Allan Hall team

Allan Hall Secures Top 50 Position in Prestigious Accountants Survey

Allan Hall Business Advisors has retained their Top 50 position in the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Accountants Survey for 2023.

In a testament to unwavering commitment to excellence, Allan Hall Business Advisors has proudly held its position as one of Australia’s leading accounting firms in the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Accountants survey.

Securing an impressive #45 ranking, Allan Hall continues to stand tall among the accounting sector, reaffirming its status as a trusted and reliable partner for businesses and individuals alike.

Having a Top 50 ranking is more than just a number; it represents over 60 years of dedicated service and expertise. Since inception, Allan Hall has been resolute in providing high-quality accounting and business advisory services, consistently adapting to the evolving financial landscape and delivering value to clients.

What sets Allan Hall apart is not just longevity, but also the breadth of services available and the calibre of staff. The firm’s range of services goes beyond traditional accounting, encompassing financial planning, business advisory, self-managed super funds, home loans and more. This holistic approach to client service reflects Allan Hall’s understanding that modern businesses require comprehensive solutions to thrive.

The strength of Allan Hall lies not only in its services but also in its people. The team comprises seasoned professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Their dedication to being across industry trends ensures that clients receive advice that is not only reliable but also forward-thinking.

Beyond the professional achievements, Allan Hall’s #45 ranking also reflects an extensive involvement in the Northern Beaches community, with commitment to giving back and actively participating in local initiatives that align with Allan Hall’s values.

Read the full AFR announcement here »

Allan Hall was named Business Advisory Firm of the Year at the 2023 Australian Accounting Awards and also Best Business Advisory Firm by the 2023 Beaton Client Choice Awards. These accolades reflect Allan Hall’s consistent dedication to innovation, client service and community involvement.

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Allan Hall's office Brookvale Sydney

Allan Hall’s Return to Brookvale Office

Allan Hall’s return to the office plans and extended Christmas closure

Like all businesses, we have been navigating the changing government rules, and have excitedly been planning our return to working back in our Allan Hall offices at Brookvale.

We, therefore, wish to advise that we will be officially returning to the office on 1 December 2021 once the rules in NSW have relaxed and we are very much looking forward to being together.
 
While some of our team will be starting to return to the office between now and the end of November, the majority of our employees will be continuing to work from home if reasonably practical, as per the government guidelines.
 
Until December, we are happy to continue to conduct virtual meetings with clients. We can also arrange to meet with clients in our offices if required and with notice. We also do have some staff in each day to ensure any documents being dropped in are received and processed.

It is important to note however that all staff and visitors spending any time in our offices are required to follow the mandatory requirements set by the government regarding COVID safe check in/out and proof of vaccination. 
 
As it has been a challenging year for all, we also wanted to give you early notice that we have decided to have an extended Christmas break this year. We will therefore be shutting our office from lunchtime on Thursday 23 December and will not be back at work until Monday 17 January 2022.  
 
Should you have any deadlines during that time that you know will require our assistance, can you please let us know as soon as possible so we can organise to get these done for you before the break.

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Happy friends enjoying on terrace. Smiling man and women are celebrating together during sunset. They are wearing casuals in party

How to avoid HR Issues during the Festive Season

A different kind of Christmas Party during COVID!

Each year we like to send out a reminder to employers of your obligations when it comes to those end of year celebrations.

CLICK HERE to read ‘How to Avoid Christmas Party Incidents!’

This information certainly still applies, in fact this year you have additional responsibilities, including making sure that your party is held in a COVID safe manner.

What does this mean? Essentially, you need to continue to abide by the latest COVID safe advice from the NSW Government. Updated information can be found HERE.

If you have a large workforce and are planning a gathering, you might have to consider breaking your team up into smaller groups to satisfy social distancing requirements.

Or get creative and host a virtual gathering with some added flare, such as a guided Christmas cooking class with all ingredients delivered, virtual wine tasting or traditional trivia. You may even consider ways in which you can take your event outdoors where more people are allowed to gather.

We have all had to adapt to new ways of thinking this year. Including those ever important social events!  

Annual Leave Requests

With the Christmas–New Year period fast approaching, you may notice an increased number of annual leave requests waiting for your approval. For those businesses that shut down over this period, approving annual leave is usually a joyous task. However, for smaller businesses continuing to trade during this period, it can be somewhat of a difficult juggling act to ensure you have enough employees on board to meet your customers’ needs while also ensuring employees receive a well-deserved break.

When reviewing annual leave applications, it is important to remember that you cannot unreasonably refuse to authorise an employee’s request to take annual leave. If you need assistance with understanding the rules surrounding ‘reasonableness,’ please do not hesitate to make contact with our HR team.

Public Holidays

In NSW the gazetted public holidays for the holiday season are:

  • Christmas Day Friday 25 December
  • Boxing Day Saturday 26 December
  • Additional Day Monday 28 December 2020
  • New Year’s Day Friday 1 January 2021
  • Australia Day Tuesday 26 January 2021

Can employees refuse to work on Public Holidays?

Employers can request that employees work on a public holiday if the request is reasonable. Likewise, an employee can refuse to work on a public holiday if the employer’s request is not reasonable. In determining whether the employer’s request is reasonable, under the Fair Work Act a broad range of factors are taken into account.  These include:

  • The nature of the employer’s workplace and the nature of the employee’s work
  • The employee’s personal circumstances
  • Whether the employee could reasonably expect the employer might request work on the public holiday
  • Whether the employee is entitled to receive overtime or other penalty payments that reflects the expectation to work public holidays
  • The type of employment of the employee (eg whether full-time, part-time, casual or shift work)
  • The amount of notice in advance of the public holiday given by the employer to the employee
  • The amount of notice given by the employee when refusing a request to work on a public holiday.

Payment for Public Holidays

A permanent employee who is absent from work on a public holiday is entitled to be paid their usual pay for his or her ordinary hours that would have been worked, even if they reasonably refused to work that day. Payment is at the employee’s base rate of pay (which excludes bonuses, loadings, allowances, overtime or penalty rates). Casual employees who refuse to work on a public holiday are not entitled to payment.

For Award covered employees or employees covered by enterprise agreements, it is important to check the penalty rates which apply on public holidays. Where a public holiday falls on a weekend, as it does on Boxing Day this year, there may be an entitlement to either the greater of the applicable penalty rates between the public holiday and the weekend penalty rates or both penalty rates. It is therefore important to check the Award or enterprise agreement carefully to ensure you pay your employees correctly.

Proposed changes to Employment Laws

Also, very topical in the lead up to Christmas this year is the Government’s significant proposed changes to employment laws in Australia. These include:

  • The way casuals are defined and treated
  • Changes to underpayment of wages, compliance and enforcement measures
  • Changes to the way Enterprise Agreements are made and approved
  • Simplification of Modern Awards

On 9 December 2020, the Federal Government introduced into Federal Parliament the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020 which set out several reforms to the Fair Work Act 2009 to address some long-standing issues in these areas.

Our HR experts are experienced in interpreting these reforms and are monitoring the progress of the Bill closely. It seems likely that there will be amendments negotiated in coming weeks and we will provide you with further detail and explanation once the legislation has passed. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at [email protected].

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steptember 2019

Allan Hall Raising Vital Funds in September

Our team at Allan Hall Business Advisors took part in September, raising vital funds for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

This year, we are proud to announce that our team took over 6 million steps and raised $1,500 for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

Despite the average office worker only taking 3,000 steps a day, Steptember challenged our team at Allan Hall to take 10,000 steps a day from the 1st of September until the 28th of September – that’s 28 days straight! As a fundamental driver to promote health and well-being in the workplace, Steptember, has encouraged over 1,500 corporations in Australia to participate in this challenge and our team at Allan Hall is proud to contribute to this cause. As well as increasing our physical activity and movement, Steptember aims to raise donations for people living with cerebral palsy, in which every dollar raised will go towards rehabilitation, equipment, research and more. Despite Steptember being over for 2020, it’s not too late to sponsor an organisation, colleague, friend or family member. To donate to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, please click here. At Allan Hall Business Advisors, we believe that thriving employees translates to a thriving business, which translates back to thriving employees… and so the cycle continues. The Steptember challenge is an initiative that is organised by our dedicated THRIVE well-being committee, encouraging our staff to get involved, stay active and smash out our 10,000 steps a day for the month of September. The THRIVE committee continue to inspire our team at Allan Hall Business Advisors to lead healthy, mindful and happy lives and stay connected to our community. For more information regarding the Steptember challenge, please click here. Congratulations again to all our Allan Hall Steptember teams for your amazing effort! See you next year! CONTACT US
steptember 2019

Allan Hall Steps It Up for September

Allan Hall Business Advisors are proud to be taking part in September, to raise money for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Despite the average office worker only taking 3,000 steps a day, Steptember challenges each participant to take 10,000 steps a day from the 3rd of September until the 30th of September – that’s 28 days straight!

As a fundamental driver to promote health and well-being in the workplace, Steptember, has encouraged over 1,500 corporations in Australia to participate in this challenge and our team at Allan Hall is proud to contribute to this cause. As well as increasing our physical activity and movement, Steptember aims to raise donations for people living with cerebral palsy, in which every dollar raised will go towards rehabilitation, equipment, research and more. https://youtu.be/Y2EZaYuvcgI To get involved in Steptember, sponsor an organisation, colleague, friend or family member today! To donate click HERE. At Allan Hall Business Advisors, we believe that thriving employees translates to a thriving business, which translates back to thriving employees… and so the cycle continues. The Steptember challenge is an initiative that is organised by our dedicated THRIVE well-being committee, encouraging our staff to get involved, stay active and smash out our 10,000 steps a day for the month of September. The THRIVE committee continue to inspire our team at Allan Hall Business Advisors to lead healthy, mindful and happy lives. For more information regarding the Steptember challenge click HERE. Good luck and happy stepping to all our Allan Hall Steptember teams!