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Level 1
posted
a month ago
last updated ‎March 11, 2026 1:36 PM

BAS Payroll (BAS-W1) showing as negative as BAS will not submit

BAS Payroll (BAS-W1) showing as negative as BAS will not submit

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1 Comment 1
MichaelaS
QuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
a month ago

BAS Payroll (BAS-W1) showing as negative as BAS will not submit

Hi there. The reason you cannot submit your BAS is that the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) does not allow a negative value at label W1 (Total salary, wages, and other payments) on a Business Activity Statement (BAS). This negative discrepancy is usually caused by incorrectly coded transactions or adjustments from GST or Pay-as-you-go Withholding (PAYGW) amendments.
 

To identify the exact cause of the negative value, please run first the Transactions by Tax Code report to view a detailed breakdown and identify any errors. Here's how:
 

  1. From All apps, select the GST tab and click Overview.
  2. Select the Run reports dropdown, then choose Transactions by Tax Code.
  3. Set the report period and ensure you select the correct accounting method (Cash or Accrual).
  4. Look for any transactions that may have been categorized with the wrong GST code.
  5. Open the incorrect transaction, choose the correct code from the GST column, and select Save and close. Repeat this step for all other affected transactions.
     

Please note when checking for PAYGW discrepancies, I suggest opening the Detailed Activity Report from the Employees tab in a separate browser tab or window to compare the figures side-by-side.
 

If the W1 amounts still appear incorrect after re-coding, it may be due to GST or PAYGW amendments. An amendment occurs when a transaction from a previously lodged BAS period is edited after the lodgement was finalized, which carries the changes forward to your current BAS.
 

You can refer to the BAS amendment section of this article for steps on how to find those amendments: What to do when BAS amounts look incorrect.
 

If you find that transactions have been amended, fixing them often involves going back and unlodging the BAS for that specific period. Because this process can be a bit tricky, I recommend connecting with our QuickBooks Online Payroll Support team. They have the tools to jump on a screen-share with you and provide step-by-step guidance to get your BAS-W1 values back on track.

Please don't hesitate to leave us a response if you have other questions or concerns.

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