An affordable bookkeeping service for dietitian practices in Melbourne
Dietitians billing across Medicare chronic disease management, private health, NDIS and private pay are managing four income streams that each need to be recorded at a different time and in a different way
Bookkeeping for dietitian practices
Do any of these financial scenarios sound familiar as a dietician?
- Medicare CDM referral payments arrive on a delay and you are not certain the income in your accounts reflects when the consultations actually happened
- Private health fund rebates go through your HICAPS terminal but never quite reconcile against what you billed and nobody has investigated why
- NDIS clients have different plan management arrangements and you treat all NDIS income the same way regardless of whether they are agency, plan or self-managed
- You are not certain whether your dietitian consultations are GST-free and whether the meal planning programs or online courses you sell carry a different treatment
- You are a sole trader or have recently moved to a company structure and you are not confident the bookkeeping reflects that structure correctly
- Your BAS gets done at the last minute from figures you cannot fully verify and you are not certain the person preparing it holds the legal authority to do so
If any of these sound like your practice, you are not alone and there is a straightforward fix.
A bookkeeper in Melbourne for dietician practices
A dietitian practice running across multiple funding streams is managing income that is more complex than its billing volume might suggest.
- Medicare Chronic Disease Management referrals generate income that is GST-free and paid by the Commonwealth, but the payment arrives after the claim is processed rather than on the day of the consultation, and the timing of income recognition in the accounting software must reflect when the service was delivered rather than when Medicare paid.
- Private health fund rebates through HICAPS are similarly separate from the patient gap payment collected at the time of the appointment, and both must be reconciled against the billing records to ensure no consultation goes unrecorded or unpaid.
- NDIS income varies significantly depending on whether the participant is agency managed, plan managed or self-managed, with different billing processes, different approval requirements and different payment timelines for each type.
When all of this income is recorded from bank deposits rather than from the billing system, the revenue figure in the accounting software reflects the timing of Commonwealth and health fund payment cycles rather than actual clinical activity.
A quiet fortnight in the bank does not necessarily mean a quiet fortnight clinically, and a busy clinical week may not produce bank deposits for another two to four weeks. A profit and loss statement built on deposit-based income recognition does not tell the practice owner what the business is actually generating.
The GST treatment of dietitian services adds another dimension.
Clinical dietitian consultations are generally GST-free as health services when provided by a registered dietitian. However, commercial meal planning programs, online nutrition courses, recipe books, and wellness content products are taxable supplies.
Practices that have expanded into digital products or group programs alongside clinical consultations are operating a mixed-supply business that requires the GST position to be managed correctly at the transaction level.
What a bookkeeper manages for a dietitian practice
A dietician practice has financial processes that are different to other business types, so managing them correctly requires understanding and needs to cover these activities;
Medicare CDM income reconciliation.
Medicare payments are reconciled against billing records with income recognition reflecting the period of service delivery rather than the Commonwealth payment date. Outstanding claims are tracked through the accounts receivable position.
Private health fund and HICAPS reconciliation.
Fund rebates and patient gap payments are reconciled against the billing system so that the full value of each consultation is captured in the income records and the aged receivables position reflects what remains outstanding.
NDIS income recording.
Income is recorded with the correct treatment based on each participant’s plan management type. Agency-managed clients are reconciled against NDIA portal claims. Plan-managed clients are invoiced to the plan manager and income recognised on the invoice. Self-managed clients are invoiced directly.
GST treatment across clinical and commercial revenue.
Clinical dietitian consultations are correctly coded as GST-free. Digital products, online programs and commercial meal planning services are correctly coded as taxable. The BAS reflects the actual mixed-supply position of the practice.
Sole trader and company structure bookkeeping.
Whether the practice operates as a sole trader, a partnership or a company, the bookkeeping reflects the correct structure and any transfers between structures are recorded correctly.
BAS preparation and lodgment.
Prepared from fully reconciled records with the correct GST treatment applied. Lodged by a registered BAS agent with the four-week extension on both lodgment and payment.
Profit and loss reporting. Revenue reported by funding stream so the practice owner can see the contribution of Medicare, private health, NDIS and direct billing to overall practice performance.
A certified and qualified bookkeeper
Working with Clients Needs Bookkeeping means the financial administration of your practice is handled end to end by a registered BAS Agent who understands the specific requirements of a dental business. In practical terms, this covers:
A registered BAS agent with software credentials for dietician practices
Matthew Powell is a registered BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board. Verify at tpb.gov.au. Safe harbour protection applies to every BAS lodged through a registered agent. The four-week lodgment and payment extension applies automatically every quarter.
Software: MYOB Diamond Partner, MYOB Certified Consultant, Xero Silver Champion Partner, Xero Advisor Certified, Xero L2 Certified Professional, Xero Payroll Specialist. Also works with QuickBooks.
About Matthew Powell, registered BAS agent and bookkeeper
Matthew Powell is the director of Clients Needs Bookkeeping and a registered BAS Agent with more than 15 years of experience working with small and medium businesses across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.
He works across MYOB, Xero, and QuickBooks, and has particular depth of experience in health and medical practice bookkeeping, including dental, medical, and allied health clients.
Matthew is known for being accessible, clients regularly comment that he responds quickly, handles problems promptly, and communicates in plain language rather than accounting jargon.
He works with business owners from any industry sector or niche who provide services or sells products. He does your bookkeeping remotely and takes on new clients with the intent of building a long-term relationship rather than processing a transaction.
Bookkeeping Packages start from $150 per month. The first consultation is free.
Read some of our bookkeeping case studies
Below are real life examples from businesses like yours who needed to use a bookkeeper.
Frequently asked questions chiropracters ask before hiring a bookkeeper
Are dietitian consultations GST-free?
Clinical dietitian consultations provided by a registered dietitian for therapeutic purposes are generally GST-free as health services.
Commercial meal planning programs, online courses, recipe publications and wellness content products are taxable supplies. The distinction must be applied consistently at the transaction level to produce a correct BAS.
How do I record income from NDIS participants with different plan management types?
Agency-managed NDIS participants are billed through the NDIA portal and income is recognised when the claim is approved and paid. Plan-managed participants are invoiced to the plan manager and income is recognised on the invoice date.
Self-managed participants are invoiced directly and income is recognised on the invoice. Matthew records each type correctly and reconciles the accounting file against portal claims and payment receipts.
I have moved from sole trader to a company. How does that affect the bookkeeping?
The move from sole trader to a company structure changes the way income and expenses are recorded, how the owner’s drawings are treated, and how the year-end accounts are prepared.
Matthew manages the bookkeeping correctly for the structure in place and ensures the transition between structures is reflected accurately in the records from the effective date.
What does bookkeeping cost for a dietitian practice?
Packages start from $150 per month. The first consultation is free.
Ready to get the financial side of your practice managed by a bookkeeper?
-
You already know there are things in the books that are not right.
-
The personal expenses that went through the business account during a tight month are still sitting there.
The BAS is lodged but you are not entirely sure the figures are accurate.
None of these are unusual, and none of them are unfixable but every month they sit unresolved is another month of compounding risk.
Packages from
$150 per month
Structured around what your business actually needs
Registered & certified bookkeeper
Latest insights
Other industries we service