There’s just a few days left until the end of the financial year, so it’s time to get your money in order.

Ash McAuliffe, director and certified financial planner at Hillross Wealth Management, says in these the last days Australians should get their tax ready to lodge, so that rather than waiting until October or later, they can lodge it in July.

While there’s no fireworks to mark the end of this financial year, here’s one countdown you should pay attention to.

Get organised

It seems obvious, but Mr McAuliffe says to be fully prepared before the end of financial year, you must get your finances in order.

Find and sort your receipts, book an appointment with your accountant, or block out time to go over your tax if you’re doing it yourself, and make sure to check your incomings and outgoings for accuracy and ensure everything balances.

• What to spend on now to max your tax return
• You won’t believe what some people claim on their tax return

Check your books

If you freelance, contract or work for yourself, this is also a good time to ensure you haven’t forgotten any over-due invoices.

“If you have invoices out there that haven’t been picked up, go after them, and, if you haven’t, get all your invoices out there and try to get them in for the financial year, which can boost your figures,” Mr McAuliffe says.

Stock up on stationary before June 30.

Go out and buy…

Use this weekend before June 30 to fit in a last minute shop for tax deductibles. Visit the Australian Tax Office website for advice on your particular circumstances and keep in mind it should only be business related.

“Particularly if you are in business there are many tax deductibles, even more for individuals there can be [for example] IT expenses,” Mr McAuliffe says.

Have a read of this article, because you won’t believe what some people claim on tax – sex toys and mime lessons can be a totally legal deduction.

Spend away

There are a lot of other things you can buy, then claim on your tax return including your accountant’s fees, giving money to charities, putting a lump sum into your superannuation and more. We’ve compiled this handy list of what you should spend on before June 30.

Write off …

If you have a small business, this is when you should look to write off any bad debt. A bad debt is one which has been outstanding for 12 months or more and which you have made a reasonable effort to recover. 

Mr McAuliffe says this is a good time to assess all the bad debts.

Ensure your insurance is up to scratch

Don’t have health insurance? Now is the time to get it – and keep in mind the rebate is going to be less next financial year. That means, even if you do have it, you could opt to pay a full year upfront making sure you get the higher rebate.

Likewise, with the other forms of insurance, such as income protection, make sure your details are relevant to your current situation. Consider pre-paying these too if necessary.

On a broader scale, Mr McAuliffe recommends pre-paying anything this year that is going to become more expensive next year. This comes with the added benefit that you don’t have to deal with it again for a year.