Wine equalisation tax records

If your business is required to account for wine equalisation tax (WET), you need to keep records to show how you calculated your liability or entitlement. 

Information your records need to show

Examples of types of records

  • You need to keep documentation to show how you calculated your liability or entitlement (if applicable). 
  • This may include records of: 
    • your sales of wine 
    • wine you have applied to your own use 
    • buying or selling wine under quote, including periodic quotes 
    • sale or distribution contracts and other arrangements 
    • bad debts that have been written off 
    • import and export transactions.
  • Tax invoices. 
  • Accounting records. 
  • Production records. 
  • Sales contracts. 
  • Quotes in the approved form. 
  • Import/export documents.
  • If you're claiming the producer rebate you need to keep records showing that you meet all the eligibility criteria for claiming the rebate including evidence that: 
    • your products meet the definition of wine for WET purposes 
    • you’re the producer of the wine 
    • you or the first purchaser were liable to WET for an assessable dealing with the wine 
    • you met the source product ownership requirement 
    • the packaging and branding requirements were met.
  • Product recipes and production records. 
  • Contract processing agreements. 
  • Sales records. 
  • Sales contracts. 
  • Quotes in the approved form. 
  • Purchase contracts for source product. 
  • Weighbridge documents. 
  • Certificate of trademark registration or evidence of prior use.

How long you need to keep wine equalisation tax records

You need to keep these records for five years, starting from when you prepared or obtained the records, or when you completed the transactions the 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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