BAS and bookkeeping for massage therapists, without the Sunday-night spreadsheet
A massage therapist’s bank statement is room rent or a percentage to the clinic, a HICAPS or Square payout that is smaller than the day’s takings, oils, towels and a laundry bill, a course to keep the association membership alive, insurance that costs more than the table did, and a portable table in the back of the car for the mobile clients. The part most therapists get wrong is not the expenses. It is assuming that because massage is health care, it is GST-free.
FlowFi reads the statement you already have, sorts the clinic rent from the supplies from the professional costs, works out the GST on each, and builds the quarter’s BAS. You check it, copy the labels into ATO Online, and get back to the table.
General information only, not tax advice. Check your own situation with a registered tax agent or the ATO.
What FlowFi does for massage therapists
Gets the GST question right
Massage is not on the list of GST-free health services, so once your turnover passes $75,000 your treatments carry GST even when a client claims a health fund rebate. FlowFi categorises the income and the costs so the GST on both sides comes from real lines, and flags anything it wants you to confirm.
Handles room rent and clinic splits
A fixed room rent from a registered clinic carries GST you can claim; a percentage split shown on a statement may be a deduction from your gross takings rather than a bill you paid. FlowFi keeps each arrangement visible so the quarter reconciles to what the clinic actually remitted.
Sorts supplies from professional costs
Oils, balms, linen, laundry, table paper and sanitiser land as consumables. Association fees, first aid renewals, CPD courses and insurance sit as professional costs, each with its GST worked out.
Tracks mobile work
Log the trips between mobile clients and FlowFi applies the current cents-per-kilometre rate, or keep the records for the logbook method if the car does a lot of business kilometres. The drive from home to a clinic where you work regular days is commuting and stays out.
Builds your BAS from the bank statement
Upload the quarter, review the pre-filled G1, 1A and 1B, check the HICAPS and card payouts against the gross takings on your terminal report, and copy the labels into ATO Online.
How it works
Upload your bank statement
Export a CSV or PDF from your bank (CBA, Westpac, NAB, ANZ, Macquarie and most others) and drop it into FlowFi. No bank login, ever.
AI sorts every transaction
Income, expenses, equipment and transfers are categorised, GST is worked out on each line and likely deductions are flagged for you to confirm.
Review and lodge your BAS
Check the pre-filled labels, copy them into ATO Online in about five minutes, or export the pack for your accountant. FlowFi does not lodge for you.
Common deductions for massage therapists
Expenses massage therapists often claim. FlowFi flags these categories as they appear in your statement so you can confirm each one.
- Room rent, clinic percentage splits and shared reception or booking software fees
- Oils, balms, linen, towels, laundry, table paper, hot stones, cups and other consumables
- Massage tables, chairs, bolsters, towel warmers and a portable table for mobile work, written off in the year or depreciated
- Professional association membership, first aid and CPR renewals, and courses that maintain or extend your current skills
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and income protection premiums
- HICAPS, Square, EFTPOS and booking platform fees taken out of your takings
- Car costs between mobile clients or between clinics on the same day, and a share of phone, internet and home office
- Uniforms with a logo, and the washing of them; ordinary comfortable clothing is private
General information only, not tax advice. Check your own situation with a registered tax agent or the ATO.
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Questions massage therapists ask
Are my massage treatments GST-free like a physio’s?
Generally not. GST-free health services are a fixed list, and massage therapy is not on it, so a massage therapist who is registered for GST charges GST on treatments, including remedial massage with a health fund rebate. The exceptions are narrow: a treatment supplied as part of a GST-free service by a listed professional such as a physiotherapist, or a supply to an NDIS participant under a plan that meets the ATO’s conditions. If you are under $75,000 and not registered, none of this applies until you are. Check the ATO’s list of GST-free health services for the current position.
The clinic takes 40% and pays me the rest. What is my income?
It depends on the contract. If clients pay you and you pay the clinic 40% as rent or a facility fee, your income is the full treatment price and the 40% is an expense, with a tax invoice from the clinic showing GST if they are registered. If clients pay the clinic and the clinic pays you 60% for your services, your income is the 60% and you may need to invoice the clinic for it, with GST if you are registered. Read the agreement and match your books to it; the two arrangements produce different G1 figures from the same day’s work.
Can I claim the courses I do for my association CPD points?
Yes, where the course maintains or improves the skills you use in your current work, which is what continuing professional development is. Travel and accommodation to attend are deductible too, apportioned for any holiday days. A course that qualifies you for a different occupation, such as a nursing degree, is not deductible against your massage income.
I work three days at a clinic and two days mobile. Which car trips can I claim?
Trips between mobile clients, and from a mobile client to the clinic on the same day, are business travel. The trip from home to the clinic for a regular shift is commuting and is private, even if you carry a table. The trip from home to the first mobile client is usually claimable on days when your work is itinerant, moving between clients’ homes with your own home as the base; if your pattern is unusual, ask your accountant. Keep a diary and use the cents-per-kilometre method up to 5,000 business kilometres a year, or a logbook beyond that.
General information only, not tax advice. Check your own situation with a registered tax agent or the ATO.
Keep reading
FlowFi for related trades
Finish the books between clients
Upload one bank statement and see room rent, payouts, supplies, courses and insurance already categorised with the GST worked out.
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