Business tax debt · Australia
Owe the ATO? Talk to a funder before you talk to a liquidator.
Funding and straight answers for business tax debt — from people who are not an insolvency firm. We help owners clear what they owe the ATO and keep trading, in control, without the professional fees insolvency brings.
- No credit check to enquire
- Never a percentage of your debt
- $20k – $5m
Who you're talking to
We are
- A genuine private business funder
- Focused on keeping your business trading and you in control
- Upfront about the free options, even when they suit you better than a loan
- Happy to work alongside your accountant
We are not
- An insolvency firm, liquidator or administrator
- A "pre-insolvency" or debt-restructuring adviser
- A tax agent negotiating with the ATO for a fee
- Paid a percentage of your tax debt — ever
If funding can clear your ATO debt in a way the business can carry, we'll show you how. If it can't, we'll say so plainly and point you to free help or a registered professional. Talk to us before you sign anything.
The dates and numbers that matter
Urgency should come from facts, not fear. These are the ATO thresholds and deadlines most likely to shape your options — checked against official sources on 4 October 2026.
Two-minute check
Where do you stand right now?
Three quick questions for a first read. The full ATO debt options checker asks ten and ranks every realistic option — including the free ones where we don't make a cent.
- Built on published ATO, ASIC and AFSA rules
- Flags deadlines and the director penalty lockdown
- Private — nothing leaves your browser
Every option, honestly ranked
We'll tell you about the options where we don't make money
Most tax-debt websites sell one answer. Here's the whole ladder, from cheapest to most drastic. Funding sits in the middle — the right answer for many viable businesses, and the wrong one for some.
- 1 Pay it in fullFree
Cheapest. GIC stops the day you pay.
- 2 ATO payment planFree to set up
Online for debts under $200,000. GIC keeps compounding.
- 3 Interest-free ATO planFree
Turnover under $2m, BAS debt of $50,000 or less, and more.
- 4 GIC remission and hardship helpFree to ask
Ask the ATO to remove interest or give more time.
- 5 Funding to pay the ATO outWhere we help
You keep control, creditors are paid in full, and every director penalty on those amounts is remitted.
- 6 Small business restructuringInsolvency
Practitioner fees; median 20 cents in the dollar to creditors (ASIC). Doesn't remove lockdown DPNs.
- 7 Administration or liquidationInsolvency
A practitioner takes control. Lockdown DPNs and personal guarantees survive.
Read the full guide: every option, ranked by cost and control →
Find your situation
Straight answers, organised the way the problem arrives
Whether you're weighing up funding, holding a letter from the ATO or worried about personal liability, start here.
Tax debt funding
How borrowing to pay the ATO works, which kind of loan fits which situation, and when a loan is the wrong answer.
Explore →Your options
Payment plans, interest-free plans, remission, hardship help and funding — what each costs you, and who to call for each.
Explore →ATO notices
From the first reminder to a wind-up application — what each step means, how long you really have and how to stop the clock.
Explore →Director penalties
How DPNs work, why the lockdown rule matters so much, and what you can still do inside the 21 days.
Explore →Before insolvency
Restructuring, administration and liquidation in plain English — what each costs, what you lose, and the alternatives worth checking first.
Explore →Be careful who you call
"The pre-insolvency industry is unregulated."
— ASIC, on illegal phoenix activity
Many of the sites that rank for "ATO debt help" are insolvency or "pre-insolvency" businesses whose model is fees for winding up or restructuring companies. Some are excellent, registered professionals. Some aren't. Regulators have published clear warning signs — and we think every business owner should know them before picking up the phone.
Be wary of anyone who…
- contacts you out of the blue, especially after court action has started ATO
- charges a fee based on a percentage of your debt ATO
- suggests moving assets without full value being paid ATO · ASIC
- mentions a "friendly" liquidator or a low-valuing valuer ATO · ARITA
- promises outcomes that sound too good to be true ARITA
- creates panic that discourages a second opinion AFSA
Our goal is the opposite of insolvency
Keep trading. Stay in control. Skip the professional fees.
We're a genuine private business funder. Over the years we've helped a great many small business owners through the tax-debt headache with both guidance and funding — including businesses that had been told they couldn't be saved.
Formal insolvency is sometimes the right answer, but it's never cheap: legal and professional fees can run to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, and ASIC's own data shows median restructuring-stage fees of around $16,000 and average liquidator fees of around $18,000 for smaller companies — before anything reaches creditors. For a viable business, paying the ATO in full keeps everything you've built.
Who we are, and who we're notProperty-secured
Property-secured business loans from $20,000 to $5,000,000 — first mortgages, second mortgages and caveat loans over residential or commercial property.
Unsecured
Unsecured and cash-flow options for trading businesses, typically $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and bank statements.
Speed where it counts
Funding possible in as little as 24 hours for property-secured loans. We move quickly because tax deadlines are real.
Straight to the ATO
Where it's arranged at settlement, funds can be paid straight to the ATO.
How it works
Talk to us before you sign anything
Four calm steps from first question to a nil ATO balance.
- 1
Tell us the situation
A 60-second enquiry: what's owed, what kind of tax, any notices, any property. No credit check.
- 2
A real person calls
Deadlines first — DPN dates, lockdown status, demands. Then whether funding genuinely fits, or something free does.
- 3
Documents and approval
ATO statement, bank statements, ID and property details if secured. Total cost in writing before you sign.
- 4
Settlement and clean-up
Where arranged, the ATO is paid directly. Then confirm a nil balance and ask for any garnishee to be withdrawn.
No credit check to enquire
Asking what's possible leaves your credit file untouched. A credit check only comes up if you decide to proceed.
Your file isn't shopped around
We don't hand your details to a queue of lenders or brokers. One team looks at your situation and matches it carefully.
A real person reads it
Someone who understands ATO debt calls you back. Accurate form answers mean the first conversation is a useful one.
Cornerstone guides
Read the whole picture before you decide
Clearing ATO debt in 2026: every option, ranked by cost and control
Every way to deal with business tax debt in Australia, from cheapest to most drastic — with what changed in 2025–26.
Read the guide → Cornerstone guideDirector penalty notices: a director's guide to the 21-day and lockdown rules
Everything a company director needs to know about director penalty notices, written for the moment one arrives.
Read the guide → Cornerstone guideTax debt loans explained: when borrowing to pay the ATO makes sense — and when it doesn't
How borrowing to clear ATO debt really works — written by a funder, including the part where we tell you not to.
Read the guide → Cornerstone guideBefore you call an insolvency firm: SBR, administration and liquidation in plain English
The three formal insolvency processes explained honestly by a funder that doesn't sell any of them.
Read the guide → Cornerstone guideThe ATO escalation ladder: from reminder letter to wind-up, and how much time you really have
Each rung of ATO collection, the legal trigger behind it, the deadline it sets, and how to step off.
Read the guide → Cornerstone guideBe careful who you call: regulator warnings, red flags and the questions to ask any tax-debt adviser
A calm, regulator-sourced guide to choosing who helps you with tax debt — and spotting who shouldn't.
Read the guide →Free and official help
These cost nothing to call or check. We list them because a good decision starts with good information — whoever you end up working with.
- Small Business Debt Helpline 1800 413 828 Free, independent financial counselling for small business owners.
- National Debt Helpline 1800 007 007 Free financial counselling for individuals and sole traders.
- ATO — payment plans Set up or change a plan online or by phone with the ATO directly.
- ASIC professional registers Check that a liquidator or administrator is registered.
- Tax Practitioners Board register Check that anyone negotiating with the ATO for a fee is a registered tax agent.
- ATO phoenix tip-off line 1800 060 062 Report suspected illegal phoenix activity or dodgy advice.
Numbers and links checked 4 October 2026.
Questions
What business owners ask us first
Are you an insolvency firm?
No. Tax Debt Loans is a business funder. We don't put companies into liquidation or administration, we don't sell restructures, and we never charge a fee based on a percentage of your tax debt. If funding isn't right for you, we'll say so and point you to free help or a registered professional.
Can I get a loan to pay my ATO debt?
Often, yes. Property-secured loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000; unsecured options for trading businesses typically $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and bank statements. ATO debt and past credit issues are considered case by case.
Will you pay the ATO directly?
Where it's arranged at settlement, funds can be paid straight to the ATO using your payment reference number, with any balance going to the business. We confirm the arrangement before settlement.
How quickly can funding happen?
For property-secured loans, funding is possible in as little as 24 hours once the lender has everything it needs. We move quickly because tax deadlines are real, but we never promise a date we can't control.
Does enquiring affect my credit score?
No. There's no credit check when you first enquire. A check only happens if you decide to go ahead with an application.
Should I just go on an ATO payment plan instead?
Sometimes that's the right answer, especially for modest debts or if you qualify for the interest-free plan. A plan doesn't remit director penalties, though, and GIC from 1 July 2025 isn't deductible. Our payment plan vs loan tool helps you compare.
What if I've received a director penalty notice?
You have 21 days from the date the ATO posted it to your ASIC-registered address. If any GST or PAYG withholding was reported more than three months late, only payment in full remits the penalty for those amounts. Talk to your accountant and to us early in the 21 days.
Someone called me offering to fix my ATO debt. Should I trust them?
Check before you engage. ASIC says the pre-insolvency industry is unregulated, and the ATO warns about advisers who contact you after court action or charge a percentage of your debt. Verify registration on the ASIC or TPB registers and get advice in writing.
Owe the ATO? Let's talk before the next deadline.
Tell us what you owe and which notices you have. A real person calls you back with honest options — funding where it fits, free help where it doesn't. No credit check to enquire.
No credit check to enquire
Your file isn't shopped around
A real person reads it