Posted on

Public Liability Insurance and GST

Insurance and GST: some benefits for your small business

The good news with insurance and GST! When you own your own small business and you have some types of insurance in place for assets in that small business, you may be able to claim some GST credits. Let’s investigate.

So, what’s the deal? Public Liability Insurance and GST

Basically, if you own a small business and you are registered for GST, you may not have to pay GST on insurance premiums if the insurance has been purchased to cover an asset that is either used entirely or in part for business purposes.

What if I use the asset for private and business use?

If the asset for which you have purchased insurance is used for both private and business purposes, then you are only exempt from paying GST for the percentage of the premium that relates to business use.

For example, if you are insuring a car that is used 25% of the time for personal tasks and 75% of the time for business tasks, then you can only claim GST on 75% of the insurance premium.

For what types of insurance am I not able to claim the GST component?

You cannot claim the GST on insurance if the insurance policy was purchased to cover any of the following:

  • Residential properties
  • Input-taxed/financial supplies — things like credit or loans

How do I claim the GST?

You have two options when it comes to claiming GST credits. One involves recouping the costs and one involves not paying them from the outset, so it will just depend on which option appeals to you more.

If you’d prefer to pay the GST and then recoup the costs, you just pay the GST on your insurance policy — as you normally would — and then you need to get in contact with the ATO to claim a refund.

If you’d rather not pay the GST to begin with, you should alert your insurer at the outset what percentage of the insurance is being purchased to cover a business asset. The insurer should then only charge you GST on the portion of the insurance that is being purchased for private purposes.

Insurance and GST

Where can I find more information?

If you would like further information on what sorts of things you can claim GST credits for, or if you would like some clarification on the claiming process, visit the ATO's website.

Source: Steadfast


Publiclaibiltycomparison.com.au is brought to you by Insure 247 to assist Australian business compare Public Liability Insurance quotes from leading Australian Business Insurers:

Insure 247 Pty Ltd ACN 612944215 an Authorised Representative of Ausure Pty Ltd ABN 94 096 971 854 AFSL 238433.

Please read our FSG 

Your Quotes will come from specialist licensed to act on your behalf to find you a number of options with leading Australian insurers

Insure 247 operates Publiclaibiltycomparison.com.au

1300-Insure

Public Liability Compared

 

PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE

At Publicliabilitycomparison.com.au we quote broadform liability cover, this covers your business against claims for personal injury to another person (other than employees) or damage to property owned or controlled by someone else, or advertising liability. Property damage, personal injury or advertising liability which gives rise to legal liability must happen during the period of insurance and be caused by an occurrence in connection with your business activities, Broadform also cover product liability.

General Advice

Please note that any advice given has been provided without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is also based on information we have obtained from you. You must ensure the information is accurate and complete. Otherwise, this advice may be based on the inaccurate or incomplete information. You should consider whether the advice is appropriate in light of your objectives, financial situation, and needs

What Limit Of Liability Do I Require?

What is public liability insurance?