ATO debt coordination for small business

Facing ATO debt? Get your advisers and next steps coordinated.

SBR Assist coordinates the people, information and work involved in business debt matters. We help keep the client, their advisers and other relevant parties aligned.

Apply now → Refer a client

Leo Iermano, former ATO Director, coordinates every matter.

30+ yearsof ATO experience behind our coordination

Working alongside

Accountants
Bookkeepers
Lawyers
Insolvency practitioners
Brokers

One point of contactconnecting you with the client’s chosen advisers and specialists

Our mission

A coordinated team around your business

Substantial ATO debt can feel overwhelming. SBR Assist coordinates access to independent registered tax agents, lawyers, restructuring and insolvency practitioners, brokers and funding providers. Each professional provides advice within their own area of expertise.

Registered tax agents and tax lawyers
Registered restructuring and insolvency practitioners
Independent brokers and funding providers

Each expert works independently to the highest standards in their field. We coordinate information, meetings and key dates to help keep the director, their advisers and relevant specialists aligned throughout the matter.

How it works Meet Leo

Why SBR Assist

Decades of ATO experience, on your side

When a business is under pressure from ATO debt, directors benefit from getting organised and involving their advisers early.

Former ATO Director

Over 30 years inside the ATO helps us organise information clearly for you and your advisers.

One coordinated team

Lawyers, insolvency practitioners, advisors and funders working to a single plan.

Act early, keep options

Getting your advisers involved early can preserve more options before enforcement action.

Fair & honest

Clarity and empathy for directors and their families under real pressure.

A holistic approach

No silver bullet. Everything on the table.

ATO debt rarely has a single fix. We organise the relevant information and coordinate discussions so the client’s appointed advisers can assess the available options and provide their professional advice.

That's why we encourage you to bring your accountant, registered tax agent, lawyer and business partners into our meetings. Everyone hears the same information, everyone has their say, and everyone is comfortable with the plan before we move forward.

Full pictureThe relevant information organised and shared.

Everyone in the roomYour advisers involved from the first meeting.

Agreed togetherWe help the client and advisers record agreed next steps.

Book a meeting How it works

All parties aligned before we proceed

Our services

Coordinated support for ATO debt

Every business is different. We organise the relevant information and coordinate discussions so the client’s appointed advisers can assess the available options and provide their professional advice.

All services →

Small Business Restructuring

A formal process run by a registered restructuring practitioner.

Practitioner-led process
Subject to eligibility
Creditor approval required

Learn more →

Voluntary & external administration

An independent practitioner assesses the way forward.

Led by a registered practitioner
The practitioner advises on the process
Coordinated with your advisers

Learn more →

Coordination for ATO debt matters

Records organised, advisers aligned.

Records & notices organised
Your registered tax agent at the centre
One timeline for every adviser

Learn more →

Funding-provider coordination

Information and timing coordinated, if funding is required.

Your advisers decide who is involved
Independent brokers or lenders assess
Aligned to the plan's timeline

Learn more →

Led by experience

Decades inside the ATO, now coordinating on your side

Leo Iermano spent more than three decades at the Australian Taxation Office, leading audits and teams across Income Tax, GST and FBT and working at the highest policy level. Since 2019, Leo has coordinated business debt matters, helping clients and their advisers organise information, responsibilities and next steps.

His understanding of how the ATO operates helps clients and their advisers organise information clearly and keep matters moving. Tax advice and dealings with the ATO stay with each client's registered tax agent.

Leo Iermano

Strategic Financial Coordinator · Former ATO Director

Over 30 years of ATO experience, now focused on coordination.

Director, Serious Evasion Risk & Intelligence, and Delivery Director, Australian Business Register
Led audits and teams across Income Tax, GST and FBT
Coordinating ATO debt matters for business owners and their advisers since 2019
Turned to by accountants, brokers and insolvency practitioners for complex cases

Meet Leo →Book a time ↗

How it works

From first conversation through coordinated next steps

We coordinate information, meetings and key dates throughout the matter.

Tell us what's happening

We help you gather the full picture: notices, debts, business status and records. Bring your accountant, registered tax agent, lawyer or partners along.

Organise the information

We organise your records and correspondence so your advisers can see the whole picture clearly.

Everything on the table

Leo coordinates discussions so the client and their advisers can assess the available options.

Move forward together

Once everyone is comfortable, we coordinate information and key dates with the client’s chosen advisers and specialists through to the end.

Start with a conversation →

Experience that counts

ATO experience, clearly coordinated

30+

Years of ATO experience

Audits, risk, intelligence and policy, from the inside.

Point of contact

One coordinator keeping your advisers, funders and practitioners aligned.

Shared timeline

Key dates and next steps kept in one place for you and every adviser.

Don't wait until the ATO acts first

Director Penalty Notices, garnishee orders and wind-up action move quickly. Early coordination gives your appointed advisers more time to consider the available options.

Apply now Coordination for urgent ATO notices → Call 03 8696 6336

Independent funding providers

Broker or lender

Coordinated timinginformation ready when funding is needed

Funding-provider coordination

A plan is only as good as its funding

Many paths, from paying a restructuring plan to clearing a tax debt, depend on finance being in place. Where funding is required, the client’s appointed practitioner or advisers may involve an independent broker or lender. Those parties assess the application and provide any funding advice. SBR Assist coordinates the information and timing only. All funding applications are independently assessed.

Your practitioner or advisers decide whether a broker or lender is involved
Independent brokers or lenders assess the application and provide any funding advice
SBR Assist coordinates the information and timing only

Funding-provider coordination See success stories

Upcoming webinar

Learn the options before the ATO acts

A free session for advisers working with business owners facing ATO debt.

Wed28Oct 2026

Free live webinar · 1 CPD hour

ATO tax debt: repay, refinance or restructure?

When a business can't pay its ATO debt, there are three main paths. Specialists explain what each option is, how to access it, what can go wrong, and when it does and doesn't suit, with real client cases and the ATO Tax Debt Options Calculator.

Leo IermanoStrategic Financial Coordinator, SBR Assist
Giulio AvianSpecialist finance broker
Jarvis ArcherRestructuring Practitioner & Registered Liquidator, Business Reset

1:00pm AEDTMelbourne & Sydney12:00pm QLD · 12:30pm SA · 10:00am WA

Hosted by Business Reset. Presented jointly with SBR Assist Pty Ltd. General information only and not financial, tax, legal or insolvency advice.

Success stories

Real businesses, real outcomes

Examples of coordinated support for businesses facing ATO debt.

View all stories →

$1.6M

Professional services

A $1.6M ATO debt, approached as a team

An independent broker assessed the funding application. SBR Assist coordinated information and timing for the wider matter.

Read story →

SBR

Civil infrastructure

Back on track after a client's collapse

An independent broker assessed the funding application. SBR Assist coordinated information and timing for the wider matter. An SBR was then completed.

Read story →

$950k

Construction

SBR considered as an alternative to formal insolvency

A Victorian builder with ATO and super liabilities, and a tight SBR timeline.

Read story →

Apply now

Take the first step today

The key to managing ATO obligations is being proactive. Tell us a little about your situation and our team will be in touch as soon as possible during business hours.

Phone03 8696 6336

Emailsupport@sbrassist.com.au

OfficeLevel 4, 24 Albert Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205

Hours9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

Bring your team. You're welcome to bring your accountant, registered tax agent, lawyer or business partners to the first meeting. The more of the picture everyone sees, the better your advisers can assess the options.

Prefer to talk to Leo directly?Book a 30-minute consultation

Click here ↗

Secure online form · about 3 minutes

SBR Client Inquiry Form

Tell us about you, your company and your situation. You can also upload supporting documents.

1
Your detailsName, mobile and email
2
Your companyCompany name, ABN and state
3
Your storyA quick summary, plus any documents

Start my enquiry ↗

Opens our secure enquiry form in a new tab. Your information is handled in line with our Privacy Policy.

Home/Services

Our services

Coordinated support for ATO debt, alongside your chosen advisers

There's no silver bullet for ATO debt. We organise the relevant information and coordinate discussions so the client’s appointed advisers can assess the available options and provide their professional advice.

Small Business Restructuring

A formal process, run by a registered restructuring practitioner, through which an eligible company can propose a plan to its creditors, including the ATO. Depending on eligibility, practitioner advice and creditor approval, an SBR may help a company remain under the directors’ control, continue trading and propose a compromise of eligible debts. We coordinate the information and people involved, alongside your registered tax agent and lawyer.

Run by a registered restructuring practitioner
Subject to eligibility and creditor approval
Coordinated with your tax agent and lawyer

Talk to us about SBR →

Voluntary & external administration

In a voluntary administration, an independent registered practitioner takes control of the company and assesses the way forward. We help directors get organised and connect them with experienced, registered practitioners, who advise on the process.

Led by a registered practitioner
The practitioner advises on the process
Coordinated with your advisers

Talk to us →

Coordination for ATO debt matters

We help you organise records, notices and correspondence, and coordinate with your registered tax agent. Your registered tax agent assesses the tax position, prepares any tax request and deals with the ATO.

Records, notices and correspondence organised
Your registered tax agent kept at the centre
Every adviser working to the same timeline

Talk to us →

Funding-provider coordination

Paying a restructuring plan or a tax debt often needs finance. Where funding is required, the client’s appointed practitioner or advisers may involve an independent broker or lender. Those parties assess the application and provide any funding advice. SBR Assist coordinates the information and timing only. All funding applications are independently assessed.

Your appointed practitioner or advisers decide who is involved
Independent brokers or lenders assess and advise
Information and timing coordinated by SBR Assist

Talk to us →

SBR Assist coordinates access to independent registered tax agents, lawyers, restructuring and insolvency practitioners, brokers and funding providers. Each professional provides advice within their own area of expertise. All funding applications are independently assessed. SBR Assist’s role is limited to project coordination and administrative support.

Not sure where to start?

Tell us what's happened. We organise the relevant information and coordinate discussions so the client’s appointed advisers can assess the available options and provide their professional advice.

Apply now Call 03 8696 6336

Home/Meet Leo

Meet Leo Iermano

Decades inside the ATO, now coordinating on your side

Strategic Financial Coordinator · Former ATO Director

Leo brings more than 30 years of ATO experience to his work. As a former ATO Director he led audits and teams across Income Tax, GST and FBT. Since 2019, Leo has coordinated business debt matters, helping clients and their advisers organise information, responsibilities and next steps.

Set an appointment with Leo ↗Apply now

Off the clock

A bit about Leo

Leo's family roots run back to Italy, which is where his love of football began. These days he's a big fan of the English Premier League, and a dedicated Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter, a club he got behind when his kids started following them.

⚽ Up the Wolves Tap to flip back

Why experience matters

When the stakes are high, insight is everything

When a business is dealing with ATO debt, having someone who understands how the ATO operates helps everyone work more effectively. Leo's background helps clients and their advisers organise information clearly, understand the process and keep the matter moving.

Since November 2019, Leo has worked alongside business owners and their advisers, including tax agents across Melbourne, coordinating the people, information and workstreams involved in ATO debt matters. SBR Assist coordinates access to independent registered tax agents, lawyers, restructuring and insolvency practitioners, brokers and funding providers. Each professional provides advice within their own area of expertise.

$2B+

In revenue outcomes he helped deliver at the ATO.

2010 Budget

Represented the ATO on a major compliance initiative.

Career

Nov 2019 to nowStrategic Financial Coordinator
Coordinating the people, information and workstreams involved in ATO debt matters.
2012 to 2013Delivery Director, Australian Business Register
Australian Taxation Office
2010 to 2012Director, Serious Evasion Risk & Intelligence
Also Acting Senior Director, Complex Risk & Strategy
2009 to 2010Special Project Design Manager, New Policy
Australian Taxation Office
2006 to 2009Manager & Acting Director, GST Risk & Strategy
Complex risk and strategy across markets
2000 to 2006Manager, GST Large Compliance Program
Australian Taxation Office

10 reasons

Why work with SBR Assist

Built on ATO systems, not guesswork

Leo helped design the compliance frameworks most businesses now face.

Firsthand insight into risk models

Leo understands how the ATO approaches risk, helping clients and their advisers prepare.

Experience at the highest policy level

Leo worked directly with an Assistant Commissioner on national enforcement priorities.

A record of results

Expertise that once helped recover billions now supports businesses and their advisers.

Knows how the ATO works

Leo understands the ATO's culture and processes from the inside.

Proactive, not reactive

We help clients and their advisers act early, while more options remain.

Built for directors under pressure

Clarity, empathy and organised next steps when tax debt is urgent.

Funding timing coordinated

Where advisers involve a broker or lender, information and timing are coordinated from the start.

Trusted by professionals

Accountants, insolvency practitioners and brokers bring him their complex cases.

A mission to preserve good businesses

Helping directors act with confidence and clarity, before it's too late.

Talk to Leo about your matter

Book a 30-minute consultation to talk through where things stand and how we can coordinate support. You're welcome to bring your accountant, registered tax agent or lawyer.

Set an appointment ↗Call 03 8696 6336

Home/Success stories

Success stories

Difficult positions, workable plans

Each of these matters brought together the director, their accountant and tax agent, legal and insolvency specialists and a funding partner, with SBR Assist coordinating the people and information involved.

Professional services · Legal partnership

A coordinated approach to a $1.6 million ATO debt

~$1.6MTotal ATO debt

~$1.25MCore tax liability funded

The situation: A partnership of two practising lawyers owed the ATO about $1.6 million: roughly $1.25 million in tax, with the balance made up of interest and penalties.
The outcome: An independent broker assessed the funding application. SBR Assist coordinated information and timing for the wider matter. This left the partners better placed to deal with the remaining interest and penalties with their advisers.

Civil infrastructure · Koo Wee Rup, VIC

Back on track after their only client collapsed

~$250kUnpaid invoices

SBRCompleted

The situation: When their sole client went into administration during COVID-19, this couple was left with about $250,000 unpaid, and an ATO default shut them out of mainstream lending.
The outcome: An independent broker assessed the funding application. SBR Assist coordinated information and timing for the wider matter. Working with the clients' advisers and a registered restructuring practitioner, a Small Business Restructure was completed.

Construction · Victoria

SBR considered as an alternative to formal insolvency

~$950kATO liabilities incl. super

~$200kAnticipated SBR proposal

The situation: A construction business owed around $950,000 to the ATO, including unpaid employee superannuation. The directors wanted to avoid formal insolvency.
The challenge: Funds were needed to pay the SBR proposal and the superannuation in full, on a tight timeline as the practitioner prepared to begin the formal process.

Restructuring · Company-owned security

An approved SBR after two years of complexity

$235kApproved SBR

~2 yrsManaging the debt

The situation: After nearly two years managing a complex tax debt, the client’s registered restructuring practitioner and advisers identified SBR as an appropriate path. Conventional funding wasn't available because the security property was owned by the company.
The outcome: A $235,000 Small Business Restructure was approved.

Hospitality · Family business

Support when life changed overnight

The situation: A pizza shop owner's husband fell suddenly ill and could no longer work, and the business had built up tax debt it could not service.
Our approach: We coordinated the client and the relevant financial, legal, tax, insolvency and funding professionals.

Case details are summarised and de-identified. In each matter, tax advice and ATO dealings were handled by the client's own advisers, and formal processes by the relevant practitioners. Every situation is different and outcomes depend on individual circumstances.

Could your business be next?

Tell us where things stand and we'll help bring your advisers together.

Apply now Refer a client

Home/For professionals

For professionals

A strategic partner for your most difficult client files

Bring us a client with ATO debt and we'll work with you, not around you. We encourage clients to bring their advisers into every meeting, so you stay at the centre of the relationship while we bring ATO experience and coordinate the specialists.

Refer a client Book a time with Leo ↗

Accountants & tax agents

Coordination support on SBR, voluntary administration and ATO debt matters, without overstretching your own team. You remain your client's tax adviser.

Submit a scenario ↗

Bookkeepers

Spot the warning signs early and give clients a clear next step when ATO debt starts to build.

Refer a client ↗

Lawyers

Coordination of information and timing with the client’s other advisers, alongside your legal advice.

Refer a client ↗

Insolvency practitioners

Information and timing coordination with the client’s other advisers, including any broker or lender you involve.

Work with us ↗

Brokers

When a client's ATO debt is blocking a deal, we coordinate with their registered tax agent and other advisers so finance can follow.

Refer a client ↗

Business owners

Running the business yourself? Talk to us directly and we'll work with your accountant and tax agent.

Apply now →

You're part of the meeting, not left out of it

We use a holistic approach: everything goes on the table with all the related professionals involved. Accountants, tax agents, lawyers and business partners are encouraged to join, so everyone is comfortable before anything moves forward.

Funding providersWhere funding is required, the client’s appointed practitioner or advisers may involve an independent broker or lender. Those parties assess the application and provide any funding advice. SBR Assist coordinates the information and timing only.

LawyersLegal advice from independent, qualified lawyers.

Insolvency practitionersConnecting clients with the right licensed professionals.

Refer a client

Submit a scenario

Share the outline of your client's situation. We'll come back to you to discuss how we can coordinate support, before anything goes to the client.

Rather talk it through?Book 30 minutes with Leo

Click here ↗

Secure online form · about 3 minutes

Submit a scenario

Share your client's details and situation through our secure enquiry form. You can also upload supporting documents.

1
Client detailsName, mobile and email
2
Client companyCompany name, ABN and state
3
The situationA quick summary, plus any documents

Submit a scenario ↗

Opens our secure enquiry form in a new tab. Please only share client details with your client's consent.

Home/Coordination for urgent ATO notices

Time-critical

Received an ATO notice? Act today.

Some ATO actions come with strict deadlines, and options narrow quickly once they pass. Contact us now and our team will be in touch as soon as possible during business hours.

Who does what. SBR Assist coordinates the people, information and deadlines so your appointed advisers can handle their parts of the response. Your registered tax agent provides tax advice and handles ATO dealings, while your lawyer provides legal advice.

Call 03 8696 6336 Request coordination

Contact us now

Call or apply online and tell us what you've received.

Get organised fast

We help you gather the notice and key documents so your advisers can act quickly.

Your advisers, involved fast

We help get your registered tax agent, lawyer or other specialists involved quickly.

Personal liability

Director Penalty Notice

A DPN can make directors personally liable for certain company tax debts. The options available depend heavily on timing, so don't wait.

Call now

Funds at risk

Garnishee notice

The ATO can require your bank or customers to pay money owed to you straight to the ATO, which can cripple cash flow overnight.

Call now

Wind-up risk

Statutory demand or wind-up application

Court action against the company moves to strict timeframes. Getting your chosen advisers and specialists involved early is important.

Call now

Credit impact

Tax default / credit reporting

In certain circumstances, the ATO can disclose a business’s tax debt information to credit reporting bureaus, which may affect access to finance. Your registered tax agent can advise whether this applies to you.

Call now

This information is general only. SBR Assist provides project coordination and administrative support. Advice on your tax position and dealings with the ATO must come from your registered tax agent; legal and insolvency advice from independently engaged practitioners.