We help you to help achieve your business development, financial and personal wealth goals.
CMT Accounting Pty Ltd
Unit 2, 211 Warrigal Rd
Hughesdale, VIC 3166 Australia
Phone: (03) 8525 7100
Book an appointment
As part of our ongoing commitment to Accounting and Ethical Professional Standards it is mandatory for us under APES 305 to communicate the terms of engagement with you. Therefore, this document confirms our understanding of the terms of our engagement and the nature and limitations of the services that we provide for our clients.
We will provide you with taxation services in compliance with APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including Independence Standards) (the APES Code), APES 220 Taxation Services and the Code of Professional Conduct pursuant to the Tax Agent Services Act 2009. Our firm can provide the following services:
Unless otherwise specified in this terms of engagement, audit and assurance or review are not included in this engagement. Our engagement cannot be relied upon to disclose irregularities including fraud, other illegal acts and errors that may exist. However, we will inform you of any such matters that come to our attention.
This engagement applies only to the individual or entity for which we have agreed to work.
There is no assumption of responsibility for any reliance on our report by any person or entity other than yourself and those parties indicated. Our work shall not be inferred or used for any purpose other than for which it was specifically prepared. Accordingly, our reports and work may include a disclaimer to this effect.
This engagement will commence upon the appointment of our firm and our acceptance of the work to be undertaken. We will not address earlier periods unless you specifically asks us to do so and we agree. This engagement document will be effective for future years and ongoing, unless we issue an amended version to you.
During the course of our engagement, if we identify or suspect that non-compliance with laws or regulations (NOCLAR) has occurred or may occur, which may have a direct effect on material amounts or disclosures in the financial statements or compliance with which may be fundamental to the operating aspects of your business, or to your ability to continue its business or to avoid material penalty, we may discuss the matter with the appropriate level of management, those charged with governance or the internal auditor, as appropriate. This discussion would aim to enable you to rectify, remediate or mitigate the consequences of the identified or suspected non-compliance, or to prevent the commission of non-compliance if it has not yet occurred. We will consider whether to communicate the non-compliance or suspected noncompliance with your external auditor, unless prohibited by law or regulation. Additionally, we will assess whether further action is needed in the public interest based on the materiality and/or significance of the matter. Such further action may include disclosing the matter to an appropriate authority, even when not legally or regulatory requirement to do so, or withdrawing from the engagement and the professional relationship, where permitted by law or regulation.
Where appropriate, we will inform you of our intention to disclose the matter to an appropriate authority before disclosing the matter. However, if we believe the actual or intended conduct would constitute an imminent breach of a law or regulation that would cause substantial harm to investors, creditors, employees or the general public, we may immediately disclose the matter to an appropriate authority to prevent or mitigate the consequences of such breach.
You are responsible for the reliability, accuracy and completeness of the accounting records, particulars and information provided and disclosure of all material and relevant information. You are also required to arrange reasonable access for us to relevant individuals and documents, and to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the information supplied to us. Any advice we provide is based solely on our understanding of your particular circumstances and should be considered as an opinion. You or your staff are responsible for maintaining and regularly balancing all books of accounts, as well as for ensuring the maintenance of an adequate accounting and internal controls. Under the self-assessment regime, you are required to keep full and proper records to facilitate the preparation of accurate returns. You must retain these records for five (5) years.
As a taxpayer, you are also responsible for ensuring the accuracy of your income tax return. While the Commissioner of Taxation generally accepts claims made by a taxpayer in an income tax return and issue a notice of assessment, usually without adjustment, the return may be subject to later review. Under the taxation law such a review may take place within a period of up to four (4) years after tax becomes due and payable under the assessment. Furthermore, where there is fraud or evasion there is no time limit on amending the assessment. Accordingly, you should check the return before it is signed to ensure that the information in the return is accurate.
Where the application of a taxation law to your particular circumstances is uncertain you also have the right to request a private ruling which will set out the Commissioner’s opinion about the way a taxation law applies, or would apply, to you in those circumstances. You must provide a description of all of the facts (with supporting documentation) that are relevant to your scheme or circumstances in your private ruling application. If there is any material difference between the facts set out in the ruling and what you actually do the private ruling is ineffective.
If you rely on a private ruling you have received, the Commissioner must administer the law in the way set out in the ruling, unless it is found to be incorrect and applying the law correctly would lead to a better outcome for you. Where you disagree with the decision in the private ruling you can lodge an objection against the ruling if it relates to income tax, fuel tax credit or fringe benefits tax. Your time limits in lodging an objection will depend on whether you are issued an assessment for the matter (or period) covered by the private ruling.
Timely lodgement of accounts, documents, tax returns, ASIC lodgements with the ATO, banks, ASIC, or any other authority is the sole responsibility of the taxpayer. We accept no responsibility if documents are lodged late, lost or destroyed. The taxpayer has full responsibility to pay any fees or penalties incurred by the tax office, banks, ASIC, or any other authority, regardless of the reason for such charges.
If, as part of our engagement, we require the services of an external consultant or expert, we will provide you with an estimated cost, timeframe, and details of their involvement for your approval.
By accepting our services under this engagement document, you acknowledge the consent the use of outsourced services as described. If any outsourced service requires the disclosure of personal information to an overseas recipient we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient complies with the Australian Privacy Principles, as part of your consent.
By appointing us to complete any work or engaging our services, you acknowledge and agree that your personal information may be stored in Australia or overseas.
Any fee arrangement is based on the expected amount of time and the level of staff required to complete the engagement, as well as any miscellaneous expenses which are incurred. The fee arrangement will be subject to change if circumstances change. Any costs incurred to recover unpaid fees, including legal or court fees, will be charged to the client. If no fee arrangement is in place, we will charge based on the time taken to complete the work or for the value of work undertaken or completed, at our discretion. We are not obliged to disclose the hours spent on completing the work unless we agree to do so. Fees must be paid prior to the lodgement of any returns with the Australian Taxation Office or lodgement of any documents with any third party or authority. Fee invoices will be issued in line with a billing schedule.
The prices in 2025 are as follows:
| Basic personal tax return | $198 min per return |
| Rental property | $319 min per return |
| Small Business sole trader tax return | $341 min per return |
| BAS completion or application | $176 min |
| Under 21 Basic personal tax return | $99 |
| Establishment of Company | $1,507 |
| Discretionary Trust Setup | $803 |
| SMSF Accounts, Tax Return, Compliance & Audit | $2,431 |
| Bookkeepers | $99 per hour |
| Hourly rate by Director/CPA Accountants *Add $33 surcharge of fee paid from refund | $308 |
Monthly Fees
We may enter an agreement with business clients to pay a fixed monthly fee for accounting & taxation services. This fee is based on the standard services provided; however, should additional work outside the scope of normal tasks be required, we will advise the client of the additional fee prior to incurring any charges. Cancellation of fee arrangements requires 7 days’ notice from either party. If services delivered during the current financial year exceed the value of the fee paid, an additional payment may be required based on our standard hourly rates. No refund will be provided if services were not requested or delivered in any given financial year.
Our liability is limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
All original materials given to us part of the engagement will remain your property. However, we reserve the right to make a reasonable number of copies of the original materials for our records.
Our engagement may also result in the creation of other materials, including electronic copies. Any documents produced by us in relation to this engagement will remain the property of the firm, subject to any statutory obligations.
In the event of a dispute, the firm may exercise a legal right of lien over any client documents in our possession.
Under the APES Code, we have an ethical duty of confidentiality, which means we must not share or disclose your details of this engagement to anyone, except as otherwise specified in this clause, or as required by law.
Specifically, and in accordance with subsection 114 of the Code, we will:
We may disclose your personal and confidential information, including details of the services we have provided to you, to CPA Australia Ltd (if requested) as part of our working papers for the purpose of conducting a CPA Australia Best Practice Program assessment. This is aimed at maintaining high industry professional standards. Any disclosure of confidential information in this context does not alter our commitment to safeguarding your information, and it will remain subject to existing confidentiality obligations. By signing this agreement, you acknowledge that our engagement files may be made available as part of this assessment.
In relation to the taxation services we will provide, we advise that:
In order to resolve a complaint, we:
Alternatively, you can file a complaint with the TPB following their complaints process outlined at https://www.tpb.gov.au/complaints.
By appointing us to complete any work, you confirm your agreement to our Engagement Terms. We reserve the right to update or amend these terms at any time, without prior notice. This Engagement Authority will remain in effect for future years and on an ongoing basis, unless amendments or updates are made at the discretion of the firm.
