Owner away from the business? How to keep payments, approvals and funding moving

In a lot of small businesses, one person holds every key. They approve the payments, log in to the ATO, sign the documents and know which supplier gets paid first. That works — right up until that person is on a plane, in hospital, on a fishing trip with no reception or at a mine site for three weeks. Then a routine bill becomes a crisis, not because there’s no money, but because nobody else can move it.

Most cash emergencies that happen while an owner is away are access problems. This guide is about fixing them before you go.

Why does an owner’s absence cause cash problems?

Because the business’s money runs on permissions. A bank transfer needs someone authorised to approve it. A BAS needs someone authorised to lodge it. A loan needs every required signatory to sign. If all of those permissions sit with one person, their absence stops the clock — sometimes for days, sometimes at the worst possible moment.

The fixes aren’t complicated, but most of them take time to set up, and several need the owner present to start them. That’s why the week before departure is too late for some of them.

What should you set up before you leave?

1. Banking authority

Decide who will be able to see balances and approve payments while you’re away — a business partner, a trusted manager, your bookkeeper. Ask your bank what authority options it offers on business accounts, how limits and approvals work, and how long it takes to set up. Do it weeks before you go, not days.

Also check how you will approve payments from wherever you’ll be. If your bank sends verification codes by SMS, will your phone number work there? Will logging in from overseas trigger extra checks?

2. Government online access

The ATO explains that Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) is an authorisation service that lets you act on behalf of a business online when linked with your Digital ID, such as myID. Once a principal authority links their Digital ID to the business’s ABN in RAM, they can set up authorisations for other people. The person being authorised receives a request and has seven days to accept it by logging in to RAM with their own Digital ID.

That means the process needs both of you, and it isn’t instant. Start it early so your nominee can see account balances, lodge if needed, and manage payment arrangements while you’re away.

3. Known payments, scheduled in advance

List every payment due while you’re away and schedule what you can:

Payment	Why it matters
Wages	Staff need to be paid on time, every time
Super	Since 1 July 2026, contributions must reach funds within 7 business days after payday
BAS	Monthly BAS is due on the 21st; quarterly on 28 October, 28 February, 28 April and 28 July
Rent and loan repayments	Missed payments can trigger default terms
Key suppliers	A supplier putting you on stop can halt the business
Insurance renewals	Lapsed cover is a risk you don’t need while away

The ATO’s BAS due dates and Payday Super deadlines don’t move because you’re travelling. If a due date falls on a weekend or public holiday, the ATO gives you until the next business day, but it’s better not to rely on that from a different time zone.

4. Signing arrangements

If something unexpected happens — a funding need, a contract, a lease renewal — someone will need to sign. Find out now:

• whether your key documents can be signed electronically from overseas;
• whether any would need witnessing, and who could witness you where you’ll be;
• what time zone you’ll be in, and how that lines up with Australian business hours;
• whether a formal authority for someone to sign on your behalf is appropriate for your situation — and get proper advice before setting one up.

Our signing delays page covers how lenders handle remote signatories.

5. A funding plan B

If there’s any chance of a cash gap while you’re away — a seasonal dip, a big supplier bill, a slow-paying customer — sort out the funding before you leave. An application started from a hotel room, across a time zone, with your paperwork back home, is the hardest kind. A standby facility arranged in advance, with the right people authorised, is the easiest. The guide to raising cash fast compares the options, and you can start a 60-second enquiry while you’re still at your desk.

What should the person left in charge know?

Write a one-page handover:

• the bank accounts, what each is for and the minimum balance to keep;
• the payment schedule for the period you’re away;
• who to call at the bank, the accountant and key suppliers;
• the ATO balance and any payment plan in place — see ATO debt and fast loans;
• where the paperwork is kept: statements, ID copies, rates notices, the trust deed;
• how and when to reach you, with your time zone.

The Paperwork Stopwatch is a good checklist of the documents to leave accessible.

How do time zones change things?

If you’ll be overseas, your working day and Australia’s may barely overlap. A request to approve a payment at 2pm in Sydney might arrive at 4am where you are. Agree in advance which decisions your nominee can make alone, which need you, and the times you’ll check messages. If you’re travelling within Australia, remember the gaps shift during daylight saving — see daylight saving and interstate deadlines.

Illustrative example: three weeks away

Illustrative scenario only. The owner of a Newcastle landscaping business plans three weeks overseas in November. A month before, she sets up her operations manager with approval authority on the business account, authorises him in RAM so he can see ATO balances, schedules wages and super, and arranges a modest line of credit to cover a large irrigation supplies order due mid-trip.

In week two, a council contract requires an unexpected materials purchase. Her manager draws on the line of credit and pays the supplier the same day, messaging her for approval during an agreed evening check-in. Nothing waits for her flight home.

What about unplanned absences?

Not every absence is booked months ahead. Illness, injury or a family emergency can take an owner out of the business with no warning — which is the best argument for doing the setup above now, even if you have no travel plans.

A few low-effort steps give a business resilience against the unexpected:

• Keep at least one other trusted person authorised on the business bank account, with sensible limits.
• Authorise a second person in RAM for the business’s ATO online services.
• Keep the one-page handover document current, and tell someone where it is.
• Store key documents — ID copies, trust deed, leases, insurance policies — somewhere secure that a nominated person can reach.
• Make sure your accountant or bookkeeper knows who to deal with if you can’t be contacted.

None of this hands over control of the business. It simply means routine payments and deadlines don’t stop because one person can’t pick up the phone.

Leave with the cash side sorted

A break from the business should be a break. If you’re planning time away and can see a potential cash gap in that period, it’s worth sorting the funding before you pack. The enquiry takes about 60 seconds, and there’s no credit check when you first enquire. Your details go to one team — not sprayed across a list of lenders — and a real person looks at your timing and your security before suggesting anything. Please fill in the form accurately, including when you’ll be away, so the plan works around your dates.

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