Civil construction, earthmoving and plant hire
Financial advice for earthmoving owners who built the fleet first.
Financial advice, structure and tax coordination for owners of earthmoving, excavation, civil construction and plant hire businesses, on the Gold Coast, in Melbourne and Australia-wide. We work out how much of your wealth is parked in machines, then build a plan to move some of it into your own name, with Altiora Advisory looking after the tax.
The business-owner wealth gap
Most earthmoving owners we meet are asset rich on paper and cash poor in practice. Every good year buys another machine. Twenty-five years on, the yard looks like a fortune, the finance is still running and the owner’s super is thin because the business always came first.
$20k
Instant asset write-off limit per asset for small businesses, permanent from 01/07/2026
3
Times fuel tax credit rates changed in 2026: April, July and August
8.77%
Division 7A benchmark interest rate for 2026-27
$6m
Net asset test for the small business CGT concessions. Machines count.
Sound familiar?
Hard work built the business. Now the business needs a plan.
Two sets of pressure: running a plant-heavy business, and making sure it eventually pays you back.
Running the business
The fleet owns the bank account
Chattel mortgages and hire purchase on every machine. Repayments come out whether it rained or not, and the book value of the fleet says little about what it would fetch at auction.
Cash comes in lumps
Progress claims, retentions held back for months, slow payers and wet weeks. BAS, payroll and super with every pay run still arrive on time. Security of payment rules differ by state, and they keep changing.
Fuel tax credits that keep moving
Rates changed three times in 2026, the rate depends on when the fuel was bought, and on-road and off-road use are treated differently. It is easy to claim the wrong amount.
Jobs across the border
Work in another state brings another payroll tax regime, registrations and licences, and related businesses can be grouped so they share one threshold.
Your own wealth
Your wealth lives in the yard
The business is worth something. How much of that you could ever get out, after finance, tax and a buyer’s discount, is a different number, and few owners know it.
Money comes out through the company
Drawings, a ute, the house deposit. If the company lends you money without a complying Division 7A loan agreement, the tax bill can be far bigger than the loan.
Super was always next year
Owners paid through drawings or trust distributions don’t get the Super Guarantee on that money. Your crew’s super is now paid with every pay run. Yours may not have been paid at all.
Who takes the business on?
A son or daughter in the business, one who isn’t, or a sale. Each path needs a different structure, and the CGT rules change on 01/07/2027.
Family business, family decisions
Most civil businesses are family businesses.
A partner who does the books. Kids who grew up in the cab. A brother-in-law on the float. That is the strength of the business, and it is also why the money questions get personal fast: who owns what, who gets paid, and who takes over.
We help you separate the business decisions from the family ones, put them in the right order and write them down. Altiora Advisory makes sure the structure and the tax hold up, and our preferred legal provider looks after the agreements and wills. Read more on succession and exit planning for business owners and estate planning.
How we help
Structure, set-up, tax and wealth. One plan, two firms.
You call us first. We take the enquiry, map where you are and bring Altiora Advisory in for the accounting and tax, so you deal with one team and one plan.
Map the structure
Trading company, equipment entity, family trust, the yard, the SMSF and the home. Who owns the machines, who carries the risk, and where the profit ends up.
Set it up properly
Altiora Advisory reviews or establishes the entities, registrations across states, payroll tax grouping and the agreements between your companies. Legal documents come from our preferred legal provider.
Get the tax right
Depreciation and the write-off, fuel tax credits, Division 7A loans and trust distributions, handled by Altiora Advisory and planned before 30 June, not after.
Build the wealth plan
How much to take out each year, catching up on super, the yard and the debt, then succession or sale. Reviewed every year with both firms around the table.
Wealth Effect Group
Strategy and the wealth plan
- Your Structure Map and priorities
- Owner wealth plan: what to take out, and when
- Super catch-up and contribution strategy
- Investment strategy outside the business
- Succession and exit planning
- The annual review that keeps it all current
Altiora Advisory
Accounting, tax and set-up
- Entity set-up, restructures and rollovers
- Tax returns, BAS and fuel tax credit claims
- Depreciation, write-offs and plant purchases
- Division 7A loans and trust distributions
- Payroll tax and interstate registrations
- Selling a business and the small business CGT concessions
Altiora Advisory is our referral partner and a separate business. You are welcome to keep your own accountant, and we will work with them instead.
What you get
Five things that turn machines into a future.
Your Structure Map
Every entity, machine-holding company, trust and property on one page, with who owns and who controls each.
What the business is really worth to you
Fleet value against finance owing, and what would be left after tax if you sold. A straight number, not the one on the balance sheet.
An owner pay plan
A sensible way to pay yourself each year, without Division 7A surprises and with super finally in the mix.
A super catch-up strategy
Contributions, carry-forward catch-up where you’re eligible, and whether an SMSF holding the yard makes sense.
A succession or exit timeline
Family handover or sale, the small business CGT concessions and the 01/07/2027 change, set out in order.
Personal advice is provided in writing in a Statement of Advice, with the fee agreed up front. Tax advice comes from Altiora Advisory or your own registered tax agent.
Illustrative example
A $2.4 million fleet. What is it worth to the owner?
A simple illustration, not a real client. An owner aged 55 runs six machines with a written-down value of $2.4 million and $1.5 million of equipment finance still owing. Their super balance is $180,000.
| On the books | If the fleet sold at 80% of book value | |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet value | $2,400,000 | $1,920,000 |
| Less finance owing | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Equity in the machines | $900,000 | $420,000 |
The yard looks like $2.4 million. The owner’s real stake could be under half a million, before tax on any sale. That is the business-owner wealth gap. Now add a plan: if the owner and their spouse each put $25,000 a year into super for ten years, that is 2 x $25,000 x 10 = $500,000 contributed, outside the business and in their own names. Contributions tax and investment returns would change the final figure, and the right amount depends on eligibility and cash flow.
Illustrative example only. Not based on a real client. Resale values vary widely, and contribution amounts are illustrative, not a statement of the contribution caps. Not a guarantee of any outcome.
Who it’s for
For owners who’d rather be on site than in the office.
A good fit if you
- Own an earthmoving, excavation, civil or plant hire business
- Have a fleet on finance and a business that has outgrown its original structure
- Take money out of the company and aren’t sure how it is treated
- Have under-funded your own super for years
- Are thinking about handing over to family or selling in the next ten years
Probably not for you if you
- Only want your BAS or tax return done (Altiora Advisory can help with that directly)
- Want equipment finance arranged on this call
- Are looking for an aggressive tax scheme
Questions we hear
Quick answers.
Do you do my BAS, tax returns and fuel tax credits?
No. Accounting and tax work, including BAS and fuel tax credit claims, is done by our referral partner Altiora Advisory, a separate business. If you already have an accountant you trust, keep them. We make sure the wealth plan and the tax work line up.
Should my machines sit in a separate company from the one that does the work?
Many civil businesses keep valuable plant away from the entity that signs contracts and carries the risk. It can help with asset protection, but it brings its own issues: finance, GST, stamp duty, payroll tax grouping and Division 7A. Altiora Advisory and our preferred legal provider work through it with you before anything moves.
I take money out of the company whenever I need it. Is that a problem?
It can be. Money a private company lends to a shareholder or their associates can be treated as an unfrankable dividend unless it is repaid or put under a complying Division 7A loan agreement before the company’s tax return is lodged. Those loans need minimum yearly repayments, and the benchmark interest rate for 2026-27 is 8.77%.
Can I write off a new excavator?
Probably not in one hit. The $20,000 instant asset write-off is now permanent for small businesses with aggregated turnover under $10 million, but it applies per asset costing less than $20,000. Most yellow plant costs far more, so it is depreciated over time. Your accountant will confirm the treatment.
Why do fuel tax credit rates keep changing?
Rates are indexed and also move when the Government changes fuel excise or the road user charge. In 2026 they changed in April, July and August. The rate that applies depends on when you bought the fuel and how it was used, so claims need care.
Can my SMSF buy the yard or depot?
Yes, within limits. An SMSF can own business real property and lease it to your business at market rent, within strict rules. Since 10/08/2026, new SMSF borrowing for real property is only allowed for business real property. It needs advice before you sign anything.
I want to hand the business to my kids. Where do I start?
Separate three questions: who will own it, who will run it, and how you will be paid out. Then look at fairness for children who aren’t in the business, the small business CGT concessions and the 01/07/2027 CGT change. Start years before the handover, not months.
What does it cost?
The first 15-minute call is free. If we go further, we agree any fee in writing before work starts, and personal advice is provided in a Statement of Advice. Altiora Advisory quotes its own fees separately.
Insights
Reading for business owners.
Start here
Book a 15-minute call.
Tell us about the business and what’s on your mind. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, and what the next step would be.
- Free, by phone or Teams, early mornings by arrangement
- Owners of earthmoving, civil and plant hire businesses
- Altiora Advisory brought in for accounting and tax where needed
- Licensed through Boston Reed Pty Ltd (AFSL 225738)
Before the next machine
Every good year buys another machine. Make the next one buy your future.
Fifteen minutes to see how much of your wealth is really yours, and what to do about it.
General advice only. This page does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs, so consider whether it is appropriate for you and read our Financial Services Guide before acting. Tax, superannuation and state payroll tax rules change often and differ between states. Information is current as at 13/10/2026 and is a general summary, not tax advice. The illustrative example is not based on a real client, uses simplified arithmetic and is not a guarantee of any outcome. Wealth Effect Group (CAR 424768) and Andre Dirckze (AR 395157) are Authorised Representatives of Boston Reed Pty Ltd, ABN 89 091 004 885, AFSL 225738. Accounting and tax services are provided by Altiora Advisory, not by Wealth Effect Group; we may receive a referral fee. See our important information.