Tell me about a time you identified a recurring issue in a client’s books (for example with GST, payroll, or bank reconciliations) and implemented a change to prevent it from happening again. What was the problem, what did you change in the process or system (e.g. in Xero or MYOB), and what was the outcome for the client?

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VirtualInterview.AI · Accepted Answer

One example was a trades client in Xero who kept having GST out of balance every BAS. The variance was usually around $1,500–$2,000 a quarter, and we were spending hours hunting it down. I noticed a pattern: staff were coding mixed invoices (labour + materials + reimbursements) all to the same GST code, and some bank feeds were being posted directly to expense accounts with GST when they were actually BAS-excluded.

I redesigned the chart of accounts and created very clear tracking categories and custom GST rules for common suppliers. I also locked prior periods and set up bank rules so reimbursements defaulted to BAS Excluded, and ran a short Loom video for their admin on how to code invoices correctly.

Within two BAS cycles, GST variances dropped to near zero, quarterly review time halved from around 6 hours to 3, and the client avoided an ATO review that their accountant had been worried about.

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