If you’re a business owner and your company lends you money, you’ll enter it in the books as a shareholder loan. However, if your return is audited, the ATO will scrutinize the loan to see whether it is really disguised wages or a dividend taxable to you as income.
Knowing what the ATO might look at may be useful when you structure the arrangement. Here are some items that will be considered if you’re audited:
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Your relationship with the business
First, the ATO will look at your relationship with the company. If you’re the sole shareholder with full control over earnings, that may weaken your case that the loan is genuine.
On the other hand, if you’re one of several shareholders and none of the others received similar payments, that suggests it may be a genuine loan.
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Loan details
The ATO will want to know all the details related to your loan. This may include whether or not you signed a formal promissory note, if you pledge any security against the loan and if the loan has a specific maturity date or a repayment schedule.
Other questions may come up about the rate of interest you’re paying and if you missed any payments. The more businesslike the terms of the loan, the more it will appear to be a genuine debt.
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Other financial details
In addition to loan specifics, the ATO may ask you if your company is paying you a salary that’s in line with the work you perform, and if the company pays dividends.
Whether the ATO taxes you on the loan will depend on all these factors. If you’ve paid attention to the details, the loan should withstand ATO scrutiny.
Source: Beene Garter