1. EOFY Hangover
Imagine New Year's Eve, but instead of champagne and fireworks, you're surrounded by receipts, invoices, and ledgers. That's the end of the financial year (EOFY) for you. By the time July 1st hits, most bookkeepers are recovering from a week-long binge of balancing books, reconciling accounts, and dealing with frantic calls from clients who decided to finally get their paperwork in order...at the last minute.2. The BAS Beast
Just when you think you’ve survived EOFY, the Business Activity Statement (BAS) deadline rears its ugly head. It's like being chased by a relentless beast that feeds on your time and sanity. You dream of GST, PAYG, and quarterly statements. You start to see ATO officers in your sleep, asking for your compliance reports. And let's not even talk about the clients who think BAS is a new energy drink.3. The Software Shuffle
July is when every bookkeeping software company decides to roll out updates, upgrades, and new features. What could be more fun than learning a new interface or discovering that your favourite shortcut has been replaced by a more "efficient" system? The thrill of finding out your meticulously planned workflow now includes a few extra steps because someone in software development decided July was the perfect time to innovate. This July sees MYOB, Xero & QBO increasing their fees to existing customers while also dangling absurd discounts to new customers so the Software Shuffle for 2024 is also shaping up to be the magic date for every business owner to start asking about or transferring to new software. NOTE: there is no good or bad time to move software these days…4. The Client Conundrum
Ah, the clients. Bless them. July brings a special kind of client query, ranging from the innocently clueless to the outright bizarre. "Can I claim my dog as a dependent?" "What about my Netflix subscription as a business expense?" "Why isn't my tax return showing up as a six-figure refund?" Every bookkeeper has a folder of these gems, affectionately titled, "Reasons I Drink."5. The ATO's Best Frenemy
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO)—bookkeepers have a love-hate relationship with it. Mostly hate in July. The ATO's guidelines can feel like deciphering ancient hieroglyphics. The website crashes, the helpline hold music becomes your personal soundtrack, and you start to wonder if there’s a secret society that actually understands all these rules.6. The Winter Woes
Let’s not forget it’s winter. Cold, dreary winter. Your office is either an icebox or a sauna with the heater on full blast. You’re wrapped in a blanket, sipping your 15th cup of coffee, and cursing the person who thought July was a great month for financial deadlines. You're tempted to migrate to the Northern Hemisphere where summer beckons, but alas, the books won’t balance themselves.7. The Coffee Crisis
July sees a spike in coffee consumption among bookkeepers. It’s a scientific fact*. The local café staff know your order by heart and might even start spelling your name correctly. But there’s always that one day when the coffee machine breaks down or, worse, they run out of beans. That’s the day you contemplate a career change. Perhaps something less stressful, like shark wrangling.So, if you see a bookkeeper in July with a slightly wild look in their eyes, a twitch from too much caffeine, and muttering about BAS, be kind. Maybe offer them a chocolate biscuit or a hug. They’re not crazy all year round—just a little in July.
