When business debt becomes personal, you need more than numbers.

ATO debt and business pressure can mean sleepless nights, letters you have not opened, and a real worry about the company and about you. You may not yet know whether to save the business, restructure it, refinance existing facilities, or walk away. We start by understanding where you are. Then we help you see which pathways may be available. We do not start by judging how you got here.

Talk to us

How we can help

ATO debt assessment

We help you build a clear picture of ATO liabilities, GST, PAYG, super, interest, existing payment arrangements, and how they sit beside other business debts.

Payment arrangements

An ATO debt does not automatically mean the business has to close. We help you understand affordability and cash flow, and coordinate with registered tax professionals where a formal arrangement is being considered.

Consolidation and refinancing assessment

Sometimes a more manageable structure is worth looking at. We first ask whether replacing existing debt actually improves the position, rather than moving the problem somewhere else.

Restructuring and turnaround

If the business is still viable underneath the debt, we help you understand commercial options and coordinate with registered restructuring or insolvency practitioners where formal advice is required.

Director exposure

Unpaid PAYG, GST or super can become personal through Director Penalty Notices and guarantees. If you have received a DPN, garnishee, statutory demand or winding-up papers, get that assessed promptly with the right specialists.

Cash flow and viability

Restructuring debt without looking at the business model only delays the problem. We look at whether the underlying business can generate sustainable cash flow.

The Lumiro Business Recovery Framework

Eight steps from the first conversation through to a more sustainable position. We listen first. We do not skip from pressure to a product.

1. Listen Tell us what is happening. You do not need a perfect file first. No judgment about yesterday.
2. Diagnose We map ATO debt, lenders, creditors, cash flow, assets, liabilities and immediate threats.
3. Triage We identify what needs attention now: ATO correspondence, a DPN, a garnishee, a statutory demand, creditor pressure or a cash-flow shortage.
4. Assess viability Can the underlying business generate sustainable cash flow? Restructuring debt without looking at the business model only delays the problem.
5. Compare the pathways Depending on the facts: an ATO arrangement, consolidation, refinance, restructure, turnaround, or a formal insolvency conversation with registered professionals.
6. Build the team Where specialist work is required, we coordinate with accountants, tax practitioners, finance professionals, lawyers, and registered restructuring or insolvency practitioners.
7. Execute Turn the strategy into action, and keep the process moving so you are not left coordinating everyone on your own.
8. Rebuild The aim is not only to get through today's ATO problem. It is to leave the business less likely to return to the same crisis.

What are your options?

There is not one solution for every Australian business. The right pathway depends on the size and type of debt, cash flow, assets, director exposure, and whether the underlying business is still viable. You do not need to diagnose this yourself. That is what the first assessment is for.

ATO debt management

I owe the ATO. What can I actually do?

An ATO debt does not automatically mean the business has to close. The aim is not another promise to pay. It is a strategy the cash flow can realistically sustain, including the fact that General Interest Charge can keep accruing while an arrangement is in place.

• Review the total ATO liability, including GST, PAYG, super, interest and penalties
• Assess existing or defaulted payment arrangements and affordability
• Understand urgent ATO recovery activity before the next letter arrives
• Coordinate with registered tax professionals where a formal arrangement is being considered

Business debt consolidation

I am making payments everywhere. Can I bring my debts together?

A business may already have ATO debt, existing facilities, cards, equipment finance, merchant cash advances, supplier debts and other short-term finance. Many due dates and rates can starve cash flow. Consolidation is only worth considering if it actually improves the position. If the underlying business is still losing money, replacing several debts with one does not fix the problem.

• Map every facility, rate, security and repayment date first
• Test whether one structure would cost less, or only look easier this month
• Look at replacing expensive short-term finance where eligibility allows
• Treat refinancing as an assessment, not the default product

Business restructuring

The business works, but the debt does not. Can the company be saved?

Where a viable business has accumulated unsustainable historical debt, restructuring may need to be considered before irreversible decisions are made. For eligible incorporated companies that are insolvent or likely insolvent, Small Business Restructuring can be a pathway: total liabilities generally must not exceed $1 million, a registered restructuring practitioner is appointed, and directors can generally remain in control of the company while a plan is proposed to creditors. Formal advice and any appointment sit with that registered practitioner.

• Ask whether there is still a commercially viable business underneath the debt
• Understand Small Business Restructuring, creditor negotiations and operational change
• Directors generally remain in control during a Small Business Restructuring process
• Coordinate with a registered restructuring practitioner where formal advice is required

Business turnaround

The debt is only part of the problem. How do I fix the business itself?

Paying down debt without correcting why it accumulated can send a business straight back into distress. Sometimes the answer is not different finance. The business itself needs to change: revenue, margins, costs, staffing, structure and future viability.

• Look at revenue, margins, operating costs and cash flow together
• Include tax, creditor payments, assets and existing finance in the same picture
• Identify what has to change in the model, not only in the repayment calendar
• Build a path that is still realistic after the immediate crisis

Voluntary administration and formal insolvency

What happens if restructuring or refinancing is not enough?

Where a company is insolvent or approaching insolvency, formal options may need to be considered promptly. That can include voluntary administration, a deed of company arrangement, or other processes that only a registered insolvency professional can advise on and undertake. Lumiro helps you understand the commercial situation and connects you with those registered people. We do not make the appointment ourselves.

• Understand the broader commercial picture before a formal process starts
• Compare administration with other pathways, not as the automatic next step
• Include director exposure, employees and ongoing contracts in that conversation
• Work alongside a registered insolvency practitioner where an appointment is required

Company liquidation

What if the business genuinely cannot be saved?

Sometimes continuing to put money into an unsustainable company creates more damage. Liquidation may need to be considered where the company cannot realistically meet its obligations and there is not a viable recovery pathway. It is a major decision. Formal liquidation can only be undertaken by an appropriately registered liquidator. We do not treat it as the first or only conversation.

• Organise assets, liabilities, ATO, employees and related-party issues so the picture is clear
• Understand personal guarantees, director duties and possible personal exposure
• Know what happens to the company, contracts and assets after liquidation
• Connect with a registered liquidator for the formal work

Why early action matters

The longer ATO and business debt is left, the fewer options a company may have. The objective is to engage, assess, strategise and act. Not to panic, and not to ignore the next letter.

• General Interest Charge continuing to accrue
• Garnishee notices and Director Penalty Notices
• Statutory demands and court recovery
• Winding-up proceedings and director exposure

One team, support through every step

When a business is under pressure, you do not only need a spreadsheet. You need people who will walk through the process with you. Across our trusted support network we bring 30 years of combined experience in finance, business, debt navigation, restructuring and commercial problem-solving.

Traditional debt help often starts with “how much do you owe?” We start with what happened, what is happening now, what the business can realistically afford, what risks the director faces, and which strategy gives the strongest sustainable outcome. Saving a company means little if the strategy unnecessarily destroys the director personally.

• Organise ATO and business debts, urgent risks and available pathways
• Prepare you for discussions with the right professionals
• Coordinate accountants, tax practitioners, finance specialists, lawyers, and registered restructuring or insolvency practitioners where required
• Keep the process moving, and look beyond the immediate crisis

Where regulated tax, legal or formal insolvency advice is required, that work is done by appropriately qualified and registered professionals. Lumiro is the central strategy and support point so you are not left coordinating everyone while still running the business.

Debts and pressures we help you organise

• ATO liabilities
• GST, PAYG and super
• Business facilities and existing finance
• Supplier and creditor debts
• Director guarantees
• Defaulted ATO arrangements
• Equipment and short-term finance
• Working-capital pressure
• Personal exposure beside the company

When should you talk to us?

You do not need every item to be true. A few of these are enough reason to understand your position early, before options start to close.

ATO pressure

• You owe the ATO and are not sure how you will pay it.
• GST, PAYG or super has fallen behind.
• An ATO payment arrangement has become unaffordable or has already defaulted.

Cash flow and existing finance

• You are using new finance just to keep existing repayments going.
• The business may still be viable, but historical debt is consuming today's cash flow.
• Suppliers or creditors are chasing you constantly.

Director and legal risk

• You have received a Director Penalty Notice, garnishee, statutory demand or court papers.
• You are worried the company may already be insolvent.
• Someone has suggested liquidation and you do not know what that would mean for the company or for you.

Not sure which way to go

• You are unsure whether to refinance, restructure or sell.
• You are avoiding letters and calls because you do not know which problem to tackle first.

Private Lending

Private lending is a separate conversation from business debt support. If you have an eligible personal or business funding need, we can talk through whether a private lending option may be suitable.

It is not the default answer when someone is already under pressure from ATO debt or existing repayments. Those two situations need different thinking. Eligibility, terms and whether any facility proceeds depend on your circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

Do you wipe ATO debt or guarantee an outcome?

No. We help you understand the position, compare pathways, and coordinate with registered tax, legal or insolvency professionals where that work is required. We do not promise to wipe debt, stop all ATO action, or save every business.

Is the answer more funding?

Not automatically. We start with the debts and cash flow you already have. Refinancing or consolidation is only worth considering if it actually improves the position. New funding is not the default answer to an ATO or cash-flow problem.

Are you a registered liquidator or tax agent?

Formal tax lodgements, restructuring appointments and insolvency appointments sit with appropriately registered professionals. Lumiro helps you organise the commercial picture, understand options, and coordinate that specialist work when it is needed.

What if the business cannot be saved?

Sometimes continuing to put money into an unsustainable company creates more damage. If that may be the case, we help you understand the commercial picture and connect you with a registered insolvency professional. We do not treat liquidation as the first or only conversation.

Do you still help with personal debts and hardship?

Yes, where that sits beside the business picture, including director guarantees and household pressure from a company problem. Consumer credit repair slogans and mortgage broking are not what we offer.

Is private lending part of business debt support?

No. Private lending is a separate funding conversation when there is a specific requirement. It is not the default response when the business is already under pressure from existing commitments.

Do I need to know which option I need before we talk?

No. Most owners do not wake up knowing whether they need an ATO arrangement, consolidation, Small Business Restructuring, turnaround, administration or liquidation. The first assessment is designed to establish that.

What is Small Business Restructuring?

For eligible incorporated companies that are insolvent or likely insolvent, Small Business Restructuring can let directors remain in control while a registered restructuring practitioner helps propose a plan to creditors. Total liabilities generally must not exceed $1 million, and other eligibility rules apply. Lumiro can help you understand the commercial implications and coordinate with a registered practitioner. We do not make the appointment.

For free, independent help see Moneysmart and the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.