Quick quiz
Is my BAS history lender-ready?
Lenders read your activity statements for turnover, discipline and tax health. Answer eight questions to see how your history is likely to look — and what to fix first.
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Answer the questions
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Fix or explain first
General guide only. Every lender reads BAS history slightly differently.
Why lenders care about your BAS history
For cash flow and unsecured lending — typically $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and bank statements — your activity statements are some of the most useful evidence a lender has. They show what the business sells, period by period, and whether it keeps up with its obligations to the ATO while doing so. Our page on how BAS links to cash flow lending explains each part a lender reads.
What the quiz is checking
- Length of history — longer, consistent histories are easier to read.
- Lodgement discipline — whether everything is lodged, and on time. Quarterly BAS is due on 28 October, 28 February, 28 April and 28 July; monthly BAS on the 21st of the following month.
- ATO position — whether reported amounts are paid, or on a plan being kept. Since 1 July 2025, ATO interest charges are no longer tax-deductible, which makes an open balance more costly.
- Sales pattern — steady, growing, seasonal, lumpy or falling.
- Consistency with the bank — whether BAS sales and deposits tell the same story.
- Who prepares it — lenders take comfort from a registered agent or reviewed process.
Improving a low score
Most issues the quiz flags can be fixed or explained within weeks. Lodge anything outstanding, even if you can't pay yet — the ATO itself stresses lodging on time. Download a dated ATO account statement and, if there's a balance, consider a payment plan (available online for debts of $200,000 or less). Ask your bookkeeper or BAS agent to reconcile BAS sales against bank deposits and write one paragraph explaining any unusual quarter. Our guide for BAS agents preparing a client's file is a useful hand-off.
If you need funding before the history is perfect, that's common too. A specialist can look at the full picture — including any property — and tell you plainly what's realistic. Make a 60-second enquiry: there's no credit check to ask, your details go to one matched lender rather than a list, and a real person calls you.
BAS quiz questions
What does 'lender-ready' BAS history mean?
A history a lender can read quickly and confidently: lodged on time, every period, with sales that make sense against bank deposits and an ATO account that's clear or on a plan being kept.
How many BAS do lenders look at?
Commonly the last four quarterly statements or twelve monthly ones. Some lenders look at two years to compare trends.
My score is low. Does that mean I can't get finance?
No. It means there are things to fix or explain. Many businesses with ATO debt or late lodgements still access finance — sometimes with property security — once the position is documented.
I'm not registered for GST. Can I still borrow?
Yes. Without BAS, lenders rely on bank statements and tax returns instead. This quiz just won't apply to you.
Is this quiz a credit check?
No. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. There's also no credit check when you first enquire with us.
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