Tax invoices for Australian locums

For work you invoice yourself, mark the shift delivered on the Shifts page after it ends. Eligible shifts appear under “Ready to invoice” on Invoices. Percentage-of-billings shifts need recorded billings first. Click Create invoice to open the form, review the saved shift and billing details, then choose Create invoice on the form to issue it.

New invoices created here use a number beginning SES-YYYYMMDD- followed by 16 random hexadecimal characters. The shift line uses the recorded rate basis, hours or units, and any recorded multiplier. Percentage-of-billings shifts use recorded revenue and the agreed percentage. Check those inputs before creating the invoice.

Sessional draws invoice details from your profile, workplace record and linked shift. The PDF includes the following where recorded:

• Your name (and your registered company or trust name above it if you trade through a Pty Ltd or trust)
• Your ABN
• Your registration number, labelled for your profession
• Your bank details: bank name, BSB, and account number
• The workplace name, contact name and contact email in the “To” block
• A line for each shift with the work type, date, and amount
• The due date and payment reference

For a company or trust profile, the PDF prints the saved entity name above your name. Review your billing profile before generating the PDF, especially if your address or bank details have changed.

Sessional saves your finance profile’s GST registration setting on each invoice. If that setting is on, you must choose the GST treatment for each shift, mileage or extra line. The software adds 10% to taxable line amounts and adds no GST to lines marked GST-free. Registration alone does not make every line taxable.

With GST registration off, Sessional adds no GST and labels the PDF “INVOICE” rather than “TAX INVOICE”. Check your registration and the treatment of your work with a registered tax agent. For authority guidance, see the ATO’s accounting for GST page. The BAS readiness guide explains the separate planning view.

You can bundle eligible delivered shifts from the same workplace onto a single invoice. On the Shifts page, find the workplace, tick the shifts you want, and use the invoice action. All selected shifts must belong to the same workplace. Sessional checks whether the selected shifts already have an issued invoice before creating another.

On a single-shift invoice you can also add a mileage line, entered in kilometres at the rate you choose. Agree any travel charge with the workplace before adding it. A travel charge on an invoice and a possible deduction in your tax records are separate questions.

Beyond the shift and mileage lines, you can add ad-hoc line items on the invoice form. Each needs a description and a positive amount. A shift-linked invoice allows up to 20 extra lines; standalone drafts count their generated shift and mileage lines within that limit. Extra lines are useful for agreed charges the shift rate does not cover:

• Retainer or block-booking fees charged separately from the shift rate
• Consumables or equipment passed through to the workplace
• Out-of-scope hours at a different rate, such as an after-hours callout
• Induction or orientation time billed alongside clinical work

Extra lines are not tied to a specific shift. They print on the PDF. Review each description and amount, and choose its GST treatment if your profile is GST-registered.

Once an invoice is issued, use Send to workplace to email it to the workplace contact. The email attaches the PDF, summarises the line items and total, and includes payment terms and saved bank details. Replies go to your own address. Check the saved contact email before sending. Email delivery is not evidence of payment, and invoice emails do not track opens.

The email also includes a link the workplace can use without an account to view the invoice, report a payment or raise a dispute. A payment report needs your review and confirmation before it settles the invoice. Ask the workplace whether it also needs a submission through its own accounts process. The daily check marks eligible unpaid invoices overdue; automatic reminders on Plus and Pro depend on your preferences and the conditions in the auto-chasers guide.

To correct an unpaid invoice, use the available void action and create a replacement. Voiding removes its line items, zeroes its totals and returns linked shifts that are still invoiced to delivered status. Cancelled shifts remain cancelled. The invoice record remains marked Void, with its previous amounts recorded in the audit log. Paid invoices cannot be voided through this action.

Keep your own copies of invoices and payment evidence. The CSV button on Invoices exports up to 500 matching records; narrow the dates or filters if the file reports truncation. Ask your registered tax agent which records to retain for your circumstances.