Quick answer
When you need business funding today, ask your accountant early for only what the lender needs: your most recent financial statements or tax return, a year-to-date profit and loss, your ATO account position and any payment plan details. Send a short, specific message before 9am with the deadline. Meanwhile, pull what you can yourself: bank statements, ABN details and ATO balances from online services.
Key points
- Most smaller same-day loans rely on bank statements, not accountant documents
- Ask for specific documents, not 'my financials'
- Send the request before 9am with a clear deadline
- You can pull bank statements, ABN details and ATO balances yourself
Do you actually need your accountant today?
Maybe not. For smaller unsecured amounts, lenders usually assess a trading business mainly on its bank statements: how much comes in, how regularly, what goes out, and how much room there is for a new repayment. Accountant-prepared documents become more important when:
- the amount is larger relative to your turnover
- statements are seasonal, patchy or short
- property security has thinner equity
- there’s a tax debt or complex structure to explain
- you’re targeting a larger property-secured loan within 24–48 hours
business.gov.au notes that lenders look at financial reports, including cash flow statements, when you apply for a business loan. The question on a same-day file is which reports, and how quickly.
So before you ring your accountant, ask the specialist on your first call exactly what the lender needs. It might be less than you think.
What can you pull yourself, right now?
Plenty. Before you ask anyone for anything:
| Document | Where to get it |
|---|---|
| Business bank statements | Your online banking, exported as PDFs |
| ABN and business name details | ABN Lookup, free, no login needed |
| Company details | ASIC’s free register search |
| ATO account balances and payment plans | ATO online services for business |
| Recent invoices, contracts, orders | Your own systems |
ATO online services need a myID with Standard or Strong identity strength, and authorisation to act for the business through the Relationship Authorisation Manager. If you’ve never set that up, today isn’t the day to start; ask your accountant for the ATO figures instead. But if you have access, you can see balances, overdue amounts and payment plans yourself, and print or save an account summary.
What should you ask your accountant for?
Be specific. “Can you send my financials?” invites a reply asking which ones. Ask for the exact items:
- The most recent annual financial statements, or the latest lodged tax return if statements aren’t prepared.
- A year-to-date profit and loss, if your books are reasonably current.
- A year-to-date balance sheet, if the lender needs it.
- Your ATO position: balances across accounts, any payment plan and whether it’s up to date.
- Anything unusual they know the lender will ask about, such as a one-off loss or a large asset sale.
Don’t ask for everything. Each extra document is more for them to find and for the lender to read.
If the deadline is today, start the enquiry now so the specialist can confirm the list while you message your accountant.
A message you can send before 9am
Accountants get many “urgent” emails. Make yours easy to act on. Something like:
Hi [name], I need business funding today for [purpose, e.g. a supplier payment due at 3pm]. The lender may need:
- Our latest financial statements (or 2025 tax return if not finalised)
- A year-to-date P&L
- Our current ATO position, including the payment plan
Could you send these by 10:30am if possible? If it’s easier, you’re welcome to speak to the lender directly; I’ll send their details. Thanks.
Send it before 9am. Follow up with a short call at 9:30 if you haven’t heard back. Offering direct contact with the lender often speeds things up, because a lender’s question can be answered in one conversation rather than relayed through you.
What if your books aren’t up to date?
Plenty of small businesses are a quarter or more behind on their books. That doesn’t necessarily stop a same-day loan, especially for smaller unsecured amounts assessed on statements. But:
- Say so on the first call. The specialist can choose a lender that works mainly from bank statements.
- Don’t send half-finished reports without explaining them. A draft P&L with obvious gaps raises more questions than it answers.
- Consider the amount. If the loan really needs financials you don’t have, a smaller same-day amount may cover today’s deadline while the books catch up.
If tax returns are overdue, mention that too. It isn’t an automatic no, but it’s the kind of thing a lender will discover, and finding it late costs the day.
How should you explain unusual numbers?
Accountant documents often raise questions that a two-line explanation answers instantly. Common ones:
- A loss year because of a one-off event: a flood, a big bad debt, a relocation.
- A sharp dip in revenue during a known seasonal quiet period.
- Large related-party transactions, such as loans to or from directors.
- Asset sales that boosted one year’s figures.
Write a short note for each and send it with the documents. A lender who reads “revenue fell in March because we closed for three weeks for a refit” doesn’t need to ask. Our one-sitting document pack covers the rest of the paperwork.
Should you ask your accountant whether to borrow?
If you have time, yes. An accountant knows your cash flow, tax position and plans, and can say whether borrowing makes sense or whether a payment plan, a supplier conversation or a change in pricing is the better answer. Many owners find a five-minute call more useful than any document.
For tax debts in particular, it’s worth a conversation about whether an ATO payment plan or funding suits better. The ATO says businesses owing $200,000 or less may be able to set up a plan online. Our page on tax payments due today compares the routes.
An illustrative morning
A Canberra IT services company needs $85k by mid-afternoon to pay a hardware distributor for a government contract. The owner enquires at 8:05am. On the first call, the specialist says the lender will want the last financial statements and a year-to-date P&L because of the amount. The owner sends his accountant a message like the one above at 8:20am, including the lender’s contact. The accountant sends both documents at 10:10am and takes a five-minute call from the lender at 11am about a large prepaid expense. The loan, secured against the owner’s investment unit, is signed at 1:30pm and the distributor is paid mid-afternoon.
The documents took two hours. They’d have taken two days without the specific ask.
How can you make the next urgent request easier?
Once today’s pressure has passed, a small amount of preparation means you’ll never need to send an urgent message to your accountant again:
- Ask for a standing “lender pack” after each year’s financials are finalised: statements, tax return and a one-page summary.
- Set up your own ATO online access with myID and the Relationship Authorisation Manager, so you can see balances yourself.
- Keep books reasonably current. A monthly reconciliation means a year-to-date profit and loss is always a few clicks away.
- Save the pack in one folder you can reach from your phone.
Some accountants offer this as part of their service. Even if yours doesn’t, asking once a year is far easier than asking at 8:20am with a deadline at 3pm.
What if your accountant is away?
It happens, especially in school holidays and around the end of the financial year. Ask whether someone else at the practice can send the documents; most firms can release a client’s lodged returns and statements if the partner is away. Failing that, lodged tax returns and notices of assessment may be available through your own ATO online services access, and your bookkeeping software can usually produce a year-to-date profit and loss. Tell the specialist what you can and can’t get today, and they’ll work with it.
If the amount is large, read why over $250k is a 24–48 hour job before promising anyone a same-day payment.
Working against today’s deadline?
Start with a quick enquiry so a specialist can tell you exactly what’s needed, and nothing more. It takes about a minute, there’s no credit check at that step, and we don’t send your details to a crowd of lenders.
A real person will call to talk it through and can speak with your accountant if that helps. Please fill in the form accurately, especially the amount and whether your books are up to date, so we ask for the right documents first time.
Frequently asked questions
Do I always need my accountant for a same-day business loan?
No. Smaller unsecured loans are often assessed mainly on bank statements. Accountant documents become more important for larger amounts, property-secured loans with thinner equity, or where statements don't tell the full story.
Can my accountant talk directly to the lender?
Often, yes, with your permission. That can save time if the lender has specific questions about the numbers.
What if my tax returns are behind?
Say so early. A year-to-date profit and loss and bank statements may be enough for some lenders. Late returns aren't necessarily fatal, but surprises cost time.
Can I get my ATO balance without my accountant?
Yes. The ATO's online services for business show account balances, overdue amounts and payment plans. You'll need a myID and the right authorisation in the Relationship Authorisation Manager.
Should I tell my accountant why I need the documents?
Yes, briefly. Knowing it's for a same-day business loan helps them prioritise and send the right version, and they may have useful advice on the borrowing itself.