Free guides for Australian trades and small business

Short, plain-English answers to the compliance questions tradies, fabricators, sole traders and food businesses actually ask. Every guide links to its sources (ATO, Safe Work Australia, WorkSafe Queensland, QBCC, FSANZ, Standards Australia and the Australian Steel Institute). Written by an Australian boilermaker/fabricator. About these guides. Also see Car & 4WD tools.

Free tools

• Tradie Charge-Out Rate Calculator
  Work out the hourly and day rate that covers your wage, super, overheads and unbillable hours, plus profit, with or without GST. Free, no sign-up, and it runs in your browser.
• GST & BAS Quick Calculator
  Add or remove GST, estimate G1, 1A and 1B for a Simpler BAS, and check the $75,000 registration threshold. Free, no sign-up, and it runs in your browser.

Tax, GST and BAS

• Do I need to register for GST? The $75,000 rule
  When Australian sole traders and tradies must register for GST, how GST turnover is worked out (current and projected), the 21-day deadline, optional registration, and what changes once you're registered.
• Simpler BAS: what goes in G1, 1A and 1B
  Plain-English guide to the three GST boxes on a Simpler BAS – G1 Total sales, 1A GST on sales and 1B GST on purchases – with a worked example and ATO sources.
• How to quote a job with GST (Australia)
  Step-by-step guide for tradies: when to add GST, ex-GST vs inc-GST pricing, markup vs margin, what to put on a quote, and a worked example.
• What a tax invoice must show (Australia)
  The details the ATO requires on a tax invoice, the extra $1,000+ rule for buyer identity, the 28-day rule, and a checklist for tradies and sole traders.
• The car logbook 12-week rule, explained
  What a valid ATO car logbook must record, how the 12 continuous weeks work, how long a logbook lasts, and how to turn it into a business-use percentage.
• TPAR for tradies: paying subbies and the 28 August report
  Who in building and construction has to lodge a taxable payments annual report (TPAR), which subbie payments go in it, the details you need for each contractor, the 28 August due date, how to lodge, non-lodgment advice and penalties.

Licensing and contracts (QLD)

• QBCC licence, the $3,300 threshold, contracts and deposits
  When Queensland tradies need a QBCC licence, what the $3,300 threshold includes, when a written domestic building contract is required, and the maximum deposits you can ask for.
• EOT claims on QBCC domestic contracts: the 10 business day rule
  When a Queensland tradie or builder can claim an extension of time on a domestic building contract, the 10 business day written notice rule in Schedule 1B of the QBCC Act, what to put in the claim, how the owner responds, and the records that back it up.

Site safety (WHS)

• Silica risk control plan (QLD): when you need one and what goes in it
  Queensland silica dust rules from 1 September 2024: when processing of a crystalline silica substance is high risk, what a silica risk control plan must cover, wet cutting and on-tool extraction, the 0.05 mg/m³ exposure standard, health monitoring, and the engineered stone ban from 1 July 2024.
• White Card in Queensland: what you need to know
  How to get a general construction induction card (White Card) in Queensland, the course code, the 2-year rule, replacing a lost card, and whether interstate cards count.
• SWMS for high risk construction work, explained
  When a safe work method statement (SWMS) is legally required, the 18 types of high risk construction work, what a SWMS must contain, who gets a copy and how long to keep it.
• Toolbox talk topics for trades and fabrication
  40 practical toolbox talk topics for Australian trades and fab shops, plus how to run and record a toolbox talk so it counts as real WHS consultation.
• Site induction checklist for construction sites
  The difference between the White Card and a site-specific induction, who must give it, what to cover, and the records to keep – with sources from Safe Work Australia and WorkSafe QLD.

Steel fabrication and welding

• Australian welding logbook template: welder quals and WPS continuity
  Australian welding logbook template for fab shops: welder qualification register, WPS list and continuity log with confirmation dates under AS/NZS 1554-style practice, plus the fields clients ask for at audit.
• What goes in a fabrication ITP (AS/NZS 5131 projects)
  Plain-English guide to inspection and test plans for structural steel fabrication on AS/NZS 5131 jobs: hold and witness points, typical activities and the records builders ask for.
• Welding tickets in Australia: what builders actually ask for
  What a welder's 'ticket' usually means on Australian structural steel jobs: qualification to AS/NZS 1554, AS/NZS 2980 or AS/NZS ISO 9606-1, how CC3 changes things under AS/NZS 5131, and the records to keep.
• Structural steel cut list basics: steel weight per metre formulas
  Structural steel cut list helpers: work out steel weight in kg/m from section dimensions using 7,850 kg/m³ for flat bar, round bar, plate, SHS/RHS and CHS, with worked examples.

Food businesses

• The 2-hour / 4-hour rule, explained
  How the FSANZ 2-hour/4-hour rule works for ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food, with the time table, how to track it, and the cooling limits.
• Standard 3.2.2A: supervisor, training and records
  Which food businesses Standard 3.2.2A applies to, category one vs category two, the food safety supervisor rules, training topics and the 3-month record rule.

Ready-made templates

Want the spreadsheet or forms instead of building your own?

• Tradie Quote & Job Kit (AU) (A$19)
  Quote, invoice and job tracker spreadsheet for Excel and Google Sheets. GST on/off, markup kept off the printed quote, and a tax invoice checklist.
• 3.2.2A Daily Food Safety Kit (AU) (A$12)
  Temperature, cooling, 2-hour/4-hour and cleaning logs in one spreadsheet. Out-of-range readings turn red.
• Fabrication QA & ITP Kit (AU) (A$29)
  Editable ITP with hold and witness points, weld log, mill cert traceability, DFT, NCR register and a dispatch check, for Excel and Google Sheets.
• Sole Trader GST, BAS & Expense Tracker (AU) (A$19)
  Works out G1, 1A and 1B for each quarter, tracks GST credits, and includes a 12-week car logbook.
• Tradie Quote & Materials Calculator (AU) (A$19)
  Offline quote builder that opens in your browser: materials with markup, labour, GST on/off, deposit, and takeoff helpers for m², linear metres, concrete m³ and steel kg.
• Tradie Job Costing & Profit Tracker (AU) (A$29)
  Compare what you quoted (plus approved variations) with what each job actually cost, and see profit, margin and over-budget jobs. GST or no-GST, Excel and Google Sheets, with a charge-out rate calculator.
• Tradie Quote Follow-up & Payment Chaser (AU) (A$19)
  Shows which quotes to follow up and which invoices are overdue, ages what you're owed, and writes the reminder text or email for you to send. Excel and Google Sheets.
• Tradie Tool & Equipment Register + Test & Tag Log (AU) (A$19)
  Register your tools and gear with serial numbers and values, log test & tag results with next-due dates, track repairs and loans, and print a theft and insurance list. Excel and Google Sheets.
• Tradie Subbie Register + Payments & TPAR Tracker (AU) (A$19)
  Keep each subbie's ABN, address, licence and insurance expiry dates in one list, log what you pay them, and get a whole-dollar TPAR summary for the financial year to copy into the ATO form or hand to your BAS agent. Excel and Google Sheets.
• Tradie Site Diary + Delay & EOT Log (AU) (A$19)
  A daily site diary plus a delay and extension-of-time log that counts the business-day deadline for each EOT claim and when the owner's response is due, and prints a job's diary entries for a date range. Excel and Google Sheets.
• Tradie Licence, Ticket & Insurance Expiry Tracker (AU) (A$19)
  Keep White Cards, licences, first aid/CPR, insurance and rego for you, your crew and your business in one list, see what's expired or due, and check who's cleared for each site. Excel and Google Sheets.
• Steel Cut List & Stock Length Optimiser (AU) (A$29)
  Offline browser tool for fabricators: enter your pieces and it works out how many stock lengths of RHS, SHS or CHS to buy and how to cut each one, allowing for saw kerf and end trim and using rack offcuts first. Prints a buy list and saw sheet.
• Silica Dust Compliance Kit (AU / QLD) (A$19)
  High-risk assessment form plus five editable control plans for common site tasks (concrete drilling, masonry grinding, tile cutting, fibre-cement and wall chasing), an RPE and equipment check log, and a worker sign-on sheet. Word and PDF.
• Welder Qualification, WPS & Continuity Register (AU) (A$19)
  Excel and Google Sheets registers for WPSs, welder qualifications and a continuity log, with a welder × WPS matrix and red / amber / green status based on confirmation and revalidation dates.
• Toolbox Talk & Site Induction Pack (AU) (A$24)
  12 ready-to-read toolbox talks, a site induction form, hazard report, hot work permit and WHS registers.
• Hot Work Permit & Fire Watch Kit (AU) (A$12)
  Printable hot work permit, pre-start area check, fire watch log with the cool-down checks, and a permit register so expired permits stand out.
• Workshop Plant, Lifting Gear & Test-and-Tag Register (AU) (A$19)
  One register for workshop plant, slings, chains and shackles, and test-and-tag items, with inspection due dates that go red when overdue. Excel and Google Sheets.
• Mobile Welder SWMS Pack (AU) (A$29)
  Editable SWMS templates for mobile and site welding jobs, aimed at the high-risk construction work triggers fabricators actually hit.
• Metric Fab Shop DXF Pack (AU) (A$9)
  17 cut-ready metric DXFs: base plates, gussets, welding squares and pipe saddle templates for plasma, laser or waterjet.
• Tradie Small Business Social Post Pack (AU) (A$12)
  30 editable Canva posts plus captions for sparkies, plumbers, chippies and other small trade businesses.
• Welder & Fab Shop Social Post Pack (AU) (A$12)
  30 editable Canva posts plus captions for welders, boilermakers and fab shops.
• Stock Count & Variance Kit (Core) (A$9)
  Three editable forms for small shops: plan the count, count sheet with recounts, and a variance review checklist.
• Stock Count & Variance Kit (Plus) (A$15)
  Everything in Core plus a movements log for counting while you keep trading, and a worked example.
• Small-shop Dispatch Planner (A$6)
  Offline calculator that shows shortages before you pack, plus a printable closeout workbook.
• Workshop Hazardous Chemicals Register & SDS Tracker (AU) (A$19)
  Chemical register with SDS 5-year review dates, storage check, spill and exposure log and a DG class key. Excel and Google Sheets.
• Welder Qualification & WPS Register (AS/NZS 1554, AU) (A$29)
  Crew list, WPS list, a welder × WPS qualification matrix that works out the next 6-month confirmation and revalidation dates (red, amber, green), a consumable batch log and a printable confirmation form. Excel and Google Sheets.

All templates: Andwat Co template store.