Newsletter - September 2026

What's inside this month's newsletter:

• The card surcharge ban is coming: What you need to do this month to be ready

• Good news for your next big purchase: The $20,000 instant asset write-off is now permanent!

• From the community: What users are saying about our latest upgrades.

• Lodged your tax return before Aug 28? Here's why it's worth double-checking again this month.

• Are you a tradie thinking about upskilling? This new government program might be for you.

• And more helpful resources for sole traders.

Let's dive in!

Card surcharges banned from Oct 1

As of next month, businesses can no longer add a surcharge to cover eftpos, Visa, Mastercard, or Amex payments.

If you currently add a surcharge for card payments:

• You can build the cost into your pricing instead of adding it at checkout.

• You can also set a card payment minimum that makes sense for your business (e.g. $5–10) so you're not paying fees on those smaller transactions.

• Discounts for customers who pay by cash or bank transfer are still allowed (just make sure you declare that income).

• Weekend, public holiday, and unrelated booking fees aren't affected by the ban.

What's changing for Rounded users?

We announced earlier this year that we would be sunsetting our Stripe automatic surcharge feature to comply with these regulations.

The feature will be switched off before the end of September, ahead of the RBA's October 1 deadline.

If this change affects you:

• Review any invoice templates that add a surcharge so you can update your pricing and terms.

• Decide whether to fold that cost into your rates instead, and make sure you clearly communicate this to clients in advance (if you haven't already).

• Reach out via in-app chat if you want a hand adjusting your setup before the change goes live!

🙌 The $20,000 instant asset write-off is (finally!) permanent

What does this actually mean for sole traders?

• If your turnover is under $10M, you can instantly deduct the business-related portion of eligible purchases, up to $20,000 per asset.

• You can now plan multi-year capital spending without worrying if the concession will disappear or shrink next budget.

The write-off will apply to purchases made from July 1, 2026.

Speak to your accountant to see if/how this will apply to your business.

From the Rounded community

We've had lots of great feedback on our new updates!

Here's what users are saying:

I’m absolutely loving the latest upgrades!

The invoice scanner is such a time-saver, the new PAYG option makes everything so much clearer come tax time and the KM tracker is easy to install, easy to use and means I can do away with my Excel spreadsheet (logbook) and calculate my deduction easily at the end of the financial year.

It’s the little things that make running a business easier and Rounded is absolutely nailing it.

Stacey Morris, Sunshine Coast Celebrant

I have used the [receipt] scanner option and love it. This function alone will make me use the app 100% more than anything else.

Sallie Davies, Miss Sallies Cuisine

[Trax] works a treat! Love it, and that it turns off on the weekend.

John Kinlin, Mandau Edge

Have you put these new features to the test yet?

If so, we'd love to hear what you think!

Hit reply to this email, or leave us a review on the App Store or Google Play.

Rounded Trax is now on Android!

Rounded Trax is now available on both iPhone and Android.

Trax makes vehicle kilometre tracking accurate and automated, so you get more back at tax time.

When connected to Rounded your tax estimate updates with every trip.

• No additional hardware needed

• Reliable drive detection via motion, Bluetooth, CarPlay or Android Auto

• ATO-compliant logbooks

• Categorise trips as business or personal

• Multi-vehicle support

Download Trax today and get 20 free trips

Rounded users: Get 50% off your Trax subscription.

Link your Rounded account, and your discount will be applied automatically when you upgrade.

Lodged your tax return? Here's why it may be worth checking again

Businesses that pay contractors in industries like building and construction, cleaning, courier, IT, and security had to lodge a taxable payments annual report (TPAR) by August 28.

That data is now landing in the ATO's system, which may lead to a mismatch with what you've already put on your tax return.

If you lodged your return before August 28: Check your prefill data and amend if something's off. A voluntary correction is treated very differently to the ATO catching it first.

Tradies: thinking about upskilling?

The Australian Government has announced a new $78 million Advanced Entry Trades Training program, designed to help experienced construction workers gain nationally recognised qualifications for free.

The program will recognise the skills you've already built on the job, so you'll only need to complete the training that fills in the gaps.

This means you may be able to cut the time it takes to qualify from years to just months.

It'll be open to Australian sole traders and workers with at least 3 years' experience, including labourers, trade assistants and plant operators.

Enrolments are expected to start from late 2026, beginning with NSW before the program rolls out nationally.

Find out more here.

More helpful resources

From the Rounded team:

• Your step-by-step guide to lodging your sole trader tax return

• How to share your Rounded data with your accountant

From the community:

• Questions to help with client project feedback

• Why you should offer tiered pricing as a freelancer

• Using green grass thinking for business planning

• Women make up 42% of all sole traders, according to the new Gender Index Australia report

• Earn less than $70k? Check out the ATO's Tax Help program

New to Rounded, or have questions?

• Sign up for our weekly Intro to Rounded masterclass

• Visit our Help Centre or reach out via in-app chat. You'll usually hear from a human in around 30 seconds.

• Got any features you'd like to request, or want to see what's coming up next? Check out our roadmap.

• See our live systems status here anytime

Cover Photo by Nathana Rebouças on Unsplash