This post is relevant for small Not for Profit organisations such as sporting clubs, that have an existing ABN, and is due to legislation announced in the 2021-2022 budget.
In a nutshell, as of July 2024, organisations that fit this description will need to self report to the ATO their status as a Not for Profit starting from this year and every year from now on.
While organisations that fit this description should have received information relating to this self-reporting, it is possible that the contact person or address that the ATO have listed may no longer have anything to do with the organisation and this is where some difficulty may lie, as the last person listed as an "authorised person" is the only person able to fill out the appropriate form, and there are some involved steps if this person is not known.
As an aside, it is a requirement that entities update their details within 28 days for the following details -
Postal, email or business address
Associates
Main Business Activity
and The Public Officer
Organisations where these details have not been updated will have increased difficulty in changing the details of their ABN.
Steps to take:
Firstly, establish if the organisation you are associated with has an ABN - it is not always a requirement that Not For Profits have one, especially if you have a turnover of less than $150,000 per year, though there are some benefits.
Going to the ABN lookup site, and typing in the name of the organisation will bring up all organisations with similar names, check the postcode to ensure you have the right organisation!
As can be seen in this example (Names deleted) the ABN has been active from the 1st of November 1999, has a registered trading name from the 25th July 2000, but has not been updated since the 2 November 2007. It is unlikely in this case that the person who last updated the ABN is known to the current committee of the organisation so some further steps will need to be taken.
Where to next?
Before any changes can be made, the ATO must be made aware of a change in the Public Officer, this will require firstly, a form from the ATO (NAT 2493) found at the link below.
Note:The form states that only an authorised contact can complete it. The ATO will accept the form from a newly appointed contact if you provide evidence of your approved nomination. This includes meeting minutes that reflect the nomination approval or another form of notification from your board, stating the approved role.
The ICB (Institute of Certified Bookkeepers) Provides the following example of a recommended minute format for use.
Once this is completed and supplied with a copy of the relevant minutes nominating a person to the appropriate position, such as Public Officer the form (Paper) must be sent to the ATO for processing.
A registered BAS agent can assist by lodging the forms electronically rather than by post, and this will ensure that the processing can be enquired upon and notified likely much faster than by traditional methods.
On response from the ATO (This could take up to 12 weeks, though the ATO will try to process within 28 days), the NFP self-review can be undertaken and submitted to the ATO.
More details can be found at the ATO under:
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