Accounting Policies for Australian Businesses in 2025: Latest Updates & Best Practices

Accounting policies are the backbone of every Australian business’s financial reporting. In 2025, with regulatory changes and a shifting economic landscape, reviewing and updating your accounting policies isn’t just good practice—it’s essential for compliance, credibility, and growth.

What Are Accounting Policies and Why Are They Crucial?

Accounting policies are the specific principles, rules, and procedures your business adopts to prepare and present its financial statements. They cover everything from how you recognise revenue to how you depreciate assets. These policies are guided by accounting standards—like the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) rules—and set the tone for how your numbers stack up against the competition.

In 2025, several factors are putting accounting policies under the microscope:

• Regulatory scrutiny: The AASB has introduced updates to standards such as AASB 1060 and AASB 16, increasing disclosure requirements for private entities and tightening rules around leases.

• Investor and lender expectations: Transparent, consistent policies help you secure funding and maintain trust with stakeholders.

• Tax implications: The ATO’s digital reporting push and single-touch payroll expansion mean your accounting methods must be airtight to avoid penalties.

2025 Policy Changes Every Business Should Know

This year, several updates are reshaping how businesses approach their accounting policies:

• New AASB 1060 requirements: The simplified disclosures standard for Tier 2 entities now demands clearer statements on revenue recognition, impairment, and related party transactions. This is especially relevant for SMEs and startups aiming to attract investors.

• Leases under AASB 16: All leases longer than 12 months must now be brought onto the balance sheet. This impacts reported assets and liabilities, affecting debt covenants and borrowing capacity.

• Climate-related reporting: The government’s 2025 ESG roadmap will require certain large businesses to disclose how environmental risks are accounted for in their financials. Even smaller entities should prepare for a likely trickle-down effect.

For example, a regional construction firm recently had to overhaul its lease accounting after the AASB 16 update. By capitalising office and equipment leases, their reported liabilities increased, but they were able to renegotiate lending terms after clearly explaining the policy change to their bank.

How to Review and Strengthen Your Accounting Policies

With these changes, now’s the time to stress-test your accounting policies. Here’s a practical approach:

• Audit your current policies: Compare your documentation against the latest AASB standards. Look for outdated approaches—like legacy methods for asset depreciation or revenue recognition that may no longer comply.

• Document policy choices and rationale: For every significant accounting judgement (e.g., useful lives of assets, inventory valuation), clearly document why your business chose a particular method. This prepares you for external audits and lender reviews.

• Engage stakeholders: Communicate policy changes to your management team, board, and any external advisors. Getting buy-in ensures consistency across departments and avoids surprises during audits.

• Leverage technology: Modern accounting software now offers policy templates that can be tailored to your business and automatically updated as standards evolve.

For example, a Melbourne-based SaaS startup implemented cloud-based accounting tools that flag non-compliant entries and prompt users to update policy documentation—a simple step that helped them sail through their latest funding round’s due diligence process.

What Happens If You Ignore Policy Updates?

Neglecting accounting policy updates in 2025 isn’t just risky—it can be costly. The ATO has stepped up enforcement of digital reporting accuracy, and misstatements due to outdated policies can trigger audits, penalties, or even loss of funding. Lenders and investors are also demanding greater transparency, especially as economic conditions remain volatile.

In short, reviewing and communicating your accounting policies is no longer a box-ticking exercise—it’s a strategic move that can protect your business and unlock opportunities.