Contractor records

If your business engages contractors and suppliers, you will need to keep all records relating to payments made to them to claim deductions. 

If your business is required to complete a Taxable payments annual report (TPAR) by 28 August each year, you need to keep records that help you to tell us about payments made to contractors for providing TPAR-related services. Some government entities also need to report payments and grants they have made in a TPAR.

Information your records need to show

Examples of types of records

Payee details of your contractors: 

  • ABN
  • name 
  • address and phone number.

Payment amounts:

  • gross amount including GST and tax withheld
  • total GST
  • any tax you withheld where the ABN was not quoted.

Payments your business makes to contractors supplying certain services. If you are a business supplying: 

  • building and construction services – keep records of the payments you made to contractors for building and construction services 
  • cleaning services – keep records of the payments you made to contractors for cleaning services 
  • courier services – keep records of the payments you made to contractors for courier services 
  • road freight services – keep records of the payments you made to contractors for road freight services 
  • IT services – keep records of the payments you made to contractors for IT services 
  • security, investigation or surveillance services – keep records of the payments you made to contractors for security, investigation or surveillance services 
  • mixed services (your business provides one or more of the services listed above) – keep records of the payments you made to contractors for these services.
  • Invoices from each contractor. 
  • Written contracts or agreements, if applicable. 
  • Reimbursements, if any, made to contractors. 
  • Invoices, receipts created or otherwise, showing how payments were made. 
  • Receipts or evidence of insurances or licences you held or maintained for workers.
  • Payment summaries or income statements issued. 
  • Superannuation payments (if applicable). 
  • Voluntary requests made by a contractor for you to withhold tax amounts from payments. 
  • Tax you withheld from payments when a supplier doesn't quote their ABN. 

How long you need to keep contractor and supplier records 

You need to keep these records for 5 years starting from when you prepared or obtained the records, or completed the transactions or acts those records relate to, whichever is later. 

You should keep records long enough to cover the period of review (also known as the amendment period) for an assessment that uses information from the record.

Record keeping

Steps Progress

Record keeping overview

10 mins

Tasks and tips

6 mins

Starting your business records

2 mins

Digital record keeping

5 mins

Manual or paper record keeping

2 mins

Banking records

2 mins

Income records

3 mins

Accounting for private use of assets

9 mins

Motor vehicle deductions records

2 mins

Home-based business deductions records

1 mins

Other deductions records

1 mins

Stock and asset records

5 mins

GST records

1 mins

Employee records

7 mins

Car fringe benefits records

1 mins

Expense payment FBT records

2 mins

Contractor records

2 mins

Sharing economy records

1 mins

Cryptocurrency records

1 mins

Records for other taxes

5 mins

Sole trader structure records

4 mins

Partnership structure records

3 mins

Company structure records

3 mins

Trust structure records

1 mins

Changing your business structure records

1 mins

Selling or closing your business records

2 mins

Related courses

1 mins

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