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    • How GST works on engagements (and why totals can look different)
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Docs / Engagements & proposals

How GST works on engagements (and why totals can look different)

Enter all engagement prices ex-GST. How Nagaris calculates and displays GST to the client, and why hourly and range packages show no GST breakdown.

All prices you enter in Nagaris are GST-exclusive. Nagaris then calculates GST and presents it to your client on the proposal. This article explains where GST comes from, what the client sees, and the most common reason an engagement seems to show two different totals.

Enter prices ex-GST

Every money column in the proposal builder is labelled accordingly — Client Billing (ex. GST) and Budget, $ (ex. GST) on the Services tab, Price, $ (ex. GST) on job cards, and the footer totals Engagement Value (ex. GST) and Total Budget (ex. GST). The payment schedule's Amount column is also ex GST.

If a total looks wrong, or the engagement appears to show two different figures for the same work, the usual cause is that GST-inclusive prices were typed into the services table. Re-enter the amounts excluding GST and the totals will calculate correctly, with GST added on top for the client.

Where the GST rate comes from

Nagaris works out the tax rate per service line:

  1. From the tax rate of the service's Xero Revenue Account (set on the service in your services list), then

  2. From your organisation's default revenue account, and otherwise

  3. Standard 10% GST.

This means GST-free services (for example some exports or specific supplies mapped to a GST-free account) are handled correctly alongside taxable ones on the same proposal.

What the client sees

On the client-facing proposal, each fixed-price package shows a GST summary above its payment options:

  • Subtotal (taxable, ex GST) — the ex-GST total of taxable lines.

  • Subtotal (GST-free) — shown only when the package includes GST-free lines.

  • GST (10% on taxable items) — the GST amount (the percentage reflects the actual rate when all taxable lines share one rate).

The payment option then displays the total including GST. Where individual service prices are itemised, each carries a small + GST or GST-free marker.

Hourly rate and range packages

For On Completion - Hourly Rate packages and packages priced as a range (On Completion - Range), Nagaris deliberately shows no GST summary and no All prices exclude GST note next to the price. Because the final amount isn't fixed until the work is billed, the exact GST component can't be calculated up front. This is expected behaviour, not a missing total — GST is applied when the work is invoiced.

For fixed packages where a per-line GST breakdown isn't available, the proposal instead shows the note All prices exclude GST.

Card surcharges

If the engagement is set so the client pays the card processing fee (Settings, then Card Processing Fee, then Client pays the fee), the proposal notes: A 1.95% + 30c (exc. GST) surcharge applies for card payments. When direct debit is also available, it adds No surcharge when paying by bank account. The surcharge itself is quoted ex GST.

Troubleshooting

  • Two different totals on the same engagement: almost always GST-inclusive prices entered in the services table. Fix the line prices ex-GST.

  • No GST label next to an hourly or range price: expected — see above.

  • Wrong GST rate on a line: check the Xero Revenue Account on the service in your services list, and the tax rate configured for that account in Xero.

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