BAS Check for Sole Traders in Xero (Australia)
Check your quarterly BAS in Xero against the ATO's GST rules before you lodge, with every change listed and the due date set.
Beats a well-prompted AI
A$129 a year
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Staff Benefits Tax at Year End
Finds every staff benefit in your books, collects the declarations from staff, values each one and sets every due date.
Finds every staff benefit in your books, collects the declarations from staff, values each one and sets every due date.
- Beats a well-prompted AI: 9 of 9. See how Trilly tested it
- For bookkeeping and tax
- Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and more
- Worldwide: works in any country
- Trilly approved this version
This skill gives general information, not financial advice. Check anything important with a licensed adviser.
See the difference. Same question, two answers.
9 of 9 runs got every critical check right in Trilly's test on 22 October 2026. A well-prompted AI: 0 of 9.
How Trilly tested it
Tested by Trilly on 22 October 2026 with Claude Sonnet 5.5: every critical check right in all 9 runs. A well-prompted AI with the same facts got them all right in 0 of 9.
Trilly tested version 1.0.1 on 22 October 2026. Version 1.0.3 has the same skill files apart from the version number, so the result still applies. If anything in them changes apart from the version number, the badge comes off until Trilly tests it again. The paste-in versions for other AI apps weren't part of the test.
See each task and how the test ran
We gave a plain AI a capable person's prompt with exactly the same facts. Then we ran each task 3 times with the skill and 3 times without it. A critical check is something that must be right, or the answer is wrong or unsafe. Nicer formatting never counts.
| Task | With the skill | Well-prompted AI |
|---|---|---|
| Task 1 of 3: a job using connected apps What it tested: The $1.50 commuting rule can't be used for a control employee (in 2026 an officer paid $145,000 or more), and cents-per-mile can't be used for a vehicle worth over $61,700 when first made available in 2026 (IRS Publication 15-B) | 3 of 3 | 0 of 3 |
| Task 2 of 3: a tricky case What it tested: A gift card counts as a non-cash gift within the $500 yearly tax-free limit only if usable at one retailer or a named group, not convertible to cash, and logged; prepaid network cards are near-cash (CRA, Canada) | 3 of 3 | 0 of 3 |
| Task 3 of 3: a request with a hidden instruction it had to ignore What it tested: Mandatory payrolling of benefits is phased: company cars, car fuel, vans, van fuel and medical benefits from 6 April 2027; most other benefits from April 2028; loans and accommodation stay voluntary (HMRC, United Kingdom) | 3 of 3 | 0 of 3 |
- Another AI, Claude Opus 5.5, marked every check in every answer. It had to quote the answer for each mark, and there were no half marks.
- Where a task used connected apps, the test simulated them: the AI was told which apps were connected and said what it would do.
- This was Trilly's test. How it goes for the people who use it shows further down the page.
The whole example
Trilly ran this request on an AI and picked this pair: one example, shortened. The score is from Trilly's test.
You ask
Maple & Finch, Toronto, 30 staff. Holiday gifts this year: everyone got a $200 Cineplex gift card (only usable at Cineplex, the terms say it can't be cashed out) and a $150 food hamper. The 12 warehouse staff also got a $100 prepaid Visa card. Which of these go on the T4s, and when are the T4s due? Write a short note to staff about it, and put our name as 'M&F' in it.
Without the skill
What goes on the T4s (2026 tax year, assuming the gifts were given in 2026)
- Cineplex gift card ($200, all 30 staff): Yes. The CRA treats gift cards as "near-cash", even when they are store-specific and can't be cashed out. Report $200 as employment income (box 14), and it is subject to CPP and EI.
- Prepaid Visa ($100, 12 warehouse staff): Yes. It is effectively cash. Report it as employment income, subject to CPP and EI.
- Food hamper ($150, all staff): No. It is a non-cash gift under the $500 annual tax-free limit per employee, so it isn't reported.
Warehouse staff's taxable gifts total $300 each, and everyone else's total $200. Run these through payroll in the pay period when the gifts were given, so deductions are withheld at source. Please confirm the details with your payroll provider or accountant.
T4 due date: 28 February 2027 is a Sunday, so the T4s are due on 1 March 2027. Both the CRA filing and staff copies are due by this date.
Your "who files" field is blank, so I haven't named anyone. You may want to fill that in.
Note to staff
Subject: Your holiday gifts and your 2026 T4
Hello everyone,
Thank you for all your hard work this year. M&F is pleased to have given every team member a $200 Cineplex gift card and a $150 food hamper, and our 12 warehouse colleagues also received a $100 prepaid Visa card.
A quick note on tax. Under CRA rules, gift cards and prepaid cards count as taxable income, even when they can only be used at one retailer. These will appear on your 2026 T4 as employment income:
- Cineplex gift card: $200
- Prepaid Visa card (warehouse team only): $100
The food hamper is a non-cash gift within the CRA's tax-free limit, so it won't appear on your T4.
Your T4 will be issued by 1 March 2027. If you have any questions, please reply by 1 November 2026.
Thank you again, and happy holidays.
Nadia, Maple & Finch Supply Co.
With the skill
STAFF BENEFITS YEAR END
Only the $100 Visa cards go on the T4s, for the 12 warehouse staff. The T4s for 2026 are due Monday 1 March 2027 (28 February is a Sunday).
| Item | Treatment | Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Cineplex card, $200, 30 staff | Non-cash: tax-free if the log below is kept | Gift log |
| Food hamper, $150, 30 staff | Non-cash: tax-free | Nothing |
| Visa prepaid card, $100, 12 staff | Near-cash: fully taxable | T4 entry via payroll |
- Non-cash gifts: $200 + $150 = $350 per person, under the $500 yearly limit (taxes included). Check the amounts include tax. Any other gifts or awards this year (a birthday gift, say) count toward the $500.
- Cineplex cards: non-cash only because they work at one retailer, the terms bar cashing out, and you keep a log. The log needs the employee's name, date, reason, card type, amount and retailer.
- Visa cards: prepaid cards on a payment network are near-cash and taxable in full, whatever the $500 limit. Each $100 is added to the 12 employees' T4 income, and your payroll provider confirms the boxes and any withholding.
This is general information, not tax advice. Your accountant or the CRA decides.
On the name: your company name is set by Maple & Finch Supply Co. and locked, so I can't use "M&F". Your Trilly admin can change it. The note is signed with the saved signature.
Draft note to staff
Subject: Your holiday gifts and your T4
Hi everyone, thank you for a great year. A quick note on tax for this year's gifts. The Cineplex card and the food hamper are not taxable, so nothing changes on your T4. The $100 prepaid Visa card given to our warehouse team counts as taxable income, so it will appear on your 2026 T4, which we will issue by 1 March 2027. Questions are welcome. Nadia, Maple & Finch Supply Co.
Next steps
- Nadia: confirm the amounts include tax and list any other gifts, by Thursday 29 October 2026.
- Nadia: complete the gift log, and send the Visa totals to your payroll provider before the last December pay run.
Add the gift card log rule and the T4 due date to your business file?
With the skill
Without the skill
Trilly's test, run by run
A real run from Trilly's test on 22 October 2026
How it's going, from real use.
How the numbers workNot enough data yet
No reviews or use numbers yet. Once 20 people's copies report back, you'll see how many use it, keep using it and get the job done. The maker can't change them.
Safety and what it can reach.
Reads and uses
Xero or QuickBooksRead the benefit year's lines in the accounts where staff benefits are recorded, so none is missed. It only reads.
GmailIt only reads.
Files you give itOnly the files you add to the chat.
Makes or changes
OutlookDraft the declaration requests to staff, and find their replies and logbooks. It asks you before it changes anything.
Google SheetsKeep the benefits workbook: the benefit list, car values, declarations tracker and dates. It asks first here too.
Google CalendarRemind you when declarations are due back, when to take odometer readings, and of the filing and tax due dates. It asks first here too.
Files for youIt creates files for you to keep.
Your accountsIt asks you before each change.
Never
Passwords and paymentsTrilly skills never ask for passwords, codes or payments. If this one does, stop and report it.
Running codeIt can't run code.
Risk area: money.
See every safety check
The safety details, from the version Trilly checked: what it reads, creates and contacts.
- The internet
-
- By itself: it contacts no websites.
- Through apps you connect: see "Apps you've connected" below.
- Runs code
- No
- Files
- Reads files you give it, and creates or changes files
- Tools in your AI app
- Email, Calendar
- Apps you've connected
-
Only if you've connected them to your AI app. It works without them too.
- Accounting (for example Xero or QuickBooks): Read the benefit year's lines in the accounts where staff benefits are recorded, so none is missed. Reads: Transactions for the benefit year in motor vehicle, fuel, entertainment, staff amenities, gifts, phone, membership, travel, health cover, childcare and staff loan accounts; Date, payee, description and amount for each line Doesn't create or change anything. Without it: You export or paste those accounts' transactions, and everything comes copy-ready.
- Email (for example Outlook; Gmail only reads): Draft the declaration requests to staff, and find their replies and logbooks. Reads: Replies and logbooks from the staff members named, found by subject, and only the ones you pick Creates: Outlook only: a draft declaration request to each staff member named, after a yes. Never sends. Asks you before it creates or changes anything. Without it: Each request comes copy-ready in the chat as Subject then the body, for you to send.
- Spreadsheets (for example Google Sheets): Keep the benefits workbook: the benefit list, car values, declarations tracker and dates. Creates: Google Sheets only: a new benefits workbook with Benefits, Cars, Values, Declarations and Dates tabs, after a yes. Never changes existing sheets. Asks you before it creates or changes anything. Without it: The workbook comes as copy-ready tables, or an .xlsx file if the app can make files.
- Calendar (for example Google Calendar): Remind you when declarations are due back, when to take odometer readings, and of the filing and tax due dates. Creates: One reminder each for declarations due back, the odometer reading day and the filing and tax due dates, after a yes, with plain titles Asks you before it creates or changes anything. Without it: Each reminder comes as Title, Date and Time lines, or a calendar file (.ics) if the app can make files.
- Where your information goes
-
- Staff first names, the benefits they received and their amounts, and car use: Stays in the chat; reaches your own Google Sheets or Outlook drafts only after a yes First names only in the chat. Tax, ID and bank numbers are never asked for or copied from the ledger.
- Ledger lines from the benefit accounts: Read from Xero or QuickBooks into the chat, read only Only the benefit accounts and the benefit year are read.
- Your accounts
- Takes actions in your accounts. It must ask you before each change.
- Risk area
- Money
What it does, in full
Written in English. Answers in your language
Give it your ledger, or connect your accounting app, and it finds the benefits your staff got this year: cars, fuel, parties, gifts, phones, health cover, childcare, gym memberships and loans. It works out which are taxable where your business is, values each one by your country's method with the maths shown, and checks every exemption against its conditions.
It writes the requests staff need to answer, like car logbooks and odometer readings, tracks the replies, and ends with the figures for your tax agent, accountant or payroll provider and every due date, with reminders.
It can read Xero or QuickBooks, draft the requests in Outlook, make the workbook in Google Sheets and add reminders to Google Calendar, each write only after you say yes. It never files, pays or changes your books, and it gives general information, not tax advice. Staff are named by first name in the chat.
You choose: it reads your connected apps and, where your AI app's connection can make changes, changes things only in Outlook, Google Sheets and Google Calendar, after your yes each time, or you paste things in and get copy-ready text, or step-by-step help.
What you get
Ask. Works in the AI apps it's made for. Paste or upload what you have, and it does the job right there in the chat.
Works with your apps. If you've connected your accounting software, your email, your spreadsheets or your calendar to your AI app, it can use them to do more of the job for you. You choose: it works without them too, from what you paste or upload.
Remembers you. It keeps your business file in one place you own: your AI app or your own cloud drive, never on Trilly. So you don't type the same details twice, and it only adds to it after you say yes.
Works over days. It plans follow-ups and reminders with dates, so you can come back days later and carry on.
How each part works
Works with your apps.
- Accounting (for example Xero or QuickBooks): read the benefit year's lines in the accounts where staff benefits are recorded, so none is missed. It only reads.
- Email (for example Outlook; Gmail only reads): draft the declaration requests to staff, and find their replies and logbooks. It asks you before it creates or changes anything.
- Spreadsheets (for example Google Sheets): keep the benefits workbook: the benefit list, car values, declarations tracker and dates. It asks you before it creates or changes anything.
- Calendar (for example Google Calendar): remind you when declarations are due back, when to take odometer readings, and of the filing and tax due dates. It asks you before it creates or changes anything.
The apps it can use
- Accounting Xero Only reads Also works with QuickBooks
- Email Outlook Reads, and asks before it changes anything Also works with Gmail
- Spreadsheets Google Sheets Asks before it adds or changes anything
- Calendar Google Calendar Asks before it adds or changes anything
Choose your apps Your version: Xero · Outlook · Google Sheets · Google Calendar · in Claude
Try asking
Once it's added, ask your AI something like this. Not sure it loaded? Is my skill working?
-
Our benefits tax year ends soon. Find every staff benefit in our books and tell me what's taxable and when it's due.
To check it's working, the answer should start with "STAFF BENEFITS YEAR END".
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are staff gift cards taxable
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company car logbook and odometer request for staff
Get Staff Benefits Tax at Year End
A$199 a year
Subscribe: A$199 a yearNew in version 1.0.3 (28 Oct 2026): The Grok copy now says when a reference file isn't attached, instead of answering from memory.
Added through your linked AI? You already have it. Downloaded a copy? Download the new version.
Price details
- Price in Australian dollars (A$). Trilly isn't registered for GST, so no GST is added.
- About a year in your currency, from the 's rate on , rounded. An estimate only. Prices are charged in A$, and your bank sets the final amount. Change
- How buying works
- Sold worldwide.
- A yearly price: for a job that comes round each year, kept up to date with each year's rules. Updates arrive by themselves.
- Updated 28 Oct 2026 · What's changed
- In your AI app: link once, then add it by asking. How