business for at least three years.

This isn't a hard rule — it's just where my work has the most impact. Businesses below $500k usually don't have enough complexity yet to benefit from full tax strategy work; their needs are mostly compliance. Businesses above $3M generally need a CFO-level partner I'm not the right fit for.

The sweet spot is the business that's grown past its original setup — the bookkeeping is patchy, the structure was built for a smaller business, and the owner suspects they're paying too much tax but doesn't know where to start. That's where I can make the biggest difference.

Most accountants are fine at compliance. The question is whether yours is doing anything beyond compliance. If you only hear from your accountant once a year at lodgement time, and you've never had a proactive conversation about reducing your tax bill, you're leaving money on the table — often a lot of money.

The businesses I take on usually fit one of three patterns: their tax bill keeps growing without explanation; they're earning more but not taking home more; or they've outgrown their original setup and nobody's flagged it. None of those are signs of a bad accountant — just a reactive one.

If you're not sure whether you're getting strategic value from your current accountant, the easiest way to find out is a Know Your Number call. We'll review your position and you'll know within an hour whether there's room to save.

Know Your Number is a paid one-on-one call where we review your business numbers together and identify where you're leaving money on the table. It's the starting point for every new client relationship at Tax by Lily.

On the call, we'll look at your current structure, your last tax return, your bookkeeping setup (if you have one), and your goals for the next 12 months. By the end, you'll have a clear picture of what's working, what's not, and what we'd do first if we work together.

The fee for the call is credited against your first month of services if you decide to move forward. If you don't, you walk away with a clearer picture of your numbers than you came in with — no obligation, no pressure.

If your business turns over more than $500k a year, yes — and ideally one who works hand-in-hand with your tax accountant. Bookkeeping is the foundation; tax strategy is what you build on top of it. Without clean books, no tax strategy actually works.

The advantage of having both under one roof at Tax by Lily is that nothing gets lost in translation. Your bookkeeping feeds directly into your tax planning, your BAS lodgements stay on time, and you have one person who knows your full financial picture instead of three people each holding a corner of it.

That said, if you already have a bookkeeper you trust, I'm happy to work alongside them. Plenty of my clients do.

It depends on your business — but for most businesses turning over $500k–$3M who haven't had proactive tax planning before, the savings are usually meaningful enough to more than cover the cost of working with me. Often significantly more.

The savings come from a mix of things: getting the business structure right, timing decisions properly, claiming deductions you didn't know you were entitled to, and using legitimate strategies like super contributions, asset purchases, and income splitting where appropriate. None of it is aggressive or risky — it's just doing what good tax accountants do, but with intent.

I'm careful never to promise specific numbers without seeing your situation. What I can promise is that if there's nothing to save, I'll tell you that on the Know Your Number call rather than waste your time.

A Registered BAS Agent is authorised by the Tax Practitioners Board to prepare and lodge Business Activity Statements (BAS) on your behalf and provide advice on BAS-related items including GST and PAYG.

Any bookkeeper who provides BAS services for a fee — including BAS preparation, lodgement, GST coding, or advice on BAS matters — must be registered as a BAS Agent. The system has been in place since March 2010 and exists to protect businesses dealing with GST and payroll obligations.

To stay registered, BAS Agents must renew annually, complete ongoing professional training, hold professional indemnity insurance, and meet the Tax Practitioners Board's "Fit and Proper Person" standard. I'm a Registered BAS Agent, which means your BAS lodgements are handled with the right credentials behind them.