Benchmarks have been updated with data from the 2011–12 financial year. For details of the changes and improvements, refer to Cash economy frequently asked questions.
Benchmarks are updated annually using the latest available income tax and activity statement data.
How to find your business’s benchmarks
Small business benchmarks are listed by both business type (A–Z) and business industry categories based on our business industry codes or Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC codes).
You can also find the benchmarks by using the search function and searching by:
business type or industry
going to Benchmarks A–Z.
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Small business benchmarks are financial ratios developed from information provided to us by businesses on their tax returns and activity statements. You can use the benchmarks to help you compare your performance against similar businesses in your industry.
We use benchmarks and other risk indicators to identify businesses that may be avoiding their tax obligations by not reporting some or all of their income. If a business does not have evidence to support their return we may also use the benchmarks to determine income that has not been reported. For each industry we highlight the benchmark that we use to predict income or turnover.
Benchmarks are published for businesses with different turnover ranges across more than 100 industries. They are generally published as a range, to recognise the variations that occur between businesses due to factors such as location and the businesses circumstances.
Businesses reporting outside the benchmarks may attract our attention. There may be reasons for this difference, such as higher costs or lower selling prices than others in the industry, but it may also be an indication that a business is not recording and paying tax on all its transactions, especially cash transactions.
If you find you are outside the benchmarks for your industry, check that you have correctly recorded and reported income and deductions for your business. To do this you should review your record-keeping practices to ensure they meet the legal requirements.
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