--- title: Is your business benchmarking up? The ATO is watching - and so should you description: Stay off the ATO’s radar and use benchmarks to improve your business performance with Trekk Advisory's expert insights and tools. image: https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hubfs/blog-small-biz-benchmarking-may%20(2).png --- [!["Trekk Advisory" logo: bold black "Trekk" in modern font with smaller red "ADVISORY" below on a white background.](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/trekk-advisory-logo-black%201.png?width=150&height=75&name=trekk-advisory-logo-black%201.png "\"Trekk Advisory\" logo: bold black \"Trekk\" in modern font with smaller red \"ADVISORY\" below on a white background.")](https://trekkadvisory.com.au) - [Featured services](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help) - [Business accounting](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/small-business-accountants) - [Clarity Bookkeeping](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/clarity-bookkeeping) - [Xero cloud accounting](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/xero-cloud-accounting) - [Advice + business advisory](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/business-advisory-services) - [Tax minimisation + planning](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/tax-minimisation-and-planning) - [Self-managed super funds](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/self-managed-super-funds) - [Business Valuations](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/business-valuations) - [How we help](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help) - [Understand your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/understanding) - [Grow your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/growth) - [Leverage your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/leverage) - [Who we are](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/our-team) - [Resources](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre) - [Get in touch](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/contact) - QLD - [Brisbane](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/brisbane) - [Gympie](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/gympie) - [North Queensland](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/north-queensland) - [Rockhampton](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/rockhampton) - NSW - [Northern Rivers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/northern-rivers) [Download: Success Checklist](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/business-success-checklist) ![Business advisors in a team meeting as a presenter outlines strategy on a whiteboard, showcasing Trekk Advisory’s consultative tax planning.](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hubfs/blog-small-biz-benchmarking-may%20(2).png) May 13, 2025 By Troy Furness # Is your business benchmarking up? The ATO is watching - and so should you ##### Share: - - - Every small business owner wants to stay off the ATO’s radar. But here’s the thing: flying under it isn’t just about lodging your BAS on time or ticking the right boxes at tax time. It’s about how your business performs - and how that performance compares to others in your industry. That’s where the ATO’s updated small business benchmarks come in. Quietly refreshed with data from the 2022–23 financial year, these benchmarks now cover over 100 industries, helping business owners understand whether they’re tracking above, below, or in line with their peers. And while that might sound like dry compliance material, it’s actually a goldmine of insight... if you know how to use it. ### What are the ATO benchmarks, and why do they matter? In simple terms, the benchmarks are industry-specific data points pulled from thousands of tax returns, covering things like turnover ranges, cost of sales, labour, rent, and profit margins. The ATO uses these to identify patterns - and outliers. If your numbers fall well outside the expected range for your industry, it doesn’t automatically mean something’s wrong. But it can trigger ATO scrutiny, especially if other red flags are present. So yes, the benchmarks matter for ATO risk management. But more importantly, they also give you a window into how your business is really performing - compared to the rest of the market. ### Beyond tax: benchmarking as a business tool This isn’t just about dodging audits. It’s about working smarter. Using the benchmarks, you can: - See whether your cost of goods sold is higher than average - Identify if your labour costs are out of line with industry norms - Compare your net profit to what others are achieving - Highlight areas where you might be leaving money on the table - Set more realistic growth targets backed by data In other words, the benchmarks can help turn gut feel into informed strategy. And that’s something every business owner should care about. ![blog-benchmarking-may (2)](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-benchmarking-may%20(2).png?width=300&height=300&name=blog-benchmarking-may%20(2).png) ### Want to dig deeper? Try the viability assessment tool In addition to the benchmarks, the ATO has also updated its [**Business Viability Assessment Tool**](https://www.ato.gov.au/calculators-and-tools/businesses-viability-assessment-tool) - designed to help you determine whether your business is financially viable in its current form. Viability doesn’t just mean turning a profit. The ATO looks at whether your business can meet its obligations to creditors, sustain operations, and ideally, generate a return for the owners. If you’re not quite there yet, the tool can help pinpoint where the shortfalls are. It’s not a crystal ball... but it’s a valuable reality check. ### So, what now? Whether you're smashing goals or quietly wondering if you’re falling behind, it’s worth taking a moment to look beyond your own four walls. See how your numbers compare. Ask the tough questions. And if the numbers aren’t stacking up, do something about it now - before the ATO decides to ask questions for you. You can check out the latest benchmarks and viability tools directly: - [ATO small business benchmarks](https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks) - [Business viability assessment tool](https://www.ato.gov.au/calculators-and-tools/businesses-viability-assessment-tool) Or better yet - let us do the heavy lifting for you.  ### Ready for a performance review that actually helps? At Trekk Advisory, we help business owners like you translate data into decisions. We’ll benchmark your business, spot the gaps, and recommend practical changes that actually move the needle. [Contact us today](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/contact) to book a benchmarking review or performance session with our advisory team. Because compliance is just the beginning. Let’s build a business that performs, grows... and lasts. #### About Author [Troy Furness](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/author/troy-furness) Troy is one of the Directors of Trekk and our self-appointed 'Chief Ideas Person'. He's a CPA with more than 30 years in public practice, private enterprise, across large firms, family businesses and his own practice. He has also sat on the other side of the desk. Troy was general manager of his family's business. He led the contract to feed Australian Defence troops in East Timor during the peacekeeping mission. He has been and still is an executive director of a number of businesses and is now a Non-Executive Director of a large charity. Today Troy works with business owners and Boards of businesses turning over $5M to $100M. His work covers virtual CFO services, forecasting and scenario planning, tax and structuring advice, board advisory and business valuations, including valuations for family law matters. He tells clients what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear, and he looks for the fairest outcome for everyone at the table. The best piece of advice he's been given is "Work hard and the rewards will come, if you give up, then so will the rewards." Outside work, you'll find Troy travelling to tick off the bucket list or out on his bush block. #### Related Posts [![](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hubfs/Blog%20Images/new-ato-travel-and-meal-rates-sept-blog.png)](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/new-ato-travel-and-meal-rates-what-you-can-actually-claim) September 24, 2026 #### [New ATO Travel and Meal Rates: What You...](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/new-ato-travel-and-meal-rates-what-you-can-actually-claim) Each year, the ATO updates its reasonable travel and overtime meal allowance rates, and each year... 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[Read More](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/20000-instant-asset-write-off-is-now-permanent-heres-the-detail) [![trekkadvisory.com.auhs-fshubfsLogostrekk-advisory-logo-white](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/social-suggested-images/trekkadvisory.com.auhs-fshubfsLogostrekk-advisory-logo-white.png?width=200&height=100&name=trekkadvisory.com.auhs-fshubfsLogostrekk-advisory-logo-white.png "trekkadvisory.com.auhs-fshubfsLogostrekk-advisory-logo-white")](https://trekkadvisory.com.au) Trekk Advisory exists to harness the power of numbers, nouse and know-how to boost your business, and guide you to your great. ###### Three stages that are key to your business: - [01 Understand your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/understanding) - [02 Grow your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/growth) - [03 Leverage your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/leverage) ###### Featured services - [Business accounting](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/small-business-accountants) - [Xero cloud accounting](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/xero-cloud-accounting) - [Advice + advisory](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/business-advisory-services) - [Tax minimisation + planning](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/tax-minimisation-and-planning) - [Self-managed super funds](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/self-managed-super-funds) - [Business Valuations](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/business-valuations) - [Full list of services](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help) ###### Contact Us - [Brisbane QLD](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/brisbane) - [(07) 3378 7733](tel:+61733787733) - [Gympie QLD](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/gympie) - [(07) 5482 7655](tel:+61754827655) - [North Queensland](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/north-queensland) - [(07) 4773 7555](tel:+61747737555) - [Northern Rivers NSW](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/northern-rivers) - [(02) 5601 9900](tel:+61256019900) - [Rockhampton QLD](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/rockhampton) - [(07) 4922 2280](tel:+61749222280) © Trekk Advisory 2026. 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