QuickBooks Online GST settings: what you can edit and what locks permanently

Australian QuickBooks Online users often come back to their GST setup after the first BAS configuration, and most of it can still be changed. One decision cannot. Once GST is switched on in a company file, the software offers no way to turn it off again. That one-way door catches plenty of small businesses by surprise. We have set out where the controls live and what each one does.

The settings sit behind one button

Open the GST tab in the left menu and select Settings at the top right. Three options appear: Tax Settings, Edit rates, and Add Group Rate. Tax Settings holds the switches that govern how GST is tracked and reported. The other two manage the rate tables and combined rates themselves.

Keep your BAS or your ATO GST registration details nearby before editing. The settings lean on those figures, and a copy can be obtained from the tax office or from your accountant or bookkeeper.

Can you turn GST off later?

No. The GST tick box activates when GST is turned on and locks from that moment forward. There is no supported route back to a file without GST. A business that deregisters, or one that enabled GST in error, is left adjusting settings rather than removing them.

The lock applies to the company file, not to the subscription as a whole. A separate file kept for a non-registered entity stays unaffected, which is sometimes the only clean separation available. Treat the first BAS setup as permanent, because the software does.

Lodging frequency sets the reporting rhythm

Lodging frequency controls how often GST is reported: monthly, quarterly, or annually. Quarterly is the default for new setups and the most common choice among Australian small businesses. Switching frequency later simply moves the reporting obligation onto a different cycle. The control sits in the same Tax Settings screen as everything else, so a change of circumstance does not mean a fresh setup.

The accounting method shapes the BAS

The accounting method, cash or accrual, decides the basis on which the GST centre reports income and expenses. That choice flows directly into the BAS figures, so it deserves as much thought as the frequency setting. It is an accounting decision more than a software preference. A bookkeeper or accounting professional is the right person to settle cash versus accrual for a particular business.

Simpler GST versus detailed coding

GST codes control the bookkeeping method the software uses to track tax. New QuickBooks Online files default to Simpler GST, which matches the Simpler BAS reporting rules that most Australian small businesses fall under.

Files already on detailed GST coding can move to Simpler without help. Change the setting in Tax Settings and the default tax codes update across the file automatically. One exception survives the switch: recurring transactions keep their existing codes and need a manual review.

The opposite direction is not self-service. A move from Simpler back to detailed coding has to be performed by the vendor’s support team on the account. Anyone weighing Simpler as a temporary stop should factor that in before committing.

Payroll withholding joins the GST centre

Businesses with employees report PAYG withholding to the tax office alongside their GST. Ticking the tax withheld setting turns payroll reporting on inside the GST centre. Two things follow. The software creates a system-generated PAYG withholdings payable account, and it enables the BAS-W1 and BAS-W2 tax codes so finalised pay runs carry the correct treatment. The result is one reporting view covering both obligations at lodgement time.

The short version

Nearly everything in the GST setup stays editable from the Settings button in the GST tab. Reporting frequency, accounting method, and the Simpler versus detailed choice can all be revisited, and a move to Simpler even rewrites the default codes for you. The permanent decision is GST itself. On means on for the life of the file, so it pays to be certain before the first BAS setup runs.