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Reckon Limited

rkn · ASX Technology
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Employees 501-1000
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FY2022 Annual Report · Reckon Limited
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Annual Report
2022

Reckon Limited Annual Report

For the Financial Year Ended 31 December 2022

ABN 14 003 348 730 

Contents

Message to Shareholders from the Chairman and Group CEO

Directors’ Report

Remuneration Report

Auditor’s Independence Declaration

Independent Auditor’s Report

Directors’ Declaration

Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss

Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

Notes to the Financial Statements

Additional Information as at 17 February 2023

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Message from the Chairman

It is my pleasure to present to you Reckon Limited’s Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2022 (FY2022) 
– a year in which the Company consolidated its standing as a top tier ASX-listed technology company.

Reckon’s operations during the year were highlighted by the $100m all-cash sale of the Accountant Group division, 
with prudent capital management of the sale proceeds and strong execution on the group’s cloud-based growth 
strategy for its continuing operations.

The sale of the assets used by the Accountants Practice Management Group marked a validation of the Company’s 
ability to build software assets and generate strong returns for shareholders over the long term. In proceeding with 
the  sale,  the  Board  and  management  team  determined  that  the  $100m  price  offered  by  The  Access  Group 
represented good value relative to Reckon’s market capitalisation, which was further reflected in the all-cash structure 
of the deal.

Upon receipt of funds, the Reckon Board prioritised the payment of a $0.57 special dividend to shareholders and its 
ongoing commitment to capital management, with a further 81% reduction in net debt to $2.8m as at 31 December 
2022.

Pleasingly, those initiatives were accompanied by continued and targeted R&D investment towards the growth of 
Reckon’s cloud-based product strategy for its two remaining operating divisions – the Business Group and the Legal 
Practice Management Group.

Through  its  quality  cloud-based  solutions  that  provide  accounting  and  payroll  solutions  for  SMEs,  the  Reckon 
Business Group has established a strong foothold in the Australasian market where it has over 117,000 cloud users 
and 400,000 employees now being paid through Reckon software.

With targeted R&D investment, Reckon’s strategy heading into FY2023 is to leverage the Business Group’s market 
position by accelerating organic growth through an expanded product offering. Strategically, the Business division 
also provides steady cash flow generation to complement Reckon’s high-growth ambitions in the US legal services 
market.

The Legal division provides Practice Management and Workflow solutions for legal services firms, and during FY2022 
it strengthened its early traction in the lucrative US legal industry. With five of the world’s top legal firm’s deploying 
Reckon’s platform in the US market, the Legal division presents an exciting growth profile for FY2023. 

Along with business development opportunities, the company’s US team is focused on the next round of integrated 
product solution rollouts that are expected to underpin revenue and margin growth over the next 12 months. 

Following a transformational year for the business, Reckon is now positioned with streamlined operations across its 
two core operating divisions, backed by the balance sheet strength to underpin R&D investments and capitalise on 
growth opportunities.  

As announced in December 2022, I have elected to transition from the Chairman position after four and a half years 
in the role. In turn, I am pleased to hand over the reins to Clive Rabie, who assumed the Chairmanship effective from 
1 January 2023. This marks an orderly transition in line with the Board’s governance practices, and Mr Rabie is the 
ideal candidate in my view to lead the Company’s next growth phase for its continuing operations.

My involvement with Reckon now dates back over 30 years, and I would like to take this opportunity to again thank 
the  company’s  management  team,  led  by  CEO  Sam  Allert,  our  committed  staff,  partners,  customer  base  and 
shareholders for their ongoing support – all of whom have contributed to growing Reckon into the established ASX 
tech company that it is today.

Greg Wilkinson
Chairman (until 31 December 2022)

4

Message from the Group CEO

While FY2022 marked a particularly exciting year for the Company and its shareholders, the Reckon management 
team remains focused on a targeted growth strategy to build market share and drive revenue and margin growth 
from continuing operations.

Operationally, the successful $100m all-cash sale of the Accountants Practice Management Group leaves Reckon 
uniquely placed with the balance sheet strength and R&D budget to further capitalise on the established market 
footprint for the Business Group and the Legal Group. 

During the period, Reckon achieved another period of steady growth through its Business Group, with a 7% increase 
in cloud subscription revenues to $23m, and a 3.2% increase in EBITDA to $21m on revenues of $40.8m (+2.5% on 
the previous corresponding period).

The results marked a consolidation of the strong growth achieved by the Business Group in recent years – a result 
of the Company’s dedicated pursuit of cloud-based user growth which continues to underpin the positive revenue 
outlook.  During  FY2022,  Reckon  expanded  capacity  for  the  Business  Group  across  cloud  and  mobile  payroll 
solutions, with ongoing user growth supported by a successful integration with the Novatti platform which is already 
facilitating faster payments with cheaper transaction costs.

The Company made equally strong progress in its Legal Group, where our management team and dedicated staff 
implemented a number of operational rollouts to complement the group’s exciting growth outlook in the US market. 

Investments across the Legal Group’s cloud-based software services offering included a major integration project to 
merge client Outlook programs to the core platform and the launch of new cloud modules, BillingQ and DataQ.

During FY2022, the Legal Group reported subscription revenues of $9.2m, up 5.5% annually, and the platform is now 
finding traction with a major market opportunity in the lucrative US legal market to transition client law firms to cloud-
based practice management software from traditional desktop platforms. 

Already,  Reckon’s  product  offering  is  serving  five  of  the  world’s  largest  US-based  law  firms,  and  management  is 
targeting further growth in a total addressable market opportunity estimated at more than US$2bn.

While Reckon reported steady annual revenue growth across its continuing operations, the Company also expects 
to benefit from the R&D investments and operational improvements that were implemented during the period, aided 
by the flagship $100m all-cash sale of the Accountants Practice Management Group.

With minimal debt, an established market position and plenty of upside opportunity across its product categories 
and  respective  market  jurisdictions,  I  am  excited  to  lead  the  Reckon  management  team  in  the  execution  of  our 
strategy to build step-change growth with leading cloud-based, subscription revenue products. 

I would like to join the Chairman in thanking Reckon’s global workforce for their hard work, our partners, customers 
and  shareholders  for  their  ongoing  support,  and  look  forward  to  providing  more  updates  on  our  operational 
development strategy over the next 12 months.

Sam Allert
Group CEO

5

Directors’ Report
The Directors of Reckon Limited submit these financial statements for 
the financial year ended 31 December 2022

Clive Rabie, Chairman
Group Chief Executive Officer until 30 June 2018, Group Managing Director from 1 July 2018, Non-Executive Director 
from 1 May 2022, Chairman from 1 January 2023

Clive was Chief Operating Officer of Reckon from 2001 until February 2006 and in that time played a pivotal role in 
its  turn-around.  In  February  2006  Clive  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  Group  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  was 
appointed Group MD on 1 July 2018. He has extensive management and operational experience in the IT and retail 
sectors as both an owner and director of companies. Clive is also a director of GetBusy PLC.

Greg Wilkinson, Non-Executive Director 
Independent Non-Executive Deputy Chairman until 30 June 2018, Chairman from 1 July 2018, Non-Executive 
Director from 1 January 2023

Greg Wilkinson has over 30 years’ experience in the computer software industry. Greg entered the industry in the 
early  1980s  in  London  where  he  managed  Caxton  Software,  which  became  one  of  the  UK’s  leading  software 
publishers.  Greg  co-founded  Reckon  in  1987  and  was  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  until  February  2006.  He  was 
appointed to the position of Deputy Chairman in February 2006 and became a member of the board of the listed 
entity  on  19  July  1999.  He  was  appointed  to  the  Audit  &  Risk  Committee  in  February  2010  and  Remuneration 
Committee in December 2011. He is also an investor and mentor to a number of cloud-based start-up companies. 
Greg was appointed Chairman on 1 July 2018.

Philip Hayman, Non-Executive Director 
Independent Non-Executive Director from 1 July 2018

Phil Hayman was appointed to the board on 1 July 2018. He was a co-founder of Reckon in 1987. He resigned from 
Reckon in 2004 but has maintained his interest in Reckon through his ongoing shareholding. Phil has had varied 
general entrepreneurial and commercial experience through his investments in companies in start-up and first round 
capital raising phases. Phil is presently a director of an unlisted public company with manufacturing interests in China 
and  sales  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand.  He  also  consults  to  an  agricultural  company  with  extensive  holdings  in 
southern NSW. He currently owns and manages an accommodation company.

Samuel Allert, Executive Director
Group Chief Executive Officer and Director from 1 July 2018

Sam Allert was appointed as a director on 1 July 2018. Sam was one of the first employees in the Australian Reckon 
APS business in 1999. He has held numerous roles in that business from National Sales Manager, Managing Director 
AU/NZ, eventually becoming CEO of Reckon APS in 2013. Taking on more responsibility Sam got involved with the 
Business Division in a newly formed position of MD AU/NZ for the Reckon Group in 2015. In July 2018 Sam stepped 
into the Group Chief Executive Officer position and was appointed to the board on 1 July 2018.

Myron Zlotnick LLM, GCertAppFin, MAICD 
Company Secretary

Myron Zlotnick has over 20 years experience as a legal practitioner, general and corporate counsel, and as a director 
of companies in the information, communications and technology sector.

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Directors’ Report (continued)

Review of Operations and Statement of Principal Activities

At the commencement of the year reported the Company was structured in three Groups, a Business Group, a Legal 
Practice Management Group, and an Accountant Practice Management Group.

The  focus  has  been  to  grow  each  Group  independently,  and  where  possible  implement  integrations,  seek  out 
opportunities to cross sell, and to explore synergies across the Groups. From an internal operations point of view, within 
Australia and New Zealand, the Accountant Practice Management Group and Business Group had centralised Sales, 
Support, Marketing, and Client Success teams to manage the across-Group opportunities more efficiently.

The Business Group provides accounting and payroll software for small to larger sized businesses and personal wealth 
management  software  branded  as  Reckon  One  and  Reckon  Accounts  Hosted  (cloud  products),  Reckon  Accounts 
Business and Reckon Accounts Personal respectively. The divisions operate predominantly in Australia and New Zealand.

The  Legal  Practice  Management  Group  provides  practice  management  and  workflow  solutions  to  legal  firms  and 
corporations  for  document  scanning  and  routing,  print  management  and  cost  recovery  solutions  under  the 
nQZebraworks brand. With a focus on releasing a new cloud practice management suite. It is operational predominantly 
in the USA and United Kingdom, with re-sellers in other parts of the world.

The Accountant Practice Management Group undertook the development, sales and support of practice management, 
compliance and efficiency tools for professional accounting firms under the Reckon APS and Reckon Elite brands. It is 
operational predominantly in Australia, New Zealand with a re-seller presence in the United Kingdom.

Effective 1 August 2022, the assets comprising the Accountant Practice Management group were sold to a buyer group 
comprising entities in the Access Group, namely Access Software Australia Pty Limited, Access Workspace NZ Limited, 
and Access UK Ltd. This was an all cash sale for $100 million.

Accordingly from 1 August 2022, the Company’s operational structure is only comprised of the Business Group and 
the Legal Group.

This report still sets out the relevant information for all three Groups.

All Groups are supported by shared services teams which include IT, finance, marketing, and human resources.

All the Groups have a loyal client base that run products and solutions based on desktop technology with very rich 
functions and features. Reckon has been on a transformation process developing or enhancing all products with a 
“cloud first” focus. The process is to provide an upgrade path for existing clients to the cloud, as well as providing new 
products that can attract and grow a new client base. The Business Group is furthest progressed on this strategy with 
the Accountant Practice Management Group and the Legal Practice Management Group also well poised for growth 
in the future.

Business Group

The Business Group distributes and supports a range of software products under the Reckon brand. These products 
are  generally  used  by  small  to  larger  businesses  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand  and,  until  recently,  in  the  United 
Kingdom. The Company is no longer pursuing Business Group activities in the United Kingdom. 

The key product brands sold in this Group are: Reckon Accounts, Reckon Accounts Hosted, Reckon One, Better 
Clinics, and Better HQ.

Reckon Accounts and Reckon Accounts hosted represent desktop and hosted cloud based solutions for small to 
larger  sized  and  enterprise  businesses  for  accounting  and  bookkeeping,  invoicing,  payroll,  GST/BAS  reporting, 
financial reporting, timesheets, and bank data feeds. 

Reckon Accounts Hosted is hosted in an AWS environment.

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Directors’ Report (continued)

Specifically,  Reckon  BankData,  is  a  bank  feed  solution  which  allows  connections  with  banks  and  other  financial 
institutions to download bank transaction information directly into accounting software; and Reckon GovConnect, is  
an SBR-enabled solution for lodging reports to government agencies such as the ATO.

While many of these functions  reside within Reckon Accounts and Reckon Accounts Hosted, the Company also 
sells standalone solutions for payroll, invoicing, point of sale, scheduling and point of sale solutions for allied health 
professionals  (branded  as  Better  Clinics  and  BetterHQ),  as  well  as  personal  finance  software  known  as  Reckon 
Accounts Personal.

A key focus in the Business Group is to grow the Reckon One cloud-based business accounting software.

Reckon One cloud-based accounting software is based on a “designed by you” concept that allows users to tailor 
the solution to their needs by choosing modules their business will use. The current modules available are: Core 
(which  includes  payments  and  receipts,  budgets  and  reporting);  Invoices;  Payroll;  BankData  (automatic  bank 
statement import into accounts and reconciliation); Projects (manage revenue, costs and forecasts by project); Time 
(timesheets); and Employee Expenses (expense management module); and an open API for third party applications.

Users can select which modules they need and only pay for those they use, making Reckon One a very cost-effective 
solution for small businesses.

The  Payroll  module  in  Reckon  One  includes  the  ability  for  small  businesses  to  lodge  their  Single  Touch  Payroll 
reporting requirements, which is part of an overall strategy to integrate small business accounting with regulatory 
reporting under the Reckon GovConnect  product brand.

Reckon One has also been made available as a “white label” version. This included relationships with The Institute of 
Public Accountants and the Queensland government bringing Reckon One to Indigenous communities branded as 
Deadly  Digits.  These  initiatives  in  some  instances  have  since  been  replaced  with  alternative  strategies  to  better 
pursue the potential growth presented by these markets.

The company also has a large focus on adding new mobile based applications that compliment and integrate with 
the Reckon One cloud accounting modules. A free Single Touch Payroll reporting application was the first of these 
new mobile apps released in 2019. 

In  2021  the  company  added  a  new  mobile  Payroll  App,  which  is  an  ideal  upgrade  path  from  the  free  STP  as  it 
provides a complete feature rich payroll solution on the mobile. Reckon Mate, a new employee facing mobile app 
released at the end of 2020 compliments Reckon One Payroll and the Company’s  mobile strategy. 

The Company is also working on new mobile apps including the recently launched Mobile Invoicing. Timesheets and 
Expenses are expected to be released in the future.

The Company continues to explore strategic partnerships with suppliers who can meet the feature demands of small 
business for their diverse needs.

Since  2017  the  Company  has  partnered  with  Prospa  in  the  “Fintech“  space  to  bring  small  business  loans  to  its 
customer base under the Reckon Loans brand.

In early 2022, the Company agreed terms with Novatti for the introduction of payment solutions for small business 
customers.

The Company also partnered with Ozedi to implement eInvoicing solutions for small business customers.

Legal Practice Management Group 

Since February 2021 the Company merged its Legal Practice Management Group with the business of Zebraworks 
Inc (USA) into a 70/30 venture known as nQueue Zebraworks Inc. The team from Zebraworks Inc brings a history and 
pedigree of success in the development of practice management solutions for Legal Practices. The merged business 
presents a platform for new cloud technology development and new markets.

8

The  Legal  Practice  Management  Group,  supplies  software  solutions  for  document  scanning  and  routing,  print 
management  and  cost  recovery  solutions  that  assist  law  firms  clients.  The  present  focus  of  the  Legal  Practice 
Management Group is the release of a new cloud practice management suite.

These solutions enhance the automation and processing of any operational and administrative expenses, including 
print, copy, scan, telephone, online searches, emails, court fees, car services, credit card charges, courier costs and 
more. The scan solution also presents an opportunity to expand to non-legal client markets.

These solutions can be embedded directly into multi-function devices or reside on tablet computers or terminals to 
provide clients with the knowledge required to run their businesses more profitably. Cloud Practice management 
modules introduced to the suite of products in 2021 include Billing Q and Data Q.

Key focus of this Group is to reposition itself from a cost recovery provider to become a workflow expert in the areas 
of  Print  Management,  Uniform  Advanced  Scanning  and  Cost  Recovery  and  building  a  cloud  based  Practice 
Management suite. It is also pursuing a wider channel sales network including manufacturers of multi-purpose office 
machines.

Accountant Practice Management Group

As  noted  above,  the  assets  comprising  this  Group  were  divested  effective  1  August  2022.  The  reporting  below 
reflects the operations and activities to that date.

The  Accountant  Practice  Management  Group  develops,  distributes  and  supports  the  APS  suite  of  solutions  for 
professional  service  firms  in  Australia,  New  Zealand  and,  via  a  reseller  arrangement,  in  the  United  Kingdom.  For 
professional  accountants  these  solutions  include  Practice  Management,  Tax  and  Accounts  production.  It  also 
delivers  a  wide  range  of  complementary  integrated  modules  for  business-critical  functions  in  professional  firms: 
Practice Management (PM); Business Intelligence and Reporting (PIQ); Taxation (Tax); Client Accounting (XPA); Client 
Relationship Management (CRM); Workpaper Management (WM); Sync Direct and others.

All  the  above  modules  were  available  in  a  hosted  version  called  APS  Private  Cloud,  if  a  client  so  requires.  This 
platform  has  been  moved  to  a  more  efficient  solution  using  a  new  supplier  and  is  now  called  APS  Accountants’ 
Workspace.

Consistent  with  the  Group-wide  philosophy,  the  Accountant  Practice  Management  Group  enhances  products  and 
develops new products under the “cloud first” concept. These products can and will integrate with existing Accountant 
Practice Management Group solutions and also provide an entirely new cloud-based suite that new clients can take on.

Cloud products include: Workflow and Contacts. Timesheets, Fees and Accounting are under development. From a 
branding point of view these cloud products are marketed as APS+, Workflow+, Contacts+, etc.

The  BankData  product  (powered  by  Reckon  One  Bank  Data  technology)  is  also  targeted  at  accountants  and 
bookkeepers.  The  module  enables  accountants  and  bookkeepers  to  efficiently  download  and  process  bank 
transactions and provide reporting and analysis to their clients. This is also undergoing an integration with Open 
Banking.

Sync Direct is a cloud-based system that allows accountants to upload financial transaction data from virtually any 
source and automatically enter it into their practice management system for accounts and tax return preparation 
purposes. It is an extremely beneficial tool for professional accounting firms as it creates a “single ledger” experience 
for them without being required to use the same software as their clients.

The Reckon Elite product suite includes tax return preparation tools, practice management tools and related solutions 
mostly used by accountants and tax agents. Reckon Elite is predominantly used in small to medium sized accounting 
firms compared to Reckon APS which is predominantly used by larger firms. Reckon Elite is also available in a hosted 
cloud based version called Elite Workspaces.

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Directors’ Report (continued)

Results of Operations

Results Headlines (IFRS and non-IFRS)

Continuing operations

2022

2021
Restated

%Growth

Revenue 

EBITDA 

Net profit

$51.2 million

$49.5 million

+3.5%

$18.0 million

$17.3 million

+4.0%

$3.6 million

$5.6 million

-36.4%

Net profit attributable to members

$4.6 million

$6.2 million

-27.2%

Discontinued operations

2022*
7 months

2021
12 months

%Growth*

Revenue

EBITDA**

Net profit**

$13.5 million

$22.6 million

-40.3%

$74.9 million

$12.2 million

+514.0%

$53.2 million

$3.6 million

+1392.6%

Net profit attributable to members**

$53.2 million

$3.6 million

+1392.6%

*The Practice Management Accountant Group business was sold effective 1 August 2022, hence 2022 represents 7 
months trading compared to 12 months in 2021. 
**2022 results include the gain on sale of the Practice Management Accountant Group of $67.2 million ($50.5 million after 
tax)

Revenue on a non-IFRS basis normalised for continuing businesses (at constant currency) is up 2% on the prior 
corresponding period.

$47 million of the $51 million revenue is annual recurring revenue, up 5% over the prior corresponding period. Annual 
recurring revenue represents 91% of total revenue. This is 2% up on the prior corresponding period.

EBITDA  on  a  non-IFRS  basis  normalised  for  continuing  businesses  (at  constant  currency)  is  up  5%  on  the  prior 
corresponding period.

NPAT normalised for continuing operations down 1% on the prior corresponding period.

Debt has been reduced from $14.7 million to $2.8 million, largely funded by the proceeds of the Sale of the assets 
comprising the business known as the Accountant Practice Management Group.

On 21 November 2022, the Company paid a 60% franked special dividend of 57  cents per share, from the proceeds 
of  the  consideration  for  the  sale  of  the  Accountant  Practice  Management  Group.  On  23  September  2022,  the 
Company paid a dividend of 3 cents per share taking the total dividend to 60 cents per share in respect of the 2022 
year (2021: 5 cents).

10

Cash spend on development (on a non-IFRS normalised basis) continues to focus on cloud products across the 
groups. Development spend in 2022 was $15.3 million in continuing operations compared with 2021 development 
spend of $12.7 million.

Cashflow before development spend from continuing operations is $19.9 million.

Business Group

• 

• 

• 

• 

 The Business Group continues to be a subscription business focused on online growth. Total revenue growth in 
this Group is up 3% on 2021. This represents 4 consecutive years of growth.

 Subscription revenue now represents 99% (2021: 97%) of available revenue in this Group.

 Cloud subscription revenue (from Reckon One and Reckon Accounts Hosted) has continued to grow strongly, 
up by 7% on 2021 and now represents 61% (2021: 59%) of this Group’s available revenue. The number of cloud 
users has reached 117,000 users up 3% on 2021 (2021: 114,000).

 The free Payroll app for Single Touch Payroll is being discontinued. The new paid Payroll app now provides an 
ideal upgrade path for these users The total number of employees paid via Reckon payroll solutions in Australia 
stands at 400,000.

•  New cloud products for the Business Group released in 2022 include Reckon Invoicing app.

• 

 The Company set up an arrangement with Novatti to explore enhanced payment services for small businesses 
to be integrated with Reckon products. The Company  also entered into an agreement with Ozedi to provide 
eInvoicing solutions to Reckon customers.

Legal Practice Management Group

• 

• 

• 

 This  Group  continues  to  pursue  a  process  of  driving  subscription  revenue  rather  than  upfront  revenue. 
Subscription revenue grew 6% for the year (2021: 1%) on a constant currency basis.

 Subscription revenue is 89% of the Group’s revenue (2021: 86%).

 Billing Q and Data Q were released in 2022. Billing Q is a cloud based module that integrates with on premises 
practice management systems for more efficient debtor/collections management. DataQ is a cloud business 
intelligence reporting tool used with on premises practice management systems for better practice reporting 
and insights. 

• 

 The USA market continues to represent growth opportunities for cloud based products especially in the longer 
term with a very large addressable market still using desktop solutions.

Accountant Practice Management Group

•  The business remained entrenched as the product of choice amongst the major accounting firms.

•  Revenue in the Accountant Practice Management Group was down on the previous year. This is because of the 
sale of the business effective 1 August 2022. Hence only 7 trading months are accounted for. FY22 trading revenue 
for 7 months was $13.5 million compared to FY21 for 12 months which was $22.6 million.

The  sale  of  this  business  to  the  Access  Group  (Access  Software  Australia  Pty  Limited,  Access  Workspace  NZ 
Limited,  and  Access  UK  Ltd)  for  a  consideration  of  $100  million  dollars  is  reflective  of  the  value  created  in  the 
business while it was part of the Reckon Group and why it represented an attractive commercial and strategic target 
for the purchaser.

11

Directors’ Report (continued)

COVID-19 Impact
Operationally, the Company continued to manage the impact of COVID 19 smoothly so far as working from home 
was concerned as well as in terms of overall management of the business and its systems.

The infrastructure and business interruption processes were well designed to deal with these sorts of situations, and 
continue to do so.

The Company has displayed its resilience, by posting solid and stable results in challenging times for its customer 
base of small businesses and professional firms. As stated above there were performance impacts for the Legal 
Group.

That said, the operations of the Company as a whole have not been adversely impacted by COVID 19. The financial 
position of the Company has not been materially adversely affected by COVID 19.

At present, COVID 19 does not materially adversely impact the Company’s prospects for future financial years. No 
impairment is considered necessary.

While it appears the world is learning to live with COVID 19, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing. It is 
not practicable to estimate the potential impact, positive or negative, after the reporting date. The situation is fluid and 
is  dependent  on  measures  imposed  by  the  Australian  Government  and  other  countries,  such  as  vaccination 
requirements, renewed travel restrictions and any economic stimulus that may be provided.

Climate and Sustainability
The nature of the Company’s operations on the face of it have low impacts on climate and sustainability. However, 
the board is mindful of the potential impact of climate change on economies at a macro level.

The  board  plans  to  understand  and  begin  to  assess  existing  and  emerging  risks  that  may  be  applicable  to  the 
company’s business, including both physical and transitional climate risk. At present the board is comfortable there 
are none.

Significant Changes in State of Affairs
Effective on 1 August 2022, the Company reached agreement with Access Software Australia Pty Limited, Access 
Workspace  NZ  Limited,  and  Access  UK  Ltd  to  sell  the  assets  comprising  the  Accountant  Practice  Management 
Group to the Access Group.

The purchase consideration was $100 million dollars.

Funds received were used to pay a special dividend of $0.57 per share to shareholders, to reduce Reckon’s debt,  
to $2.8 million.

The Accountant Practice Management Group contributed revenue of $13.5 million, and EBITDA of $7.7 million to the 
2022 Reckon Group results for 7 months in 2022.

12

Future  Developments,  Business  Strategies  and  Prospects 
for Future Financial Years
Following on from the sale of the Accountant Practice Management Group, the Company is well positioned to direct 
focus on its remaining two businesses.

The Company’s overall  strategy conceptually remains to pursue creating a suite of solutions that deliver business 
efficiency tools for small to medium sized businesses – an ecosystem for business, together with practice efficiency 
tools for professional legal firms. The goal is to ultimately make it easy for small businesses to operate and perform, 
and  for  accountants,  bookkeepers  and  legal  firms  to  collaborate  with  their  clients  and  ensure  their  compliance 
obligations are met.

Key to understanding the Company’s strategy over the next 2 to 3 years is to appreciate the following, generally:

• 

• 

 there are untapped opportunities in targeted and niche products that complement and diversify the traditional 
efficiency software offered to businesses and professional  firms.

 investment will also be focused on maintaining, refining and improving existing assets and acquiring or developing 
solutions to complement or differentiate our offerings, especially in the cloud.

• 

 the businesses have a stable and loyal customer base.

Specifically, for 2023 and beyond in the Business Group the intention is to pursue cloud growth across the small 
business accounting and payroll market. 

Development  initiatives  will  be  focused  on  fresh  development  of  upgraded  standalone  versions  of  several  of  the 
Company’s products, such as Payroll and Invoicing, and also to allow these new versions to integrate with the core 
functionality of flagship products such as Reckon One, Reckon Accounts and Reckon Accounts Hosted.

Special focus will be devoted to upgrades and expansion of Payroll solutions as well as migrating free product users 
to paid users of upgraded versions.

Price increases will also be considered to supplement organic growth.

Similar focus will be devoted to upgraded Invoicing solutions.

The Company continues to pursue opportunities to deploy various Fintech solutions through the customer base. 
This will generally be done via partnerships with payment solutions providers, and the like.

 For the Legal Practice Management Group the aim is also to pursue growth with NQ scanning and print management 
solutions as well as with new cloud modules Billing Q and Data Q that compliment desktop competitor products that 
create new sales opportunities. 

The Company continues to assess appropriate corporate transactions.

13

Remuneration Report (Audited)

1. Persons Covered by this Report

The Remuneration Report sets out, in accordance with section 300A of the Corporations Act: (i) the Company’s 
governance relating to remuneration, (ii) the policy for determining the nature and amount or value of remuneration of 
key  management  personnel;  (iii)  the  various  components  or  framework  of  that  remuneration;  (iv)  the  prescribed 
details relating to the amount or value paid to key management personnel, as well as a description of any performance 
conditions; (v) the relationship between the policy and the performance of the Company.

Key management personnel (KMP) are the non-executive directors, the executive directors and employees who have 
authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the consolidated entity. On that 
basis, the following roles/individuals are addressed in this report:

Non-executive Directors

•  Mr Clive Rabie

•  Chief Operating Officer from 1 January 2001

• 

Executive Director since 24 May 2005

•  Group Chief Executive Officer from 22 February 2006

•  Group Managing Director since 1 July 2018

•  Chairman from 1 January 2023

•  Mr Greg Wilkinson, director since 19 July 1999

•  Deputy Chairman since 1 February 2006

•  Chairman of the Board since 1 July 2018

•  Risk and Audit Committee member since 1 February 2010

•  Remuneration Committee chair since 1 January 2023

•  Non-executive director from 1 January 2023

•  Mr Philip Hayman, independent non-executive director since 1 July 2018

•  Risk and Audit Committee Chairman since 1 July 2018

•  Remuneration chair until 31 December 2022

Senior Executives Classified as KMP

•  Mr Sam Allert

• 

Executive Director since 1 July 2018

•  Group Chief Executive Officer since 1 July 2018

•  Mr Chris Hagglund

•  Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) since 1 October 2004

•  Mr Myron Zlotnick

•  General Counsel from 1 October 2002 until 2 July 2018

•  Company Secretary since 19 November 2002

•  Corporate Counsel from 22 February 2021

14

2. Context of KMP Remuneration

The Remuneration Committee and the board exercise their powers mindful of the various governance demands that 
impact on remuneration decisions and the interests of shareholders. At the 2022 Annual General Meeting there was 
a  vote  of  approval  of  99.42%  for  remuneration  practices.  The  board  continues  to  endeavour  to  balance  the 
idiosyncrasies  of  the  Company  and  its  unique  demands  with  generally  accepted  governance  practices  for 
remuneration.

On the whole the contents of the report are substantially similar to prior years. At the time of writing this report and 
as was the case in 2021, the board has been in the process of trying to set new incentive plans to meet the strategic 
imperatives of the Company. It is hoped that at the Annual General Meeting of the Company in May 2023 shareholder 
approval will be obtained for new incentive plans finally developed as a result of this process.

As announced during 2021 and 2022 there was corporate activity underway that impacted the overall business and 
the board was reluctant to implement new incentive plans mindful that any performance targets set would potentially 
be unsuitable for the business after the impact of corporate activity.

3. Overview of Reckon’s Remuneration Governance Framework 
& Strategy

The Company is influenced in the governance of KMP remuneration by a wide range of sources, including:

•  Remuneration Committee Members,

•  External remuneration consultants (ERCs), (Professional Financial Solutions Pty Ltd)

•  Stakeholder groups including shareholders and proxy advisors, and

•  Company management to understand roles and issues facing the Company. 

The following outlines Reckon’s remuneration governance framework.

3.1 Remuneration Committee

Authority for remuneration matters rests with the Remuneration Committee which reports to the board and makes 
recommendations  regarding  remuneration  to  the  board  which  has  ultimate  responsibility  for  signing  off  on 
remuneration policies, practices and outcomes.

The Remuneration Committee in 2022 was comprised of two non-executive directors:

• 

• 

 Mr Philip Hayman (independent non-executive director) 

 Mr Greg Wilkinson (independent, Chairman of the Board until 31 December 2022).

The Remuneration Committee operated substantially in accordance with the aims and aspirations of Principle 8 of 
the  ASX  Corporate  Governance  Principles  and  Recommendations  (“ASX  Principles  and  Recommendations”), 
including that the majority of the committee should be composed of independent non-executive directors.

The  role  and  responsibilities  of  the  committee  are  outlined  in  the  Reckon  Remuneration  Committee  Charter  (the 
Charter), available on the Company Website. The role of the Remuneration Committee is to ensure that appropriate 
remuneration policies are in place which are designed to meet the needs of the Company and to enhance corporate 
and individual performance. That is, the development, maintenance and application of the Remuneration Governance 
Framework for the purposes of making recommendations to the Board regarding KMP remuneration matters, as well 
as advising the Board on procedures that must be undertaken in relation to the governance of remuneration, and 
communicating such matters to the market (such as the calculation of grants of incentives, review of performance 
conditions and receipt of independent advice, etc.).

15

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

Under the Charter, the Remuneration Committee is to be composed of at least three non-executive members with 
the majority being independent directors. It should be noted that given the size of the Company and the board, the 
Remuneration Committee presently is comprised of only two members. Consideration will be given when relevant 
decisions need to be made to appointing a third independent member.

The charter of the Remuneration Committee is available on the company’s website at https://www.reckon.com/au/ 
investors/governance/.

3.2 Trading Policy

The Trading Policy of the Company is available on the Company website. It contains the customary references to 
insider trading restrictions that are a legal requirement under the Corporations Act, as well as conditions associated 
with good corporate governance. To this end the policy specifies trading blackout periods during which officers of 
the Company may not trade in the securities of the Company. Officers must seek permission from the Chairman of 
the Company before trading in any periods outside blackout periods. The Trading Policy also requires officers to 
notify the Company Secretary of the transaction once it is completed and prohibits trading at all other times unless 
an  exception  provided  by  the  Chairman  following  an  assessment  of  the  circumstances  (e.g.  financial  hardship). 
Trading black outs operate in the period commencing one day before the end of a financial reporting period and end 
one day after the reporting for the relevant financial period has been announced to the public.

Officers generally includes directors and Senior Executives of the Company.

The policy also restricts employees from short-term trading or from hedging etc. and gives the Board the power to 
suspend all dealing in Company securities by employees at any time, should it be appropriate. 

3.3 Executive Remuneration Policy

The following outlines the policy that applies to executive KMP (and does not apply to non-executive directors):

• 

 Remuneration should be composed of:

• 

• 

• 

 Base  Package  (inclusive  of  superannuation,  allowances,  benefits  and  any  applicable  fringe  benefits  tax 
(FBT) as well as any salary sacrifice arrangements)

 Short term incentive (STI) which provides a reward for performance against annual objectives

Long  term  incentive  (LTI)  which  provides  an  equity-based  reward  for  performance  against  indicators  of 
shareholder benefit or value creation, over a minimum three-year or longer period

• 

In total the sum of the elements will constitute a total remuneration package (TRP)

• 

 Both internal relativities and external market factors should be considered

•  TRPs ought to be structured with reference to market practices and the circumstances of the Company at the time

 That the Base Package policy mid-points should be set with reference to P50 (the median or the middle) of the 
relevant market practice subject to the circumstances of the Company at the time

 That TRPs at Target (being the Base Package plus incentive awards intended to be paid for targeted levels of 
performance) should be set between P50 and P75 (the upper quartile, the point at which 75% of the sample lies 
below) of the relevant market practice so as to create a strong incentive to achieve targeted objectives in both 
the short and long term

 Remuneration will be managed within a range so as to allow for the recognition of individual differences such as 
the calibre of the incumbent and the competency with which they fulfil a role (a range of +/- 20% is used, in line 
with common market practices)

 Exceptions  will  be  managed  separately  such  as  when  particular  talent  needs  to  be  retained  or  there  are 
individuals with unique expertise that need to be acquired (“Red circle” exceptions) and

• 

• 

• 

• 

16

•  Termination benefits will generally be limited to the default amount that may be provided for without shareholder 

approval, as allowed for under the Corporations Act.

Taking account of the above, generally, remuneration structures are driven by the budget setting process and cost 
to company as well as the particular circumstances of the relevant KMP, their skill set, experience, and value to the 
Company.

Market capitalisation is one of the factors that influences external assessments of the appropriateness of remuneration; 
it is understood that external groups tend to see it as the primary indication of the size and status of the Company, 
and the field in which the Company is competing for talent. While Reckon does not subscribe to this view exclusively 
and instead considers a broad range of factors that drive competition for talent in different parts of the Company, it 
is acknowledged that it must be a consideration when communicating with stakeholders.

The Company will also take into account the impact of corporate transactions on incentives designed to retain talent 
for the longer term.

3.4 Non-executive Director Remuneration Policy

The Non-executive Director Remuneration Policy applies to non-executive directors (NEDs) of the Company in their 
capacity as directors and as members of committees, and may be summarised as follows:

• 

 Remuneration may be composed of:

• 

• 

• 

 Board fees inclusive of superannuation

 Other benefits (if appropriate) and

 Equity (if appropriate at the time, currently not applicable)

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Committee fees do not form part of the NED remuneration policy because at present the workload of the Board 
is shared equitably amongst its members

 Remuneration will be managed within the aggregate fee limit (AFL) or fee pool approved by shareholders of the 
Company – currently $400,000 in accordance with shareholder approval in 2008

 Termination benefits will not be paid to NEDs by the Company

 A policy level of Board Fees (being the fees paid for membership of the Board, inclusive of superannuation) will 
be set with reference to the P50 (median or middle) of the market of comparable ASX listed companies.

As at the commencement of FY23 the following fees apply:

Function

Main Board

Audit & Risk Committee

Nomination & Remuneration Committee

Other Committee

Role

Chair

Member

Chair

Member

Chair

Member

Chair

Member

Fee Including Super

$165,750

$82,875

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

17

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

During the FY22 reporting period the following fees were applicable:

Function

Main Board

Audit & Risk Committee

Nomination & Remuneration Committee

Other Committee

Role

Chair

Member

Chair

Member

Chair

Member

Chair

Member

Fee Including Super

$138,992

$92,661

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

3.5 Short Term Incentive (STI) Policy

Currently the short term incentive policy of the Company is that an annual component of executive remuneration 
should be at-risk tested over a single financial year, and allow the Company to modulate the cost of employment to 
align with individual and Company performance while motivating value creation for shareholders. In addition:

• 

 STI  should  be  settled  in  part  or  whole  in  the  form  of  cash,  and  if  appropriate  at  the  time,  a  portion  may  be 
specified as being settled in the form of equity

•  The  target  cash  component  of  the  STI  at  target  should  have  a  weighting  in  the  remuneration  mix  that  is  no 
greater than the sum of LTI at target and any equity component of the STI at target, to ensure that executives are 
focused on long term value creation via equity ownership

• 

 If part of the STI is to be settled in the form of equity:

•  STI deferral is to apply to contribute to the long-term alignment of executives and shareholders, and to 

facilitate retention of senior executive talent, and

• 

 Approximately one third to one half of any STI award will be settled provided the incumbent has remained 
employed for 12 months following the end of the STI Measurement Period in order to receive the full award.

3.6 Long Term Incentive (LTI) Policy

The current long term incentive plan applies to offers made to KMP in 2020 with a performance period ending on 31 
December 2022. No subsequent offers were made to KMP, although offers were made to employees who are not 
KMP. 

The  current  long  term  incentive  plan  so  far  as  it  applies  to  KMP  is  being  reviewed  by  the  board  with  a  view  to 
replacing it with a new plan which is hoped to be put to shareholders for approval at the next Annual General Meeting 
in May 2023. 

The policy of current long term incentive plan is that an annual component of remuneration of executives should be 
at-risk and based on equity in the Company to ensure that executives hold a stake in the Company, to align their 
interests with those of shareholders, and that executives share risk with shareholders.

Further:

18

• 

 The  LTI  should  be  based  on  Performance  Rights  that  vest  based  on  assessment  of  performance  against 
objectives

• 

 The Measurement Period should be three years

•  There  should  be  two  measures  of  long-term  performance,  one  which  best  reflects  internal  measures  of 

performance and one which best reflects external measures of performance

• 

• 

• 

 The  measure  that  has  strongest  alignment  with  shareholders  is  total  shareholder  return  (TSR),  however  it  is 
recognised that absolute TSR is influenced by overall economic movements. Therefore, the TSR component of 
LTI is based on relative TSR which removes broad market movements from assessments of the Company’s TSR 
performance and avoids windfall gains from broad market movements. Vesting only when the performance of 
the Company meets or exceeds the performance of the broader market

 Senior Executives are faced with significant and long-term business development and project-based challenges. 
Therefore the LTI should also be linked to the achievement of earnings growth objectives that will lead to value 
creation for shareholders, and the earnings per share (EPS) growth measure is considered the best measure of 
long term performance and value creation from an internal perspective, by the Board and by many stakeholders

 When an executive owns a substantial portion of the Company’s issued capital, they are ineligible for employee 
share scheme (ESS) tax treatment, and the consequences of participating in the plan are punitive. In order to 
address this there is a separate plan (not presently in operation) which is effectively the same as the Rights LTI 
plan but allows for the LTI instrument to be replaced with Share Appreciation Rights (SARs) which are settled in 
cash, when this circumstance arises. Such payments are treated the same way as a cash STI in terms of tax. 
This treatment also applies to any deferred component of STI that would otherwise be awarded in the form of 
share-based rights. Whilst it is recognised that the settling of incentive rights in the form of cash is unusual, it is 
trusted that shareholders understand the need to do so in these limited cases

• 

 The SAR plan operates in a similar way to an option, in that the participant only receives a benefit to the extent 
of growth in value over the market value of a share at the time of calculation/granting. This requires that they be 
valued differently, as their value is not the whole value of a Company share.

19

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

3.7 Variable Executive Remuneration – The Short Term Incentive (STI)

Short Term Incentive (STI)

Aspect

Purpose

Measurement 
Period

Award 
Opportunities

Key Performance 
Indicators (KPIs), 
Weighting and 
Performance 
Goals

Plan, Offers and Comments

The  STI  Plan’s  purpose  is  to  give  effect  to  an  element  of  Senior  Executive  Remuneration.  This 
element of remuneration constitutes part of a market competitive total remuneration package and 
aims to provide an incentive for Senior Executives to deliver and outperform annual business plans 
that will lead to sustainable superior returns for shareholders. Target-based STI’s are also intended 
to modulate the cost to the Company of employing Senior Executives, such that risk is shared with 
the executives themselves and the cost to the Company is reduced in periods of poor performance.

The Company’s financial year i.e. from 1 January to the following 31 December.

FY22 Offers
The  CEO  was  offered  a  target-based  STI  equivalent  to  roughly  31%  of  the  Base  Package  for 
target performance, with a stretch opportunity of up to 110% of the target.

The CFO was offered a target-based STI equivalent of up to 31% of the Base Package for target 
performance with a stretch opportunity of up to 110% of the target.

Comments
The  incentive  levels  offered  in  FY22  were  consistent  with  the  proportional  opportunities 
(proportional to Base Package) offered in previous years.

FY23 Offers
The FY23 offers are substantially similar to the FY22 offers.

FY22 Offers
KPIs may vary to some extent between participants and reflect the nature of their roles, while 
creating shared objectives where appropriate. KPIs used for FY22 included:

•  Revenue

•  EBITDA

•  EPS

Weightings are applied to the KPIs selected for each participant to reflect the relative importance 
of  each  KPI.  Information  on  this  aspect  and  specific  KPIs  is  given  in  detail  elsewhere  in  this 
report.

Comments
The Board selected KPI’s that were identified as having the strongest links with long term value 
creation for shareholders at the Company level, and those objectives over which individuals had 
most  control  that  would  also  be  expected  to  contribute  to  long  term  value  creation  and 
sustainability for shareholders within a 12 month period, as well as KPIs to recognise individual 
role related objectives and business plans for FY22.

FY23 Offers
 The FY23 offers are substantially similar to the FY22 offers.

20

Award 
Determination and 
Payment

Calculations  are  performed  following  the  end  of  the  Measurement  Period  and  the  audit  of 
Company accounts.

Payments are in cash with PAYG tax deducted, paid following the completion of the Measurement 
Period and completed audited full year accounts. A portion of the STI (between one third and 
one half) is only paid a year later provided the KMP is still employed.

Performance was determined following audit sign-off of the FY22 accounts.

Change of Control

The Board has discretion to terminate the STI for the Measurement Period and make pro-rata 
awards  having  regard  to  performance  or  make  pro-rata  awards  based  on  performance  and 
allow the plan to continue for the. Measurement Period or make no interim awards and allow the 
Plan to continue for the Measurement Period.

Plan Gate and 
Board Discretion

Fraud, Gross 
Misconduct etc

Clawback and 
Malus

If the Company’s overall performance during the Measurement Period is substantially lower than 
expectations and resulted in significant loss of value for shareholders, the Board may abandon 
the STI Plan for the Measurement Period or adjust STI payouts downward. The Board also has 
discretion to increase payouts, however, it has been determined that such discretion will only be 
applied in future when it would be substantially inappropriate not to do so, due to an anomaly 
during  the  Measurement  Period,  or  because  of  exceptional  circumstances,  which  would  be 
explained in detail as part of the Remuneration Report.

If  the  Board  forms  the  view  that  a  Participant  has  committed  fraud,  defalcation  or  gross 
misconduct  in  relation  to  the  Company  then  all  entitlements  in  relation  to  the  Measurement 
Period will be forfeited by that participant.

A clawback policy is in place for cases of material misstatement or misconduct. The Remuneration 
Committee has the power to withdraw offers that have not vested or to clawback short-term 
incentives  paid  in  the  case  of  serious  misconduct  or  material  misstatement  in  the  financial 
statements respectively.

21

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

3.8 Variable Executive Remuneration – Long Term Incentive (LTI) – Performance Rights Plan

Long Term Incentive (LTI)

Aspect

Purpose

Measurement 
Period

Plan, Offers and Comments

The  LTI  Plan’s  purpose  is  to  give  effect  to  an  element  of  Senior  Executive  remuneration.  This 
element of remuneration constitutes part of a market competitive total remuneration package and 
aims to provide an incentive for Senior Executives to deliver Company performance that will lead 
to  sustainable  superior  returns  for  shareholders.  Other  purposes  of  the  LTI  Plan  is  to  act  as  a 
retention mechanism so as to maintain a stable team of performance focused Senior Executives, 
to create alignment with the interests and experiences of shareholders and to modulate the cost 
to the Company of employing executives such that in periods of poor performance the cost is 
lesser  (applies  to  non-market  measures  under  AASB  2).  Currently  the  Company  operates  two 
performance  rights  plans,  one  which  is  settled  in  the  form  of  Company  shares  (equity-based 
Rights),  and  one  which  is  settled  in  the  form  of  cash,  but  based  on  growth/change  in  the 
Company’s share price (SARs), similar to an option (necessary to avoid potentially adverse tax 
treatment of certain executive KMP due to personal shareholdings).

Normally three years.

FY22 Offers
FY22 offers were not made to KMP, pending the Remuneration Committee’s review of the LTI plan 
as well as ongoing strategic reviews.

FY23 Offers
FY23 offers were not made to all KMP, pending the Remuneration Committee’s review of the LTI 
plan. Any new plan that is proposed hopefully will be put to shareholders at the Annual General 
Meeting in May 2023.

Form of Equity

LTI is in the form of Performance Rights, which are either rights to:

• 

• 

ordinary Company shares, under the regular LTI plan,

 or to a cash value equivalent to growth in the market value of a share in respect of each 
vested  Performance  Right,  since  the  date  of  grant/calculation,  under  the  share 
appreciation rights plan (SARs),

both of which vest subject to the satisfaction of conditions related to long term performance and/ 
or service on an identical basis i.e. the form of equity has no bearing on the setting of vesting 
conditions etc.

There is no entitlement to dividends during the Measurement Period.

LTI Value

The  Board  retains  discretion  to  determine  the  value  of  LTI  to  be  offered  each  year,  subject  to 
shareholder approval in relation to Directors, when the Rights are to be settled in the form of a 
new  issue  of  Company  shares.  The  Board  may  also  seek  shareholder  approval  for  grants  to 
Directors in other circumstances, at its discretion.

22

Vesting Conditions

The Board has discretion to set vesting conditions for each offer. Performance Rights that do 
not vest will lapse. The vesting conditions are TSR relative to the ASX 300, with a 50% 
weighting, and EPS Growth relative to target, with a 50% weighting. Adjustment of the TSR 
vesting scale will occur to remove any vesting at below-market (index) performance.

FY22 Offers
No offers were made for FY 2022 for KMP.

The vesting scales for prior offers are:

Performance Level

Annualised EPS Growth

Vesting

Below Threshold

< Budget

Threshold

=Budget

0%

75%

Between Threshold and Target

>Budget, <110% of Budget

Pro-rata

Target

110% of Budget

100%

Performance Level

Relative TSR of the 
Company as % of the S&P 
ASX 300 Accumulation 
Index

Below Threshold

< Index

Threshold

=Index (90%)

Vesting

0%

75%

Between Threshold and Target

>100%, <110%

Pro-rata

Target

110% of Index

125%

23

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

FY23 Offers
FY23 offers have not been made to KMP, pending the Remuneration Committee’s review of the 
LTI plan as well as ongoing strategic reviews. Any new plan that is proposed hopefully will be put 
to shareholders at the Annual General Meeting in May 2023.

Comments
Noting that the plan is likely to be changed for 2023 and beyond, the Board of Reckon recognises 
that it is important that shareholders understand why the current LTI vesting conditions selected 
are appropriate to the circumstances of the Company, and therefore seeks to be transparent in 
this regard.

A form of total shareholder returns (TSR) was selected as it recognises the total returns (share 
price movement and dividends assuming they are reinvested into company shares) that accrue 
to shareholders over the Measurement Period. This measure creates the most direct alignment 
between the experience of shareholders and the scaling of rewards realised by Senior Executives.

Relative TSR has been selected to ensure that participants do not receive windfall gains from 
broad market movements unrelated to the performance of the Senior Executives (which is the 
key  feature  that  has  led  many  companies  to  use  relative  TSR).  Relative  TSR  achieves  this  by 
modulating the required TSR outcome of the Company based on indicators of overall market 
movements, and assessing performance in excess of broad market movements unrelated to the 
activities of the Company.

While  ranked  TSR  was  considered,  it  was  not  possible  to  identify  a  comparator  group  of 
companies that was statistically robust enough to be meaningful and the Board was concerned 
that  this  would  undermine  the  link  between  executive  performance  and  reward  outcomes.  In 
addition,  the  comparator  group  used  until  very  recently  is  no  longer  appropriate  as  several 
entities have failed or are no longer listed on the ASX. TSR relative to a robust indicator of market 
movements/performance will therefore apply to future grants of LTI.

The relative TSR vesting scale requires that the Company deliver a TSR to shareholders that is 
at least as good or better than the market over the Measurement Period before any vesting may 
occur. Full vesting becomes available when the TSR of the Company reaches 100% of the TSR 
of the index over the Measurement Period. The Target of 110% of the index is considered by the 
Board  to  be  challenging,  but  achievable,  should  the  Board’s  assumptions  in  making  that 
assessment prevail. While under such a TSR LTI approach, the market indicator is generic, the 
vesting  scale  reflects  the  expectations  of  the  Board,  management,  shareholders  and  other 
stakeholders given the particular circumstances of the Company, relative to the broader market. 
This new measure is, in the view of the Board and based on advice, likely to better align the 
outcomes of the LTI plan with Company performance and shareholder interests than selecting a 
tailored but largely irrelevant comparator group of companies to which a generic vesting scale is 
then applied, which is the approach adopted by the vast majority of companies that use ranked 
TSR.

Based on advice received by the Board from its independent remuneration advisor in 2016, it is 
understood to be good practice to have both an external (TSR) and internal measure of long- 
term Company performance in relation to the LTI. The internal measures that will most clearly 
align with shareholder value creation at this stage will be the achievement of the earnings growth 
targets specified by the Board in consideration of business plans and economic circumstances 
each year. Therefore, earnings per share growth (EPSG) is used as the second condition.

Retesting

The  Plan  Rules  do  not  contemplate  retesting  and  therefore  retesting  is  not  a  feature  of  the 
Company’s current LTI offers.

24

Plan Gate and 
Board Discretion

A gate applies to the TSR component of the LTI such that no vesting will occur if the Company’s 
TSR is not positive. If the movement of the index is low over the Measurement Period, at less 
than 5%, then the Board will exercise its discretion to limit vesting to the threshold level, or an 
even lesser level.

The Board has the power to exercise discretion to decline to allow an award to vest, for example 
in the circumstances of a “bad leaver”.

Amount Payable 
for Performance 
Rights

Exercise of Vested 
Performance 
Rights

Dealing 
Restrictions on 
Shares

Cessation of 
Employment 
During a 
Measurement 
Period

No amount is payable for Performance Rights.

The value of Rights is included in assessments of remuneration and policy.

Under the plan rules, vested Performance Rights will be available to be exercised, subject to 
the payment of any Exercise Price, until the last exercise date. Exercised Rights will be satisfied 
in the form of ordinary Company shares, except where the participant necessarily participates 
in the cash Rights (SAR) plan to address the tax issues faced by them as significant 
shareholders in the Company (see earlier discussion of this aspect).

No amount is payable by participants to exercise vested Performance Rights.

Shares that result from the exercise and vesting of Performance Rights will be subject to 
dealing restrictions as per the Company’s trading policy applicable to officers of the Company.

In the event of cessation of employment due to dismissal for cause all unvested Performance 
Rights are forfeited.

In the event of cessation of employment due to resignation or dismissal all unvested 
Performance Rights are forfeited.

Change of Control 
of the Company

The Board retains discretion under the rules of the plans to over-rule the automatic vesting of 
incentives in the event of “capital events” such as takeovers or restructures.

Fraud, Gross 
Misconduct etc

Clawback and 
Malus

If the Board forms the view that a Participant has committed fraud, defalcation or gross 
misconduct in relation to the Company then all entitlements in relation to the Measurement 
Period will be forfeited by that participant.

A clawback policy is in place for cases of material misstatement or misconduct. The 
Remuneration Committee has the power to withdraw offers that have not vested or to 
clawback short-term incentives paid in the case of serious misconduct or material 
misstatement in the financial statements respectively.

In previous years the Company also operated a Retention Rights scheme which allowed for vesting based on service 
only. On 24 May 2011 the Remuneration Committee approved and recommended to the Board an extension to the 
long-term incentive plan by adding a long-term retention incentive. The genesis of the idea to extend the plan and 
offer additional performance shares was to provide a reward and an incentive for senior level employees who have a 
long employment history and good performance record (i.e. beyond the KMP).

It  was  also  intended  that  these  performance  shares  could  be  used  to  provide  an  incentive  for  employees  with 
potential for a longer-term contribution to the success of the company to participate in the growth of equity value of 
the company. Part of the company’s success as an organisation is premised on human domain expertise and the 
consistency and longevity of service of KMP and other senior employees. The offer of these additional performance 
shares  is  designed  to  encourage  and  reward  employees  to  commit  to  longevity  as  well  as  to  complement  other 
traditional forms of executive remuneration. By rewarding those employees who commit to the company over a very 
long  period  and  thereby  providing  stability  as  the  business  grows  and  matures,  the  board  believes  long  term 
shareholder benefits will result for shareholders.

25

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

The  long-term  retention  incentives  are  offered  to  selected  employees  with  the  principal  vesting  condition  that 
participants must remain employed for the term specified (typically 7-10 years). The shares offered remain at risk of 
forfeiture  until  the  relevant  period  of  service  has  been  satisfied.  There  is  no  entitlement  to  dividends  during  the 
relevant period of service.

It is the Remuneration Committee’s belief that the addition of these performance shares has added to the balance 
and overall mix of remuneration to the applicable employees in a positive way. If the exacting service requirements 
are not satisfied, then any costs incurred under AASB 2 will be recouped and any forfeited shares will be available 
for reallocation or to fund other employee equity entitlements.

This legacy arrangement has been phased out, with the final tranche vesting at the end of FY20 in respect of KMP.

3.9 Securities Holding Policy

The Board currently sees a securities holding policy as unnecessary since executives receive a significant component 
of remuneration in the form of equity and that a number of key executives already hold significant numbers of shares, 
voluntarily. Given that the outcome is effectively already being achieved, it was determined that such a policy was 
currently unnecessary.

3.10 Clawback Policy

Reckon  has  adopted  a  clawback  policy  which  is  activated  in  cases  of  material  misstatements  in  the  Company’s 
financial reports, or in cases of misconduct by executives.

26

4. Actual/Realised Remuneration Relevant to FY22

4.1 Senior Executive Remuneration

The statutory disclosure requirements do not provide clear information on value obtained by KMP during the current year as 
the statutory information attempts to match the disclosed remuneration with when the services are provided. 

The following table outlines the non-deferred component of STI achieved during the financial year, and the LTI, if any, and/or 
any deferred STI that vested during the financial year in relation to the completion of the performance or vesting period at the 
end of the specified financial year:

Name

Role(s)

Year

Salary

Superannuation 

Contributions

Other 
Benefits5

Base Package

STI1

LTI27

Make whole 
payment6

Amount

% of 

TRP

Amount

% of 

TRP

Amount

% of 

TRP

Amount

% of 

TRP

Total 

Remuneration 

Package (TRP)

Group 
MD, then 
non-
executive 
director

Mr Clive 
Rabie3

2022

$99,892

$10,194

$149,973

$260,059

100%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$260,059

Group MD

2021

$532,950

$26,773

$0

$559,722

100%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$559,722

Group 
CEO

Group 
CEO

Group 
CFO

Group 
CFO

Company 
Secretary 
and 
Corporate 
Counsel

Mr Sam 
Allert

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick4

Company 
Secretary

TOTALS

2022 
ongoing 
remuneration

2022 make 
whole 
payment

2022 total

$608,751

$27,500

$17,953

$654,204

38% $183,490

11% $149,448

9%

$987,142

$716,571

42%

$716,571

$1,703,713

2021

$598,461

$26,250

$18,911

$643,622

65% $175,636

18% $169,816

17%

$0

0%

$989,074

2022 
ongoing 
remuneration

2022 make 
whole 
payment

2022 total

$517,207

$26,700

$4,483

$548,390

52% $154,231

15% $99,632

9%

$802,253

$250,800

24%

$250,800

$1,053,053

2021

$510,742

$25,200

$8,332

$544,274

69% $145,687

18% $104,377

13%

$0

0%

$794,338

2022 
ongoing 
remuneration

2022 make 
whole 
payment

2022 total

$334,031

$27,500

$1,529

$363,060

63%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$363,060

$214,971

37%

$214,971

$578,031

2021

$278,370

$22,083

$16,761

$317,214

84%

0%

$59,000

16%

$0

0%

$376,214

2022

2021

$1,559,880

$91,894

$173,938

$1,825,713

$1,920,522

$100,306

$44,004

$2,064,832

$337,721

$321,323

$249,080

$333,193

$1,182,342

$0

$3,594,856

$2,719,348

1 Note that the STI value reported in this table is the STI that was paid during the reporting period, being the award earned during the previous period. 
Incentive outcomes for the current and previous period are outlined elsewhere in this report.
2 Note that the LTI value reported in this table is the value at grant date of any equity that vested in the specified year. 
3 Mr Rabie was Group MD until 31 March 2022, from 1 April 2022 he was a non-executive director.
4 Mr Zlotnick’s services as Company Secretary were provided on an independent contractor basis until February 2021 at an annual fee of $160,745 
(2020: $160,745). On 22 February 2021 Mr Zlotnick was engaged as an employee.
5 Other benefits include movement in annual leave and long service leave. In the case of Mr Rabie this represents the split of his remuneration in 
relation to the Legal Group.
6 On 14 November 2022, certain KMP were paid “make whole” payments to remedy the likelihood that the Company’s share price may diminish 
following payment of a special dividend. Amounts paid were Mr Allert $716,571, Mr Hagglund $250,800 and Mr Zlotnick $214,971
7 The LTI shares where shareholders approved the waiving of performance targets for Mr Allert on 25 November 2022, were still subject to continuous 
employment requirements in 2022, and will vest in 2023.

Both target and awarded values of STI and LTI remuneration are outlined in the relevant sections of the Remuneration 
Report to assist shareholders to obtain a more complete understanding of remuneration as it relates to senior executives.

Note that in November 2022, the Group CEO was paid a bonus in respect of 1,000,000 performance shares offered to 
him under a special incentive performance share (plan reported in 2019); and a bonus was also paid to KMPs who hold 
certain tranches of performance shares. Refer to note 6 above.

27

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

Under the CEO’s special incentive offer and the rules of the LTI applicable to KMPs, holders of performance shares were 
not entitled to receive the special dividend that was paid to shareholders on 21 November 2022 after the completion of 
the sale of the Accountant Practice Management Group. 

However, the board was of the view that as there was a likelihood that the share price may diminish following payment 
of the special dividend, and with a strong probability that the performance shares would vest, it was appropriate to pay 
these bonuses to “keep them whole”. 

The  bonuses  paid  were  approximately  equal  to  the  value  of  the  special  dividend  the  CEO  and  KMPs  would  have 
received had they been the owners of shares (as opposed to holders of performance shares) at the time the special 
dividend was paid. 

5. Maximum Available Executive Remuneration for FY22

The disclosures required under the Corporations Act and prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards 
attempt to match remuneration reported with the services provided to earn that revenue in the relevant year. The table 
below,  on  the  other  hand,  indicates  remuneration  offered  to  KMP  to  be  earned  in  the  current  and  future  periods.  For 
example, the LTI disclosed is not reflective of the offer made in the year being reported on due to the requirements of AASB 
2. It should be noted that the table presents target incentive opportunities for achieving a challenging but achievable target 
level of performance. In the case of STI, the maximum incentive may be up to 10% higher (i.e. 110% of the target). It should 
be noted that the table presents target incentive opportunities for achieving a challenging but achievable target level of 
performance. In the case of STI, the maximum incentive may be up to 10% higher (i.e. 110% of the target).

Position

Incumbent

Group MD, 
then 
non-executive 
director

Group CFO

Group CEO

Company 
Secretary and 
Corporate 
Counsel

Mr Clive 
Rabie1

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Mr Sam 
Allert

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick

Base 
Package 
Including 
Super

Other 
Benefits2

Fixed 
% 
TRP

STI

LTI

Target 
% of 
Base 
Package

Target 
STI 
Amount

STI 
% 
TRP

Target % 
of Base 
Package

Target 
LTI 
Amount

LTI 
% 
TRP

Total 
Remuneration 
Package at 
Target 
Performance

$110,086

$149,973

100%

0%

$0

0%

0%

$0

0%

$260,059

$543,907

$636,251

n/a

n/a

70%

31%

$166,650

21%

13%

$71,167

9%

$781,724

66%

31%

$198,000

21%

19%

$120,000

13%

$954,251

$361,531

n/a

86%

0%

$0

0%

16%

$59,000

14%

$420,531

1 Mr Rabie was Group MD until 31 March 2022, from 1 April 2022 he was a non-executive director.

2 Applicable to Mr Rabie only. In the case of Mr Rabie this represents the split of his remuneration in relation to the Legal Group.

The incentives presented in the table above is the target level of STI offered for FY22, and for LTI the anual cost of the 
value at the time of the grant.

The intended value for STI will flow to participants when performance targets are achieved.

No LTI offers were made for KMP in FY22.

28

6. Remuneration Records for FY22 – Statutory Disclosures

The following table outlines the remuneration accrued for Senior Executives of the Company during FY22 and FY21 
prepared according to statutory disclosure requirements and applicable accounting standards:

Name

Role(s)

Year

Base Package 
Including Super and 
Other Benefits

Non-deferred 
STI awarded for 
the Financial 
Year

Deferred STI for 
the FY

LTI for the FY1

Make whole 
payment4

Actual Total 
Remuneration 
Package 
(TRP)

Amount

% of 
TRP

Amount

% of 
TRP

Amount

% of 
TRP

Amount

% of 
TRP

Amount

% of 
TRP

Mr Clive 
Rabie2    

Group 
MD, then 
non-
executive 
director

2022

$260,059

100%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$0

0%

Group MD

2021

$559,722

100%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$0

$0

0%

$260,059

0%

$559,722

Group 
CFO

Group 
CEO

Group 
CEO

Company 
Secretary 
and 
Corporate 
Counsel

Company 
Secretary

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Mr Sam 
Allert

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick3

TOTALS

2022 
ongoing 
remuneration

2022 make 
whole 
payment

2022 total

$548,390

53%

$85,089

8%

$72,343

7%

$71,167

7%

$776,989

$250,800

24%

$250,800

$1,027,789

2021

$544,274

68%

$83,368

10%

$70,863

9%

$99,632

12%

$0

0%

$798,137

2022 
ongoing 
remuneration

2022 make 
whole 
payment

2022 total

$654,203

39%

$125,284

7%

$62,009

4%

$120,000

7%

$961,496

$716,571

43%

$716,571

$1,678,067

2021

$643,622

66%

$122,750

13%

$60,740

6%

$149,448

15%

$0

0%

$976,560

2022 
ongoing 
remuneration

2022 make 
whole 
payment

2022 total

2021

2022

2021

$363,061

57%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$59,000

9%

$422,061

$317,214

100%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$0

0%

$317,214

$1,825,713

$2,064,832

$210,373

$206,118

$134,352

$131,603

$250,167

$249,080

$1,182,342

$0

$3,602,947

$2,651,633

$214,971

34%

$214,971

$637,032

1  Note that the LTI value reported in this table is the amortised accounting charge of all grants that have not lapsed or vested as at the start of the reporting 
period. 
2 Mr Rabie was Group MD until 31 March 2022, from 1 April 2022 he was a non-executive director.
3 Mr Zlotnick’s services as Company Secretary were provided on an independent contractor basis until February 2021 at an annual fee of $160,745 (2020: 
$160,745). On 4 February 2021 Mr Zlotnick was engaged as an employee.
4 On 14 November 2022, certain KMP were paid “make whole” payments to remedy the likelihood that the Company’s share price may diminish following 
payment of a special dividend. Amounts paid were Mr Allert $716,571, Mr Hagglund $250,800 and Mr Zlotnick $214,971. 

Note that in November 2022, the Group CEO was paid a bonus in respect of 1,000,000 performance shares offered to him under 
a special incentive performance share (reported in 2019); and a bonus was also paid to KMPs who hold certain tranches of 
performance shares.

Under the CEO’s special incentive offer and the rules of the LTI applicable to KMPs, holders of performance shares were not 
entitled to receive the special dividend that was paid to shareholders on 21 November 2022 after the completion of the sale of the 
Accountant Group. 

However, the board was of the view that as there was a likelihood that the share price may diminish following payment of the 
special dividend, and with a strong probability that the performance shares would vest, it was appropriate to pay these bonuses 
to “keep them whole”. 

The bonuses paid were approximately equal to the value of the special dividend the CEO and KMPs would have received had 
they been the owners of shares (as opposed to holders of performance shares) at the time the special dividend was paid.

29

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

Non-executive director fees are managed within the current annual fees limit (AFL or fee pool) of $400,000 which was 
approved by shareholders at the 2008 AGM.

Remuneration received by non-executive directors in FY22 and FY21 is disclosed below:

Name

Role(s)

Year

Board 
Fees

Committee 
Fees

Superannuation

Other 
Benefits

Equity 
Grant

Termination 
Benefits

Total

Mr Greg 
Wilkinson

Mr Philip 
Hayman

Independent, 
non-executive 
Chairman

Independent, 
non-executive 
Deputy 
Chairman

Independent, 
non-executive 
director

Independent, 
non-executive 
director

TOTALS

2022

$126,072

$0

$12,919

$0

$0

$0

$138,991

2021

$124,848

$0

$12,179

$0

$0

$0

$137,027

2022

$84,048

2021

$83,232

2022

2021

$210,120

$208,080

$0

$0

$0

$0

$8,613

$8,119

$21,532

$20,298

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$92,661

$91,351

$231,652

$228,378

30

7. Performance Outcomes for FY22

7.1 Company Performance

All incentives paid for relevant periods for STI were measured strictly against the targets set.

In the context of some lagged impact of COVID 19 and an extremely competitive market, especially for the Business 
Group, and the Accountant Group to some extent, the board is satisfied that the vesting of incentives correlates with 
performance. 

The board is mindful of the need to retain talent and believes that the KMPs are appropriately incentivized given that 
several parts of the business are almost in a start up phase. More impressive returns are only anticipated in the 
longer term if strategies are executed correctly.

As evidenced in this report, the Company as a whole has achieved:

•  progress on cloud development to transition to a cloud first company;

• 

• 

• 

• 

solid revenue, solid profits, and cash generation;

stable growth;

reduction in debt;

increased strategic partnerships;

•  ±8% gross yield by way of divided paid; and

•  growth in annual recurring revenue.

Date

Revenue ($m)

31-Dec-22

31-Dec-21

31-Dec-20

31-Dec-19

31-Dec-18

$64.71

$72.12

$75.6

$75.4

$75.4

Profit After Tax 
attributable to 
owners of the parent 
($m)

Share Price

Change in Share 
Price

Dividends

$57.8

$9.82

$9.7

$8.1

$7.7

$0.60

$0.93

$0.78

$0.77

$0.67

-$0.33

$0.15

$0.01

$0.10

-$0.90

$0.60

$0.05

$0.05

$0.05

$0.03

1 The Accountant Group business was sold effective 1 August 2022 ($13.5 million of revenue was transferred to discontinued operations).
2 The ReckonDoc business was sold effective 1 March 2021 ($0.8 million of revenue was transferred to discontinued operations).

7.2 Links Between Performance and Reward

The remuneration of executive KMP is intended to be composed of three parts as outlined earlier, being:

• 

• 

 Base Package, which is not intended to vary with performance but which tends to increase as the scale of the 
business increases (i.e. following success)

 STI which is intended to vary with indicators of annual Company and individual performance, including a deferred 
component to encourage retention and

• 

 LTI which is also intended to deliver a variable reward based on long-term measures of Company performance.

31

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

The STI achieved in relation to the FY22 period was paid after the end of the period (during FY23) in February 2023. 
On average 104% of the target award opportunity or approximately 94% of the maximum award opportunity (being 
110% of the target) available was paid. This level of award was considered appropriate under the STI scheme since 
the objectives were set and offers made in relation to the achievement of each KPI at the beginning of the financial 
year, and the majority of those objectives were met. During the FY22 period the objectives that were linked to the 
payment of STI included:

Name

Position 
Held at Year 
End

Mr Clive 
Rabie

Non-executive 
director

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Group CFO

Mr Sam 
Allert

Group CEO

KPI 
Summary

Revenue 
EBITDA 
EPS

Revenue 
EBITDA 
EPS

Revenue 
EBITDA 
EPS

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick

Company 
Secretary and 
Corporate 
Counsel

Revenue 
EBITDA 
EPS

FY22 Company Level KPI Summary

Weighting

Target

Achievement

Award 
Outcomes

Total 
Award

40% 
40% 
20%

40% 
40% 
20%

40% 
40% 
20%

40% 
40% 
20%

n/a

n/a

$0

$64.7m

$24.2m

5.3cps

$64.7m

$24.2m

5.3cps

100%

106%

110%

100%

106%

110%

$85,089

$125,284

n/a

n/a

$0

This value is accounted for in the realised remuneration table presented earlier.

32

The STI paid during the FY22 period related to performance during the FY21 period and was paid in cash in February 
2022. On average 102% of the target award opportunity or 93% of the maximum award opportunity (being 110% of 
the target) available was paid. This level of award was considered appropriate under the STI scheme that was in 
place  during  FY21,  which  is  summarised  in  the  table  below.  Therefore,  there  were  strong  links  between  internal 
measures of Company performance and the payment of short-term incentives:

Name

Position 
Held at 
Year End

FY21 Company Level KPI Summary

Weighting

Target

Achievement

Award 
Outcomes

Total 
Award1

KPI 
Summary

Revenue

Mr Clive Rabie

Group MD

EBITDA

EPS

Revenue

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Group CFO

EBITDA

EPS

Revenue

EBITDA

EPS

Revenue

EBITDA

EPS

Mr Sam Allert

Group CEO/
MD ANZ

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick

Company 
Secretary 
and 
Corporate 
Counsel

40%

40%

20%

40%

40%

20%

40%

40%

20%

40%

40%

20%

n/a

n/a

n/a

$72.9m

$28.9m

5.9cps

$72.9m

$28.9m

5.9cps

99%

102%

110%

99%

102%

110%

$83,368

$122,750

n/a

n/a

n/a

This value is accounted for in the realised remuneration table presented earlier.

33

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

Vesting of LTI incentives for the performance period 2020 to 2022 were paid in February 2023 based on achievement 
of KPIs set at follows:

Incumbent

Role

Target LTI 
Value (at 
grant 
January 
2019) to 
Vest for 
FY221

Tranche

Weighting 
%

Number 
of Shares 
Eligible 
to Vest 
for FY22

Performance 
Against 
Target

% of 
Grant 
Vested

Number of 
Shares or 
Appreciation 
Rights 
Vested

Mr Clive 
Rabie

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Mr Sam 
Allert

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick

Group MD

n/a

Group CFO

$213,500

Group CEO

$400,000

Company 
Secretary and 
Corporate 
Counsel

n/a

1 For Mr Allert the grant date was 1 September 2019

TSR

EPS

TSR

EPS

TSR

EPS

TSR

EPS

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

50/50

350,000  

Achieved

112.5%

393,750 

50/50

1,000,000 

Achieved

100.0%

1,000,000 

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

The Board is confident in stating that the links between Company performance and executive reward, both internally 
and externally measured, and over both the short and long term, are well aligned and appropriate to the Company. 
However, the Board will continue to make improvements and adjustments to these links as stakeholder expectations 
and  Company  circumstances  evolve.  In  particular  consideration  is  being  given  to  the  structure  and  performance 
targets for the LTI. Any proposed changes hopefully will be put to shareholders for approval at the Annual General 
Meeting in May 2023.

7.3 Links Between Company Strategy and Remuneration

The Company intends to attract and retain the superior talent required to successfully implement the Company’s 
strategies at a reasonable and appropriately variable cost by:

•  positioning Base Packages (the fixed element) around P50 of relevant market data benchmarks when they are 

undertaken

• 

• 

• 

 supplementing the Base Package with at-risk remuneration, being incentives that motivate executive focus on 
short to mid-term objectives linked to the strategy via KPIs and annual performance assessments, and the

imposing of deferral periods for part of STI awards, and

 long term value creation for shareholders by linking a material component of remuneration to those factors that 
shareholders have expressed should be the long-term focus of executives and the Board.

Key strategies remain: investment in new technology; investment in new markets; and sustaining existing profitable 
businesses. It is important to fix remuneration mindful of maintaining morale and retaining talent.

34

8. Employment Terms for Key Management Personnel

A summary of contract terms in relation to executive KMP is presented below:

Name

Position Held 
at Close of 
FY22

Employing 
Company

Duration of 
Contract

Period of Notice

Termination 
Payments

From 
Company

From KMP

Group MD and 
then non-
executive 
director

Reckon Limited

Open ended

1 month

1month

Group CFO

Reckon Limited

Open ended

3 months

3 months

Company 
Secretary and 
Corporate 
Counsel

Reckon Limited

Open ended

1 month

1 month

Group CEO

Reckon Limited

Open ended

1 month

1 month

Mr Clive 
Rabie1

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick2

Mr Sam 
Allert

Up to 12 
months*

Up to 12 
months*

Up to 12 
months*

Up to 12 
months*

1 Mr Rabie was Group MD until 31 March 2022, from 1 April 2022 he was a non-executive director.

2 Mr Zlotnick’s services as Company Secretary were provided on an independent contractor basis until February 2021. On 22 February 2021 Mr 

Zlotnick was engaged as an employee.

* Under the Corporations Act any termination benefit is limited to a maximum of 12 months average salary (measured over 3 years) unless shareholder 

approval is obtained.

On appointment to the Board, all non-executive directors enter into a service agreement with the Company in the 
form of a letter of appointment. The letter summarises the Board policies and terms, including compensation relevant 
to the office of the director. Non-executive directors are not eligible to receive termination payments under the terms 
of the appointments.

A summary of the appointment terms in relation to non-executive KMP is presented below:

Name

Position Held at Close of 
FY22

Employing 
Company

Duration of 
Contract

Period of Notice

From 
Company

From 
KMP

Termination 
Payments

Mr Greg 
Wilkinson

Mr Phillip 
Hayman

Independent non-executive 
Chairman

Independent Non-executive 
Director

Reckon 
Limited

Reckon 
Limited

Open ended

None

None

None

Open ended

None

None

None

35

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

9. Changes in KMP Held Equity

The following table outlines the changes in the amount of equity held by executives over the financial year

Number 
Held at 
Open 2022

Granted 
FY22

Forfeited 

Vested1

Purchased / 
Disposed /
DRP

Number Held 
at Close 2022

Name

Instrument

Number

Number

Number 

Number

Number

Number

Mr Clive 
Rabie

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick

Mr Sam 
Allert

Shares

10,597,141

Rights/
Options

0

Shares

941,500

Rights/
Options2

350,000

Shares

0

Rights/
Options

300,000

Shares

487,779

Rights/
Options2

1,000,000

1 1 January 2023.

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

(390,606) 

10,206,535

0

0

(288,140)

653,360

0

0

0

0

0

350,000

0

300,000

487,779

1,000,000

2  Purchased on-market in November 2022. These shares formed part of a total of 1,650,000 shares purchased on-market (at $0.60 per share) to 

satisfy vesting of rights for KMPs and non-KMPs. An additional 81,249 shares were purchased on market in February 2023 (at 0.52 per share) to 

complete the number of shares required for vesting. The fair value at grant date of 1 September 2019 for Mr Allert is $0.40 per share. The fair value 

at grant date of 1 January 2020 for Mr Hagglund is $0.61 per share.

36

The following table outlines the changes in the amount of equity held by non-executive directors over the financial year:

Name

Instrument

Number 
Held at 
Open 2022

Granted 
FY22

Forfeited 

Vested

Purchased / 
DRP

Number Held at 
Close 2022

Number

Number

Number 

Number

Number

Number

Mr Greg 
Wilkinson

Mr Philip 
Hayman

Shares

8,019,374

Rights/Options

n/a

Shares

1,397,460

Rights/Options

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

0

n/a

0

n/a

8,019,374

n/a

1,397,460

n/a

The following table outlines the value of equity granted during the year that may be realised in the future:

2022 Equity Grants

Tranche

Total Value at 
Grant

Value 
Expensed in 
FY22

Max Value to 
be Expensed in 
Future Years

Min Value to be 
Expensed in 
Future Years

Name

Role

Mr Clive Rabie

Group MD

TSR

EPS

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Service

Must be employed at end of performance period

Mr Chris 
Hagglund

Group CFO

Mr Myron 
Zlotnick

Company 
Secretary

Mr Sam Allert

Group CEO

TOTALS

TSR

EPS

Service

TSR

EPS

Service

TSR

EPS

Service

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

Must be employed at end of performance period

$0

$0

$0

$0

Must be employed at end of performance period

$0

$0

$0

$0

Must be employed at end of performance period

$0

$0

n/a

n/a

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

$0

37

Remuneration Report (Audited) (continued)

10. Other Remuneration Related Matters

The following outlines other remuneration related matters that may be of interest to stakeholders, in the interests of 
transparency and disclosure:

•  Other than as disclosed, there were no loans to Directors or other KMP at any time during the reporting period and

•  There  were  no  relevant  material  transactions  involving  KMP  other  than  compensation  and  transactions 

concerning shares, performance rights/options as discussed in this report.

The rules state that in all cases save as the rules provide otherwise, the Board has an over-riding discretion in relation 
to any of its powers under the Rules.

This concludes the remuneration report which has been audited.

38

Indemnification of Directors and Officers and Auditors

During the financial year, the company paid a premium in respect of a contract insuring the directors of the company 
(as  named  above),  the  Company  Secretary  and  all  executive  officers  of  the  company,  and  of  any  related  body 
corporate,  against  a  liability  incurred  as  a  director,  secretary  or  executive  officer  to  the  extent  permitted  by  the 
Corporations Act 2001. The contract of insurance prohibits disclosure of the nature of the liability and the amount of 
the premium.

In addition, Rule 27 of the company’s Constitution obliges the company to indemnify on a full indemnity basis and to 
the full extent permitted by law, every director, officer or former officer for all losses or liabilities incurred by the person 
as an officer. This obligation continues after the person has ceased to be a director or an officer of the company or a 
related body corporate, but operates only to the extent that the loss or liability is not covered by insurance.

The company has not otherwise, during or since the financial year, indemnified or agreed to indemnify an officer or 
auditor of the company, or any related body corporate, against a liability incurred as an officer or auditor.

Directors’ Meeting

The  following  table  sets  out  the  number  of  directors’  meetings  held  during  the  financial  year  and  the  number  of 
meetings attended by each director.

Directors

Meeting

Reckon Limited – Attendance Tables

Board

Audit & Risk Committee

Remuneration Committee

Eligible to 
attend

Attended

Eligible to 
attend

Attended

Eligible to 
attend

Attended

Greg 
Wilkinson

Clive Rabie

Phil Hayman

Sam Allert

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

2

n/a

2

n/a

2

n/a

2

n/a

2

n/a

2

n/a

2

n/a

2

n/a

39

Non-Audit Fees

Details of the non-audit services can be found in note 6 to the financial statements.

The directors are satisfied that the provision of non-audit services, during the year, by the auditor (or by another 
person or firm on the auditor’s behalf) is compatible with the general standard of independence for auditors imposed 
by the Corporations Act 2001.

The directors are of the opinion that the services as disclosed in note 6 to the financial statements do not compromise 
the  external  auditor’s  independence,  based  on  advice  received  from  the  Audit  &  Risk  Committee,  for  the  
following reasons:

•  All non-audit services have been reviewed and approved to ensure that they do not impact the integrity and 

objectivity of the auditor, and

•  None of the services undermine the general principles relating to auditor independence as set out in Code of 
Conduct APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants issued by the Accounting Professional & Ethical 
Standards  Board,  including  reviewing  or  auditing  the  auditor’s  own  work,  acting  in  a  management  or 
decision-making capacity for the Company, acting as advocate for the company or jointly sharing economic 
risks and rewards.

Subsequent Events

Reckon Limited advised on 9 March 2023 that it, together with minority shareholders, has made a commitment to 
provide  approximately  US$4  million  in  funding  to  its  Legal  Practice  Management  Group  (“Legal  Group”),  which 
operates  under  the  nQZebraworks  brand  in  the  US.  Certain  other  existing  investors  (“co-investors”)  in  the  Legal 
Group, including the nQZebraworks CEO, have also agreed to provide growth capital on a pro-rata basis. Minority 
shareholders that elect not to contribute, will dilute. 

Reckon’s  portion  of  the  investment  will  be  staged  over  24  months  and  funded  through  earnings  from  Reckon’s 
existing operations, with capital deployed towards scaling operations in the rapidly growing US legal market. 

The strategic rationale for the capital injection is underpinned by the view of the Reckon management team that the 
Company now has a major opportunity to leverage its footprint in the US legal market and generate a step-change 
in revenues and group earnings. 

Reckon’s  increased  investment  will  be  deployed  towards  a  targeted  business  development  strategy  in  the  USA, 
where it already provides scan and print management workflow solutions practice management software to five of 
the world’s largest legal firms and has increased capacity to scale up its client base.  

Additional  funds  will  also  be  allocated  to  product  optimisation  amid  the  ongoing  transition  from  desktop-based 
products to innovative cloud-based solutions. The Company is confident that the new funding will provide considerable 
financial flexibility to capitalise on growth over the next 24 months. 

Alongside  the  new  funding  commitment,  Reckon  will  seek  to  implement  a  long-term  incentive  plan  for  the  Legal 
Group’s USA management and staff to pursue growth and exit opportunities. Details of this incentive plan will be 
subject to shareholder approval, to be sought at the next Annual General Meeting. 

The investment highlights Reckon’s ongoing commitment to unlocking growth opportunities for practice management 
solutions in the large US legal services industry.  

In addition, Reckon will also acquire existing securities in the Legal Group, issued to previous management.  

These transactions will increase Reckon’s ownership in the division from 70% to 76% at a total cash cost of US$4 
million.

40

Auditor’s Independence Declaration
The auditor’s independence declaration is included after this report on page 42.

Rounding Off of Amounts

The company is a company of the kind referred to in ASIC Corporations (Rounding in Financial/Directors’ Reports) 
Instrument 2016/191, dated 24 March 2016, and in accordance with that Corporations Instrument amounts in the 
directors’  report  and  the  financial  statements  are  rounded  off  to  the  nearest  thousand  dollars,  unless  otherwise 
indicated.

On behalf of the directors,

Mr C Rabie  
Chairman 
Sydney 30 March 2023

41

 
Tel: +61 2 9251 4100 
Fax: +61 2 9240 9821 
www.bdo.com.au 

Level 11, 1 Margaret Street  
Sydney NSW 2000 
Australia 

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE BY GARETH FEW TO THE DIRECTORS OF RECKON LIMITED 

As lead auditor of Reckon Limited for the year ended 31 December 2022, I declare that, to the best of 
my knowledge and belief, there have been: 

1.  No contraventions of the auditor independence requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 in 

relation to the audit; and 

2.  No contraventions of any applicable code of professional conduct in relation to the audit. 

This declaration is in respect of Reckon Limited and the entities it controlled during the year. 

Gareth Few 
Director 

BDO Audit Pty Ltd 

Sydney  

30 March 2023 

BDO Audit Pty Ltd ABN 33 134 022 870 is a member of a national association of independent entities which are all members of BDO 
Australia Ltd ABN 77 050 110 275, an Australian company limited by guarantee. BDO Audit Pty Ltd and BDO Australia Ltd are members 
of BDO International Ltd, a UK company limited by guarantee, and form part of the international BDO network of independent 
member firms. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. 

42

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tel: +61 2 9251 4100 
Fax: +61 2 9240 9821 
www.bdo.com.au 

Level 11, 1 Margaret Street  
Sydney NSW 2000 
Australia 

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT 

To the members of Reckon Limited 

Report on the Audit of the Financial Report 

Opinion  

We have audited the financial report of Reckon Limited (the Company) and its subsidiaries (the Group), 
which comprises the consolidated statement of financial position as at 31 December 2022, the 
consolidated statement of profit or loss, consolidated statement of profit or loss and other 
comprehensive income, the consolidated statement of changes in equity and the consolidated 
statement of cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the financial report, including a 
summary of significant accounting policies and the directors’ declaration. 

In our opinion the accompanying financial report of the Group, is in accordance with the Corporations 
Act 2001, including:  

(i) 

Giving a true and fair view of the Group’s financial position as at 31 December 2022 and of its 
financial performance for the year ended on that date; and  

(ii) 

Complying with Australian Accounting Standards and the Corporations Regulations 2001.  

Basis for opinion  

We conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards.  Our responsibilities under 
those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the Financial 
Report section of our report.  We are independent of the Group in accordance with the Corporations 
Act 2001 and the ethical requirements of the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board’s 
APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including Independence Standards) (the Code) 
that are relevant to our audit of the financial report in Australia.  We have also fulfilled our other 
ethical responsibilities in accordance with the Code. 

We confirm that the independence declaration required by the Corporations Act 2001, which has been 
given to the directors of the Company, would be in the same terms if given to the directors as at the 
time of this auditor’s report. 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis 
for our opinion.  

BDO Audit Pty Ltd ABN 33 134 022 870 is a member of a national association of independent entities which are all members of BDO 
Australia Ltd ABN 77 050 110 275, an Australian company limited by guarantee. BDO Audit Pty Ltd and BDO Australia Ltd are members of 
BDO International Ltd, a UK company limited by guarantee, and form part of the international BDO network of independent member 
firms. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. 

43

 
 
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
 
 
 
 
 
Key audit matters 

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement, were of most significance in 
our audit of the financial report of the current period.  These matters were addressed in the context of 
our audit of the financial report as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide 
a separate opinion on these matters.  

Revenue recognition  

Key audit matter 
The Group has various revenue streams for which 
revenue is recognised as or when the 
performance obligation is satisfied by 
transferring the promised good or service.  For 
bundled goods or services, significant 
management judgment is required in 
determining the fair value of the transaction 
price allocated to each separate performance 
obligation and the deferral of revenue at year 
end.  

At 31 December 2022 the Group has reported 
sales revenue of $51.2m (2021: $49.5m) from its 
continuing operations as disclosed in Note 4.  
The related contract liabilities as disclosed in 
the statement of financial position as at 31 
December 2022 are $7.1m (2021: 5.9m) as 
disclosed in Note 17. 

How the matter was addressed in our audit  
Our procedures, amongst others, included: 

•  Obtaining an understanding of the 

• 

• 

Group’s revenue recognition policies and 
assessing the policies applied for 
compliance with the relevant accounting 
standards 
Identifying and testing the relevant 
controls over the recognition and 
measurement of revenue transactions 
Selecting a sample of revenue 
transactions from the various streams 
throughout the year and tracing to 
supporting documentation, cash receipts 
and verifying whether revenue was 
accounted for appropriately by 
recalculating the fair value of each 
element of the bundled transaction 
•  Recalculation of the deferred revenue 
for the year ensuring the completeness 
and accuracy by agreement, on a sample 
basis, to underlying supporting 
documentation and data sources 

•  Assessing the adequacy of the disclosures 

in the financial statements. 

44

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Capitalised development costs 

Key audit matter 
The carrying value of capitalised development 
costs as at 31 December 2022 is $27.8m (2021: 
$39.8m) as disclosed in Note 12 of the financial 
report. 

The Group conducts a significant level of 
development activities for which certain directly 
attributable costs are capitalised. The 
identification of these costs involves significant 
management judgment in assessing whether the 
costs are:    

•  Eligible for capitalisation under the 
criteria prescribed by Australian 
Accounting Standards  

•  Appropriate and directly attributable to 

• 

relevant products developed 
Supportable to the extent to which these 
capitalised development costs will 
generate sufficient economic benefit to 
support their carrying values. 

How the matter was addressed in our audit  
Our procedures, amongst other, included: 

•  Obtaining an understanding of the 

processes and key controls in place over 
the recording and identification of 
development costs and products for 
which these costs have been capitalised 

•  Evaluating the appropriateness and 
eligibility of costs capitalised, on a 
sample basis, by agreeing the costs to 
external invoices, supporting payroll and 
time records and cost allocation 
calculations 

•  Assessing the recoverability of the 
carrying value of the capitalised 
development costs by major product, 
with reference to current product 
performance, historical and forecast 
cash flows  

•  Assessing the adequacy of the disclosures 

in the financial statements. 

Disposal of Practice Management Accountant Group 

Key audit matter 
On 20 May 2022, the Group announced the 
proposed sale of the Practice Management 
Accountant Group for an all-cash sale valued at 
$100m.  The completion of the sale took place 
on 1 August 2022 as disclosed in note 26(e) of 
the financial report.  

Due to the significance of this transaction to the 
financial statements, we identified this 
transaction as a key audit matter. 

How the matter was addressed in our audit  
Our procedures, amongst others, included: 

•  Obtaining and reviewing the sale 

contract documentation, assessing 
compliance with the terms and 
conditions therein; 

•  On a sample basis, performing a 

substantive audit of the discontinued 
operation and asset held for sale note 
including vouching the cash receipt to 
the bank documentation; 

•  Assessing the calculation of profit on 

disposal in accordance with AASB 5 Non-

3 

45

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
current assets held for sale and 
discontinued operations ensuring correct 
cut off of transactions at disposal date; 
and  

•  Assessing the adequacy of the disclosures 

in the financial statements. 

Other information  

The directors are responsible for the other information.  The other information comprises the 
information in the Group’s annual report for the year ended 31 December 2022, but does not include 
the financial report and the auditor’s report thereon.  

Our opinion on the financial report does not cover the other information and we do not express any 
form of assurance conclusion thereon.  

In connection with our audit of the financial report, our responsibility is to read the other information 
and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial 
report or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.  

If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this 
other information, we are required to report that fact.  We have nothing to report in this regard.  

Responsibilities of the directors for the Financial Report  

The directors of the Company are responsible for the preparation of the financial report that gives a 
true and fair view in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and the Corporations Act 2001 
and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of the 
financial report that gives a true and fair view and is free from material misstatement, whether due to 
fraud or error. 

In preparing the financial report, the directors are responsible for assessing the ability of the group to 
continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the 
going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the Group or to cease 
operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.  

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the Financial Report  

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial report as a whole is free 
from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that 
includes our opinion.  Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an 
audit conducted in accordance with the Australian Auditing Standards will always detect a material 
misstatement when it exists.  Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material 
if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic 
decisions of users taken on the basis of this financial report.  

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial report is located at the 
Auditing and Assurance Standards Board website (http://www.auasb.gov.au/Home.aspx) at:  

46

4 

 
 
 
 
 
https://www.auasb.gov.au/admin/file/content102/c3/ar1_2020.pdf 

This description forms part of our auditor’s report. 

Report on the Remuneration Report 

Opinion on the Remuneration Report  

We have audited the Remuneration Report included in the directors’ report for the year ended 31 
December 2022. 

In our opinion, the Remuneration Report of Reckon Limited, for the year ended 31 December 2022, 
complies with section 300A of the Corporations Act 2001.  

Responsibilities 

The directors of the Company are responsible for the preparation and presentation of the 
Remuneration Report in accordance with section 300A of the Corporations Act 2001.  Our responsibility 
is to express an opinion on the Remuneration Report, based on our audit conducted in accordance with 
Australian Auditing Standards.  

BDO Audit Pty Ltd 

Gareth Few 

Sydney, 30 March 2023 

5 

47

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Directors’ Declaration

The directors of the company declare that:

1. 

the financial statements and notes as set out on pages 49 to 105, are in accordance with the Corporations Act 
2001, and:

•  comply with Accounting Standards; and

•  give a true and fair view of the financial position as at 31 December 2022 and of the performance for the year 

ended on that date of the consolidated group;

2. 

3. 

in the directors opinion, the attached financial statements are in compliance with international financial reporting 
standards, as stated in note 1 to the financial statements, 

in the Directors’ opinion there are reasonable grounds to believe that the company will be able to pay its debts 
as and when they become due and payable, and

4. 

the directors have been given the declarations required by Section 295A of the Corporations Act 2001.

This declaration is made in accordance with a resolution of the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 295(5) of the 
Corporations Act 2001.

On behalf of the directors,

Mr C Rabie 
Chairman 
Sydney, 30 March 2023

48

Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Continuing operations

Revenue

Product costs

Employee benefits expenses

Marketing expenses

Premises and establishment expenses

Telecommunications

Legal and professional expenses

Other expenses

Transaction costs

Transaction related share based payment expenses

Other income - Cares Act loan forgiveness

Note

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

Restated1

3, 4

51,228

3

(7,506)

49,517

(7,003)

(17,093)

(17,276)

(3,393)

(3,136)

(600)

(335)

(752)

(561)

(343)

(837)

(3,105)

(2,791)

-

(411)

26(c)

(483)

(1,099)

3

-

1,202

Depreciation and amortisation of other non-current assets

3 (13,133)

(11,370)

Finance costs

Profit before income tax 

Income tax expense

Profit for the year attributable from continuing operations

Profit from discontinued operations

Profit for the year

Profit attributable to:

Owners of the parent

Non - controlling interest

Profit for the year 

3

5

(72)

4,756
(1,166)

3,590

26(e)

53,224

56,814

57,778

(964)

56,814

(433)

5,459
190

5,649

3,566

9,215

9,822

(607)

9,215

Earnings per share for profit attributable to the parent

Cents

Cents

Basic Earnings per Share

Diluted Earnings per Share

Earnings per share from continuing operations for profit attributable to the parent

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

Earnings per share from discontinued operations for profit attributable to the parent

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

1 Restated to reflect the sale of the Practice Management Group, Accountants business, refer 26(e)

The above consolidated income statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

51.0

49.9

22

22

4.0

3.9

47.0

46.0

8.7

8.4

5.5

5.4

3.2

3.0

49

Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss 
and Other Comprehensive Income

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Note

Consolidated

2022 
$’000

2021 
$’000

Restated1

56,814

9,215

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income/(loss), net of income tax

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss:

Exchange difference on translation of foreign operations - continuing operations

Exchange difference on translation of foreign operations - discontinued operations

Fair value movement on interest rate swap

Total other comprehensive income/(loss), net of income tax

21

21

21

695

(154)

58

599

219

(3)

199

415

Total comprehensive income for the year

57,413

9,630

Total comprehensive income attribute to:

Owners of the parent

Non - controlling interest

58,377

10,237

(964)

(607)

57,413

9,630

1 Restated to reflect the sale of the Practice Management Group, Accountants business, refer 26(e)

The above consolidated statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

50

Consolidated Statement 
of Financial Position

as at 31 December 2022

ASSETS

Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

Inventories 

Current tax receivables

Other assets

Total Current Assets

Non-Current Assets
Trade and other receivables

Property, plant and equipment

Deferred tax assets

Intangible assets

Other assets

Right of use assets

Total Non-Current Assets

Total Assets

LIABILITIES

Current Liabilities
Trade and other payables

Provisions

Contract liabilities

Other financial liabilities

Current tax liabilities

Lease liabilities

Total Current Liabilities

Non-Current Liabilities
Trade and other payables

Borrowings

Deferred tax liabilities

Provisions

Contract liabilities

Lease liabilities

Total Non-Current Liabilities

Total Liabilities

Net Assets

EQUITY
Issued capital

Reserves

Retained earnings

Total Equity attributable to owners of the parent

Non -  controlling interest

Total Equity

Note

Consolidated

2022 
$’000

2021 
$’000

26

7

8

7

9

11

12

8

10

15

17

14

10

13

16

15

17

10

20

21

1,233

1,949

347

-

1,448

4,977

146

686

985

31,017

96

2,037

34,967

39,944

3,329

1,927

5,804

-

299

1,091

12,450

250

4,074

2,389

206

1,330

1,329

9,578

22,028

17,916

1,394

2,969

566

420

1,937

7,286

-

1,810

42

58,202

170

4,362

64,586

71,872

4,468

3,022

5,912

58

-

1,737

15,197

1,183

16,137

3,995

268

-

3,269

24,852

40,049

31,823

19,534

(48,087)

45,698

17,145

771

17,916

20,524

(48,626)

58,631

30,529

1,294

31,823

The above consolidated statement of financial position should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

51

Consolidated Statement 
of Changes in Equity

for the year ended 31 December 2022 

Issued 
capital

Share 
buyback 
reserve

Foreign 
currency 
translation 
reserve

Share- 
based 
payments 
reserve

Swap 
hedging 
reserve

Retained 
earnings

Acquisition 
of non 
controlling 
interest 
reserve

Non-
controlling 
interest

Consolidated

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

Total

Balance at 
1 January 2022

20,524 (42,018)

(1,689)

1,291

(58)

58,631

(6,152)

1,294

31,823

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

541

-

541

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

472

-

(1,003)

468

-

3

-

-

58

57,778

-

-

58

57,778

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(70,243)

-

(468)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(964)

56,814

-

-

541

58

(964)

57,413

441

913

-

-

-

-

-

(70,243)

(1,003)

-

(990)

3

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income:

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(990)

-

Exchange differences 
on translation of 
foreign operations 

Fair value movement 
on interest rate swap

Total comprehensive 
income

Share based 
payments expense 
(note 3)

Dividends paid 
(note 27)

Vested shares

Treasury shares 
transferred to 
retained earnings

Treasury shares 
acquired

Exchange 
adjustment

Balance at 
31 December 
2022

19,534 (42,018)

(1,148)

1,231

-

45,698

(6,152)

771

17,916

The above consolidated statement of changes in equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes. 

52

Consolidated Statement 
of Changes in Equity (continued) 

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Issued 
capital

Share 
buyback 
reserve

Foreign 
currency 
translation 
reserve

Share- 
based 
payments 
reserve

Swap 
hedging 
reserve

Retained 
earnings

Acquisition 
of non 
controlling 
interest 
reserve

Non-
controlling 
interest

Consolidated

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

$’000

Total

20,524 (42,018)

(1,905)

679

(257)

54,508

(6,152)

-

25,379

Balance at 
1 January 2021

Non - controlling 
interest at date of 
acquisition 
(note 26 (c))

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income:

Exchange differences 
on translation of 
foreign operations 

Fair value movement 
on interest rate swap

Total comprehensive 
income

Share based 
payments expense 
(note 3)

Dividends paid 
(note 27)

Vested shares

Treasury shares 
transferred to 
retained earnings

Exchange 
adjustment

Balance at 
31 December 
2021

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

216

-

216

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

598

-

(43)

56

1

-

-

-

199

-

9,822

-

-

199

9,822

-

(5,665)

22

(56)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

849

849

(607)

9,215

-

-

216

199

(607)

9,630

1,059

1,657

-

-

-

(7)

(5,665)

(21)

-

(6)

20,524 (42,018)

(1,689)

1,291

(58)

58,631

(6,152)

1,294

31,823

The above consolidated statement of changes in equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes. 

53

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Cash Flows From Operating Activities

Receipts from customers

Payments to suppliers and employees

Payment for capitalised development costs 

Interest (paid) / received

Income taxes paid

Note

Consolidated 
Inflows/(Outflows)

2022

$’000

2021 

$’000

70,767

80,195

(43,536)

(47,447)

(19,157)

(20,347)

372

(759)

(548)

(1,068)

Net cash inflow from operating activities

26(b)

7,687

10,785

Cash Flows From Investing Activities

Proceeds from sale of business

26(e) and 26(d)

78,381

12,892

Cash balance on acquisition of subsidiary

26(c)

Loan repayments received

Payment for property, plant and equipment

-

-

(213)

613

131

(739)

Net cash inflow from investing activities

78,168

12,897

Cash Flows From Financing Activities

Repayment of borrowings

Payments for lease liabilities capitalised under AASB 16

Payment for treasury shares

(12,063)

(15,651)

(1,631)

(2,121)

(1,993)

(21)

Dividends paid to owners of the parent

27

(70,243)

(5,665)

Net cash outflow from financing activities

(85,930)

(23,458)

Net Increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the financial year

Cash transferred on sale of the Practice Management Accountant Group

Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

(75)

1,394

(93)

7

224

1,134

-

36

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the financial year

26(a)

1,233

1,394

The above consolidated statement of cash flows should be read in conjunction with the accompanying note.

54

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 December 2022

1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial report are set out below. Unless otherwise 
stated, the accounting policies adopted are consistent with those of the previous year. The financial report includes 
the  consolidated  entity  consisting  of  Reckon  Limited  and  its  subsidiaries.  For  the  purposes  of  preparing  the 
consolidated financial statements, the company is a for-profit entity.

Basis of preparation

This general purpose financial report has been prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and 
Interpretations and the Corporations Act 2001, and complies with the other requirements of the law.

Compliance with Australian Accounting Standards ensures that the consolidated financial statements and notes of 
Reckon Limited comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). Consequently, this financial report 
has been prepared in accordance with and complies with IFRSs as issued by the International Accounting Standards 
Board.

The financial statements were authorised for issue by the directors on 30 March 2023.

The financial report has been prepared in accordance with the historical cost convention, except for the revaluation 
of certain non-current assets and financial instruments. Historical cost is generally based on the fair values of the 
consideration given in exchange for assets. The company is a company of the kind referred to in ASIC Corporations 
(Rounding in Financial/Directors’ Reports) Instrument 2016/191, dated 24 March 2016, and in accordance with that 
Corporations  Instrument  amounts  in  the  financial  report  are  rounded  to  the  nearest  thousand  dollars,  unless 
otherwise indicated.

COVID-19 Impact

The Reckon Group has again displayed its resilience, by posting revenue growth in these extraordinary times. This 
is despite revenue growth being hampered by COVID-19 in the Legal Group where there is a reliance on on-site sales 
and installation activity.

No impairment is considered necessary.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing and it is not practicable to estimate the potential impact, positive 
or negative, after the reporting date. The situation is rapidly developing and is dependent on measures imposed by 
the Australian Government and other countries, such maintaining social distancing requirements, quarantine, travel 
restrictions and any economic stimulus that may be provided.

Significant Accounting Policies

(a) Basis of consolidation

The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial statements of the Company and entities controlled by 
the Company (its subsidiaries) made up to 31 December each year. Control is achieved when the Company:

• 

• 

• 

has power over the investee;

is exposed, or has rights, to variable returns from its involvement with the investee; 

and has the ability to use its power to affect its returns.

Consolidation of a subsidiary begins when the Company obtains control over the subsidiary and ceases when the 
Company loses control of the subsidiary. Specifically, the results of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the 
year are included in profit or loss from the date the company gains control until the date when the company ceases 
to control the subsidiary. 

55

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Where necessary, adjustments are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries to bring their accounting policies 
into line with those used by other members of the Group. 

All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated in full on consolidation.

Changes in the Group’s ownership interests in subsidiaries that do not result in the Group losing control are accounted 
for  as  equity  transactions.  The  carrying  amounts  of  the  Group’s  interests  and  the  non-controlling  interests  are 
adjusted to reflect the changes in their relative interests in the subsidiaries. Any difference between the amount by 
which the non-controlling interests are adjusted and the fair value of the consideration paid or received is recognised 
directly in equity and attributed to owners of the Company.

(b) Business Combinations

Acquisitions  of  businesses  are  accounted  for  using  the  acquisition  method.  The  consideration  transferred  in  a 
business combination is measured at fair value which is calculated as the sum of the acquisition-date fair values of 
assets transferred by the Group, liabilities incurred by the Group to the former owners of the acquiree and the equity 
instruments issued by the Group in exchange for control of the acquiree. Acquisition-related costs are recognised in 
profit  or  loss  as  incurred.  At  the  acquisition  date,  the  identifiable  assets  acquired  and  the  liabilities  assumed  are 
recognised at their fair value, except that:

•  Deferred tax assets or liabilities and assets or liabilities related to employee benefit arrangements and share-
based  payment  arrangements  are  recognised  and  measured  in  accordance  with  the  relevant  accounting 
standards.

Goodwill is measured as the excess of the sum of the consideration transferred, the amount of any non-controlling 
interests in the acquiree, and the fair value of the acquirer’s previously held equity interest in the acquiree (if any) over 
the  net  of  the  acquisition-date  amounts  of  the  identifiable  assets  acquired  and  the  liabilities  assumed.  If,  after 
reassessment, the net of the acquisition-date amounts of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed 
exceeds the sum of the consideration transferred, the amount of any non-controlling interests in the acquiree and the 
fair value of the acquirer’s previously held interest in the acquiree (if any), the excess is recognised immediately in 
profit or loss as a bargain purchase gain.

Non-controlling interests that are present ownership interests and entitle their holders to a proportionate share of the 
entity’s net assets in the event of liquidation may be initially measured either at fair value or at the non-controlling 
interests’  proportionate  share  of  the  recognised  amounts  of  the  acquiree’s  identifiable  net  assets.  The  choice  of 
measurement basis is made on a transaction-by-transaction basis. 

Where the consideration transferred by the Group in a business combination includes assets or liabilities resulting 
from a contingent consideration arrangement, the contingent consideration is measured at its acquisition-date fair 
value. Changes in the fair value of the contingent consideration that qualify as measurement period adjustments are 
adjusted  retrospectively,  with  corresponding  adjustments  against  goodwill.  Measurement  period  adjustments  are 
adjustments that arise from additional information obtained during the ‘measurement period’ (which cannot exceed 
one year from the acquisition date) about facts and circumstances that existed at the acquisition date.

Where a business combination involves the issuance of a put option granted to the vendor in respect of an equity 
interest not owned by the parent, the present value of the put exercise price is recognised as a financial liability in the 
consolidated accounts of the parent entity. The recognition of this liability effectively treats the option as if it has been 
exercised, constituting a transaction between owners as owners which is recorded in equity. Any subsequent re-
measurement is considered to be part of the equity transaction and is recorded in equity via an “acquisition of non-
controlling interest reserve.

If the initial accounting for a business combination is incomplete by the end of the reporting period in which the 
combination occurs, the Group reports provisional amounts for the items for which the accounting is incomplete. 
Those provisional amounts are adjusted during the measurement period (see above), or additional assets or liabilities 
are recognised, to reflect new information obtained about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition 
date that, if known, would have affected the amounts recognised as of that date.

56

(c) Depreciation and Amortisation

Depreciation  is  provided  on  plant  and  equipment.  Depreciation  is  calculated  on  a  straight-line  basis.  Leasehold 
improvements are amortised over the period of the lease or the estimated useful life, whichever is the shorter, using 
the  straight-line  method.  The  following  estimated  useful  lives  are  used  in  the  calculation  of  depreciation  and 
amortisation:

•  Plant and equipment 
• 

Leasehold improvements 

3 - 5 years
3 - 7 years

Right of use assets are depreciated over the shorter period of the lease term and the useful life of the underlying asset.

(d) Contributed Equity

Transaction Costs on the Issue of Equity Instruments

Transaction costs arising on the issue of equity instruments are recognised directly in equity as a reduction of the 
proceeds  of  the  equity  instruments  to  which  the  costs  relate.  Transaction  costs  are  the  costs  that  are  incurred 
directly in connection with the issue of those equity instruments and which would not have been incurred had those 
instruments not been issued.

(e) Foreign Currency Translation

Functional and presentation currency

Items included in the financial statements of each of the Group’s entities are measured using the currency of the 
primary economic environment in which the entity operates (“the functional currency”). The consolidated financial 
statements are presented in Australian dollars, which is Reckon Limited’s functional and presentation currency.

Transactions and balances

All foreign currency transactions during the financial year have been brought to account in the functional currency 
using the exchange rate in effect at the date of the transaction. Foreign currency monetary items at reporting date 
are translated at the exchange rate existing at that date. Exchange differences are brought to account in the profit or 
loss in the period in which they arise.

Group companies

The  results  and  financial  position  of  all  the  Group  entities  (none  of  which  has  the  currency  of  a  hyperinflationary 
economy) that have a functional currency different from the presentation currency are translated into the presentation 
currency of the consolidated entity as follows:

•  Assets and liabilities are translated at the closing rate at the date of the statement of financial position;

• 

Income  and  expenses  are  translated  at  average  rates  (unless  this  is  not  a  reasonable  approximation  of  the 
cumulative  effect  of  the  rates  prevailing  on  the  transaction  dates,  in  which  case  income  and  expenses  are 
translated at the dates of the transactions); and

•  All resulting exchange differences are recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in a foreign 

exchange translation reserve.

On  consolidation,  exchange  differences  arising  from  the  translation  of  monetary  items  forming  part  of  the  net 
investment  in  foreign  entities,  and  of  borrowings  and  other  currency  instruments  designated  as  hedges  of  such 
investments, are taken directly to reserves. When a foreign operation is sold, a proportionate share of such exchange 
differences are recognised in profit or loss as part of the gain or loss on sale.

Goodwill and fair value adjustments arising on the acquisition of a foreign entity are treated as assets and liabilities 
of the foreign entity at the closing rate.

57

 
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

(f) Intangible assets

Goodwill

Goodwill arising on an acquisition of a business is carried at cost as established at the date of the acquisition of the 
business less accumulated impairment losses, if any.

For the purposes of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to each of the Group’s cash-generating units (or groups 
of cash-generating units) that is expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination.

A cash-generating unit to which goodwill has been allocated is tested for impairment annually, or more frequently 
when there is indication that the unit may be impaired. If the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit is less 
than its carrying amount, the impairment loss is allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any goodwill allocated 
to the unit and then to the other assets of the unit pro rata based on the carrying amount of each asset in the unit. 
Any impairment loss for goodwill is recognised directly in profit or loss in the consolidated income statement. An 
impairment loss recognised for goodwill is not reversed in subsequent periods. 

On disposal of the relevant cash-generating unit, the attributable amount of goodwill is included in the determination 
of the profit or loss on disposal.

Intellectual Property

Intangible assets acquired in a business combination and recognised separately from goodwill are initially recognised 
at their fair value at the acquisition date (which is regarded as their cost).

Subsequent  to  initial  recognition,  intangible  assets  acquired  in  a  business  combination  are  reported  at  cost  less 
accumulated  amortisation  and  accumulated  impairment  losses,  on  the  same  basis  as  intangible  assets  that  are 
acquired separately.

Customer contracts are amortised on a straight-line basis over their useful life to the Group of ten years.

Brand names are not amortised but are subject to annual impairment testing. The Group has committed to continually 
use, invest in and promote acquired brands, therefore brands have been assessed to have an indefinite life.

Research and development costs

Research expenditure is recognised as an expense when incurred.

An internally-generated intangible asset arising from development is recognised if, and only if, all of the following have 
been demonstrated:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the technical feasibility of completing the intangible asset so that it will be available for use or sale;

the intention to complete the intangible asset and use or sell it;

the ability to use or sell the intangible asset;

how the intangible asset will generate probable future economic benefits;

the availability of adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development and to use or 
sell the intangible asset; and

• 

the ability to measure reliably the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development.

Development  costs  in  respect  of  enhancements  on  existing  suites  of  software  applications  are  capitalised  and 
written off over a 3 to 4-year period. Development costs on technically and commercially feasible new products are 
capitalised and written off on a straight-line basis over a period of 3 to 4 years commencing at the time of commercial 
release of the new product.

Development costs include cost of materials, direct labour and appropriate overheads.

58

At each balance date, a review of the carrying value of the capitalised development costs being carried forward is 
undertaken to ensure the carrying value is recoverable from future revenue generated by the sale of that software.

(g) Income Tax

The income tax expense or revenue for the period is the tax payable on the current period’s taxable income based 
on  the  national  income  tax  rate  for  each  jurisdiction  adjusted  by  changes  in  deferred  tax  assets  and  liabilities 
attributable to temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities, and their carrying amounts in 
the financial statements, and to unused tax losses.

The current tax payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in profit 
or loss because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further 
excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. 

The provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amount expected to become payable. The assessment is 
based on the judgement of finance professionals within the Company and on specialist independent tax advice.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognised for temporary differences at the tax rates expected to apply when 
the  assets  are  recovered  or  liabilities  are  settled,  based  on  those  tax  rates  which  are  enacted  or  substantively 
enacted for each jurisdiction. The relevant tax rates are applied to the cumulative amounts of deductible and taxable 
temporary  differences  to  measure  the  deferred  tax  asset  or  liability.  An  exception  is  made  for  certain  temporary 
differences arising from the initial recognition of an asset or liability. No deferred tax asset or liability is recognised in 
relation to those temporary differences if they arose in a transaction, other than a business combination, that at the 
time of the transaction did not affect either accounting profit or taxable profit or loss.

Deferred tax assets are recognised for deductible temporary differences and unused tax losses only if it is probable 
that  future  taxable  amounts  will  be  available  to  utilise  those  temporary  differences  and  losses.  All  deferred  tax 
liabilities are recognised.

Current and deferred tax balances attributable to amounts recognised directly in equity are also recognised directly 
in equity.

The  company  and  its  wholly-owned  Australian  resident  entities  have  formed  a  tax-consolidated  group  and  are 
therefore taxed as a single entity from that date. The head entity within the tax-consolidated group is Reckon Limited. 
The Group uses the standalone approach by reference to the carrying amounts in the separate financial statements 
of each entity in applying the accounting for tax consolidation. 

The  tax  sharing  agreement  entered  into  between  members  of  the  tax-consolidated  group  provides  for  the 
determination of the allocation of income tax liabilities between the entities should the head entity default on its tax 
payment obligations or if an entity should leave the tax-consolidated group. The effect of the tax sharing agreement 
is that each member’s liability for tax payable by the tax consolidated group is limited to the amount payable to the 
head entity under the tax funding arrangement.

(h) Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Costs are assigned to inventory on hand on a 
weighted average cost basis.

(i) Share-based payments

Equity settled share-based payments to employees are measured at the fair value of the equity instruments at the grant date. 
Details regarding the determination of the fair value of equity settled shared-based transactions are set out in note 19. 

59

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

The fair value determined at grant date of the equity settled share-based payments is expensed on a straight-line basis 
over the vesting period, based on the Group’s estimate of the number of equity instruments that will eventually vest. At 
each reporting date, the Group revises its estimate of the number of equity instruments expected to vest. The impact of 
the revision is recognised in the profit or loss.

(j) Employee Benefits

A liability is recognised for benefits accruing to employees in respect of wages and salaries, annual leave and long 
service leave when it is probable that settlement will be required and they are capable of being measured reliably.

Liabilities recognised in respect of short-term employee benefits, are measured at their nominal values using the 
remuneration rate expected to apply at the time of settlement.

Liabilities recognised in respect of long-term employee benefits are measured as the present value of the estimated 
future cash outflows to be made by the Group in respect of services provided by employees up to reporting date.

The Group recognises a liability and an expense for the long-term incentive plan for selected executives based on a 
formula that takes into consideration the ranking of total shareholder return measured against a comparator group 
of companies.

Contributions are made by the Group to defined contribution employee superannuation funds and are charged as 
expenses when incurred.

(k) Financial Instruments

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised in the Group’s statement of financial position when the Group 
becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and financial liabilities are initially measured at fair value. Transaction costs that are directly attributable 
to the acquisition or issue of financial assets and financial liabilities (other than financial assets and financial liabilities 
at fair value through profit or loss) are added to or deducted from the fair value of the financial assets or financial 
liabilities, as appropriate, on initial recognition. Transaction costs directly attributable to the acquisition of financial 
assets or financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss are recognised immediately in profit or loss.

Financial assets

All  regular  way  purchases  or  sales  of  financial  assets  are  recognised  and  derecognised  on  a  trade  date  basis. 
Regular way purchases or sales are purchases or sales of financial assets that require delivery of assets within the 
time frame established by regulation or convention in the marketplace.

All  recognised  financial  assets  are  measured  subsequently  in  their  entirety  at  either  amortised  cost  or  fair  value, 
depending on the classification of the financial assets.

Foreign exchange gains and losses

The  carrying  amount  of  financial  assets  that  are  denominated  in  a  foreign  currency  is  determined  in  that  foreign 
currency and translated at the spot rate at the end of each reporting period.

See  hedge  accounting  policy  regarding  the  recognition  of  exchange  differences  where  the  foreign  currency  risk 
component of a financial asset is designated as a hedging instrument for a hedge of foreign currency risk.

Impairment of financial assets

The Group recognises a loss allowance for expected credit losses on trade receivables. The amount of expected 
credit losses is updated at each reporting date to reflect changes in credit risk since initial recognition of the respective 
financial instrument.

60

The Group always recognises lifetime ECL (expected credit losses) for trade receivables. The expected credit losses 
on these financial assets are estimated using a provision matrix based on the Group’s historical credit loss experience, 
adjusted for factors that are specific to the debtors, general economic conditions and an assessment of both the 
current as well as the forecast direction of conditions at the reporting date, including time value of money where 
appropriate.

Lifetime ECL represents the expected credit losses that will result from all possible default events over the expected 
life of a financial instrument.

(i) Significant increase in credit risk 

In assessing whether the credit risk on a financial instrument has increased significantly since initial recognition, the 
Group compares the risk of a default occurring on the financial instrument at the reporting date with the risk of a 
default occurring on the financial instrument at the date of initial recognition. In making this assessment, the Group 
considers  both  quantitative  and  qualitative  information  that  is  reasonable  and  supportable,  including  historical 
experience and forward-looking information that is available without undue cost or effort.

In  particular,  the  following  information  is  taken  into  account  when  assessing  whether  credit  risk  has  increased 
significantly since initial recognition: 

• 

existing or forecast adverse changes in business, financial or economic conditions that are expected to cause a 
significant decrease in the debtor’s ability to meet its debt obligations; 

• 

an actual or expected significant deterioration in the operating results of the debtor; 

The Group assumes that the credit risk on a financial instrument has not increased significantly since initial recognition 
if  the  financial  instrument  is  determined  to  have  low  credit  risk  at  the  reporting  date.  A  financial  instrument  is 
determined to have low credit risk if: 

1. 

 the financial instrument has a low risk of default; 

2. 

 the debtor has a strong capacity to meet its contractual cash flow obligations in the near term; and 

3. 

 adverse changes in economic and business conditions in the longer term may, but will not necessarily, reduce 
the ability of the borrower to fulfil its contractual cash flow obligations. 

(ii) Definition of default

The Group considers the following as constituting an event of default for internal credit risk management purposes 
as  historical  experience  indicates  that  financial  assets  that  meet  either  of  the  following  criteria  are  generally  not 
recoverable: 

• 

 information developed internally or obtained from external sources indicates that the debtor is unlikely to pay its 
creditors, including the Group, in full. 

iii) Write-off policy 

The  Group  writes  off  a  financial  asset  when  there  is  information  indicating  that  the  debtor  is  in  severe  financial 
difficulty and there is no realistic prospect of recovery, e.g. when the debtor has been placed under liquidation or has 
entered into bankruptcy proceedings. Financial assets written off may still be subject to enforcement activities under 
the  Group’s  recovery  procedures,  taking  into  account  legal  advice  where  appropriate.  Any  recoveries  made  are 
recognised in profit or loss.

(iv) Measurement and recognition of expected credit losses 

The  measurement  of  expected  credit  losses  is  a  function  of  the  probability  of  default,  loss  given  default  (i.e.  the 
magnitude of the loss if there is a default) and the exposure at default. The assessment of the probability of default 

61

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

and loss given default is based on historical data adjusted by forward-looking information as described above. As for 
the exposure at default, for financial assets, this is represented by the assets’ gross carrying amount at the reporting date.

For financial assets, the expected credit loss is estimated as the difference between all contractual cash flows that 
are  due  to  the  Group  in  accordance  with  the  contract  and  all  the  cash  flows  that  the  Group  expects  to  receive, 
discounted at the original effective interest rate. 

(v) Derecognition of financial assets 

The Group derecognises a financial asset only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, 
or when it transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset to another 
entity. If the Group neither transfers nor retains substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership and continues to 
control the transferred asset, the Group recognises its retained interest in the asset and an associated liability for 
amounts it may have to pay. If the Group retains substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of a transferred 
financial asset, the Group continues to recognise the financial asset and also recognises a collateralised borrowing 
for the proceeds received.

On  derecognition  of  a  financial  asset  measured  at  amortised  cost,  the  difference  between  the  asset’s  carrying 
amount and the sum of the consideration received and receivable is recognised in profit or loss. 

Financial liabilities and equity

Classification as debt or equity 

Debt and equity instruments are classified as either financial liabilities or as equity in accordance with the substance 
of the contractual arrangements and the definitions of a financial liability and an equity instrument.

Financial liabilities 

All financial liabilities are measured subsequently at amortised cost or at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL).

Foreign exchange gains and losses 

For financial liabilities that are denominated in a foreign currency and are measured at amortised cost at the end of 
each reporting period, the foreign exchange gains and losses are determined based on the amortised cost of the 
instruments. These foreign exchange gains and losses are recognised in the ‘other gains and losses’ line item in 
profit or loss (note 14) for financial liabilities that are not part of a designated hedging relationship. For those which 
are designated as a hedging instrument for a hedge of foreign currency risk, foreign exchange gains and losses are 
recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in a separate component of equity.

Derecognition of financial liabilities 

The Group derecognises financial liabilities when, and only when, the Group’s obligations are discharged, cancelled 
or  have  expired.  The  difference  between  the  carrying  amount  of  the  financial  liability  derecognised  and  the 
consideration paid and payable is recognised in profit or loss.

Derivative financial instruments 

The Group enters into a variety of derivative financial instruments to manage its exposure to interest rate and foreign 
exchange rate risks, including foreign exchange forward contracts, options and interest rate swaps. 

Derivatives are recognised initially at fair value at the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently 
remeasured  to  their  fair  value  at  each  reporting  date.  The  resulting  gain  or  loss  is  recognised  in  profit  or  loss 
immediately unless the derivative is designated and effective as a hedging instrument, in which event the timing of 
the recognition in profit or loss depends on the nature of the hedge relationship.

Further details of derivative financial instruments are disclosed in notes 1(u) and 14.

62

(l) Impairment of assets

At the end of each reporting period, the Group reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to 
determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication 
exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if 
any). When it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the Group estimates the 
recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs. When a reasonable and consistent basis 
of allocation can be identified, corporate assets are also allocated to individual cash-generating units, or otherwise 
they are allocated to the smallest group of cash-generating units for which a reasonable and consistent allocation 
basis can be identified. 

Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and intangible assets not yet available for use are tested for impairment 
at least annually, and whenever there is an indication that the asset may be impaired.

Recoverable  amount  is  the  higher  of  fair  value  less  costs  to  sell  and  value  in  use.  In  assessing  value  in  use,  the 
estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current 
market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future 
cash flows have not been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or cash-generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the 
carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is 
recognised immediately in profit or loss, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the 
impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.

When  an  impairment  loss  subsequently  reverses,  the  carrying  amount  of  the  asset  (or  cash  generating  unit)  is 
increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not 
exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset 
(or cash-generating unit) in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss, 
unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal of the impairment loss is treated 
as a revaluation increase.

(m) Revenue Recognition

Sale of goods and services

The Group applies the following 5-step model for revenue recognition related to contracts with customers:

a. 

Identify the contract(s) with customer

b. 

Identify the performance obligation in the contract

c.  Determine the transaction price

d.  Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligation in the contract

e.  Recognise revenue when or as the entity satisfied in performance obligations.

The  Group  recognises  sales  revenue  related  to  the  transfer  of  promised  goods  or  services  when  a  performance 
obligation is satisfied and when control of the goods or services passes to the customer, which is when the customer 
receives the product upon delivery. The amount of revenue recognised reflects the consideration to which the Group 
is or expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. If the consideration promised includes a variable 
amount, the Group estimates the amount of consideration to which it will be entitled and only to the extent that it is 
highly probable that a significant reversal of revenue will not occur.

Contracts  with  customers  can  include  various  combinations  of  products  and  services,  which  are  in  certain 
circumstances bundled and in other circumstances are capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate 
performance obligations. Where a contract with multiple performance obligations that is not bundled, the revenue 
associated with each obligation is calculated based on its stand-alone selling price.

63

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Revenue is recognised over time if:

• 

• 

• 

the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits as the entity performs;

the customer controls the asset as the entity creates or enhances it; or

the seller’s performance does not create an asset for which the seller has an alternative use and there is a right 
to payment for performance to date.

Where the above criteria is not met, revenue is recognised at a point in time.

The Group recognises revenue predominantly from the following sale of software and services: 

Business Group desktop products

Business Group desktop products are sold with post-sale technical support services. These can be sold as a once-
off package, or on an annual subscription basis. For all Business Group desktop products contracts that contain the 
sale of a licence, three distinct performance obligations are:

i. 

Sale of a software/upgrade licence; and

ii.  The provision of minor maintenance updates which may be made available over the period of the contracts; and

iii.  Post-sale technical support for a specified period of time.

Revenue is recognised for a Business Group desktop licence at the point of sale. This is because customers purchase 
a specific version of the software that exists at the time the licence is granted.

Revenue is recognised for the customer’s entitlement to access additional maintenance updates and the provision 
of post-sale technical support over the time of the contract with the customer. This is due to the fact that Reckon may 
provide minor maintenance updates to which the customer may be entitled over the term of the contract. In relation 
to the post-sale technical support, the customer is deemed to simultaneously receive and consume the benefits 
provided by Reckon’s performance of the post-sale technical support services as it is performed.

The price allocated to each performance obligation is based on the determined stand-alone selling prices of each 
obligation. The price allocated to the sale of the software licence has been determined by using the adjusted market 
assessment approach. The price allocated to the post-sale technical support has been determined on management’s 
assessment  by  using  an  expected  cost  plus  margin  approach.  The  relative  standalone  selling  price  has  been 
apportioned to each performance obligation based on these methods.

The revenue stream forms part of “Subscription revenue” and “Other recurring revenue” as outlined in Note 4.

Reckon One (Business Group)

Reckon One is a cloud software as a service (sold on a monthly subscription basis) that is accessible to a customer 
through their web browser and is sold with post-sale technical support services. Within these contracts, the contract 
promises generally are:

i. 

Sale of a licence;

ii.  Ongoing maintenance of the cloud platform to ensure that it is accessible; and

iii.  Post-sale technical support for a specified period of time. 

As  the  customer  is  not  able  to  benefit  from  the  licence  if  the  cloud  is  not  accessible,  two  distinct  performance 
obligations generally are:

i. 

Sale of a licence and ongoing maintenance for access to the cloud; and 

ii.  Post-sale technical support. 

The  transaction  price  is  fixed  in  the  contract  entered  into  by  the  customer  dependent  on  the  specific  modules 
purchased.

64

Revenue for the licence and ongoing maintenance for the Reckon One product is recognised over the time of the 
contract with the customer. Reckon is providing a continuous service of making the online portal available during the 
contract  period  and  the  customer  simultaneously  receives  and  consumes  the  benefits  provided  by  Reckon’s 
performance as Reckon delivers the service.

Revenue for the post-sale technical support provided is also recognised over time. This is due to the fact that the 
customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by the Reckon’s performance of the post- 
sale technical support services. The services are made available to the customer throughout the term of the contract.

Although there are two distinct performance obligations, both currently maintain the same contractual billing period 
and are recognised over time. Accordingly, Reckon have deemed it unnecessary to allocate the transaction price 
allocated to each performance obligation separately. 

The  revenue  stream  forms  part  of  “Subscription  revenue”  as  outlined  in  Note  4.  Subscription  revenue  relates  to 
streams where customers use the services over the life of the contract.

Reckon Accounts Hosted (Business Group)

Reckon Accounts Hosted is a hosted software where software is accessible via a web browser or through a desktop 
icon, and allows the customer to store data on the customer’s device or an external server. Reckon Accounts Hosted 
can be sold as on an annual or monthly subscription basis. For all Reckon Accounts Hosted contracts that contain 
the sale of a licence, the goods and services provided are:

i. 

Sale of a software licence;

ii.  Post-sale technical support for a specified period of time; and

iii.  Hosting services for a specified period of time.

Each  of  the  contract  promises  are  considered  as  a  distinct  performance  obligation  because  the  customer  can 
benefit from the use of the software without the provision of the technical support and/or hosting services and they 
are distinct within the context of the contract.

Revenue  is  recognised  for  a  Reckon  Accounts  Hosted  licence  at  the  point  of  sale.  This  is  because  customers 
purchase a specific version of the software that exists at the time the licence is granted. 

Revenue for the hosting services and ongoing support is recognised over the time of the contract with the customer. 
Reckon is providing a continuous service of hosting the customer’s data and providing post-sale technical support 
over the contract period and the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by Reckon’s 
performance  as  Reckon  performs.  The  services  are  made  available  to  the  customer  throughout  the  term  of  the 
contract.

The  price  allocated  to  each  performance  obligation  is  determined  based  on  the  determined  stand-alone  selling 
prices of each performance obligation. The price allocated to the sale of the software licence has been determined 
by  using  the  adjusted  market  assessment  approach.  The  price  allocated  to  the  hosting  services  and  post-sale 
technical support has been determined on management’s assessment by using an expected cost plus a margin 
approach.  The  relative  standalone  selling  price  has  been  apportioned  to  each  performance  obligation  based  on 
these methods.

This revenue stream forms part of “Subscription Revenue” as outlined in Note 4. Subscription revenue relates to 
streams where customers pay for the services over the life of the contract, rather than upfront at the commencement 
of the contract.

65

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Membership fees (Business Group)

Membership revenue relates to fees obtained as part of the Reckon’s Partner Program. Memberships are sold on an 
annual basis. For all Membership contracts, the goods and services provided include:

i. 

The provision of software licences;

ii.  Access to a dedicated partner support team;

iii.  A partner resource kit;

iv. 

Invitations to exclusive events and training;

v.  Marketing tool kits; and

vi.  Annual partner awards.

Each of the contract promises above are considered to be a distinct performance obligations because the customer 
can benefit from the use the software without the provision of the other contract promises listed above and they are 
distinct within the context of the contract. 

Revenue is recognised for a software licence at the point of sale. This is because customers purchase and obtain a 
specific version of the software that exists at the time the licence is granted. 

Revenue for the remaining benefits of joining the membership is recognised over time. Reckon provides a range of 
different services which are delivered to the customer over the life of the contract. The nature of the services are such 
that the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by Reckon’s performance as Reckon 
performs. 

The  price  allocated  to  each  performance  obligation  is  determined  based  on  the  determined  stand-alone  selling 
prices of each performance obligation. The price allocated to the software licence has been determined based on 
the adjusted market assessment approach. The price allocated to the remaining performance obligations has been 
determined  on  management’s  assessment  by  using  an  expected  cost  plus  a  margin  approach.  The  relative 
standalone selling price has been apportioned to each performance obligation based on these methods.

This revenue stream forms part of “Other Revenue” as outlined in Note 4.

Practice Management Accountant Group

APS is a desktop/cloud hybrid software as a service (sold on a subscription basis) that is accessible to a customer 
for  download  through  their  web  browser.  This  is  sold  with  implementation  services  and  the  promise  of  specific 
upgrades  to  the  software  modules.  Without  the  required  upgrades,  the  software  would  not  be  functional  for  the 
customer. Technical support is also provided over the contract period. 

The following generally are the contract promises:

i. 

Sale of a licence;

ii. 

Implementation services;

iii.  Specific upgrades for the functionality of the software;

iv.  Ongoing maintenance of the hosted platform to ensure that the software is accessible; and

v.  Post-sale technical support for a specified period of time.

66

A customer is not able to benefit from the software without the implementation services and the specific upgrades, 
as they are critical to the functioning of the software in its intended use. Knowledge of how to implement the software 
and  pass  on  the  upgrades  is  proprietary  to  Reckon  and  therefore  only  Reckon  can  perform  this.  Therefore,  the 
customer is not able to use readily available resources to perform the implementation or pass on upgrades. Therefore, 
one  distinct  performance  obligation  has  been  identified  for  the  bundle  of  the  sale  of  a  licence,  implementation 
services, upgrades, and maintenance. 

Post-sale technical support has been identified as a separate performance obligation. This is because the customer 
can benefit from the use the software without the provision of the technical support and:

i. 

The licence and technical support do not significantly modify or customise each other. 

ii.  The licence and technical support are not highly interdependent or highly interrelated as one does not significantly 

affect the other. 

Revenue  for  the  performance  obligation  (being  the  bundled  licence,  implementation  services,  upgrades  and 
maintenance) is recognised over time. Reckon is providing a continuous service of making the software, upgrades 
and the online portal available during the contract period and the customer simultaneously receives and consumes 
the benefits provided by Reckon’s performance as Reckon performs.

Accordingly, revenue is recognised for Practice Management Accountant Group post-sale technical support over the 
time of the contract with the customer. 

As both performance obligations are recognised over the same period of time, Reckon has deemed it unnecessary 
to allocate the transaction price attributed to each performance obligation separately.

This revenue stream forms part of “Subscription Revenue” as outlined in Note 4. Subscription revenue relates to 
streams where customers pay for the services over the life of the contract, rather than upfront at the commencement 
of the contract.

Elite (Practice Management Accountant Group)

Elite is a desktop/cloud hybrid software licence that is accessible to a customer for download through their web 
browser.

Revenue is recognised for this software licence at the point of sale. This is because customers purchase and obtain 
a specific version of the software that exists at the time the licence is granted. 

Revenue is recognised as and when the performance obligation is transferred which is generally when the software 
has been delivered to the client.

Corporate Services (Practice Management Accountant Group)

Corporate Services revenue relates to the provision of services including the registration of companies, provision of 
template trust deeds and provision of company search information. These services are sold as once-off products on 
an ad-hoc basis as required by a customer and deemed to have one distinct performance obligation for the services 
provided.

Revenue is recognised for corporate services at the point of sale. This is because the services are provided to the 
customer immediately once payment is made and there is not further obligation linked to this good.

This revenue stream forms part of “Other Revenue” as outlined in Note 4.

Practice Management Legal Group

The  Practice  Management  Legal  Group  sells  nQueue  software  and  some  hardware  to  the  customer.  nQueue’s 
product is a cost recovery software which allows customers to track the costs associated with printing, photocopying, 
and other disbursements and allocate these costs to their clients. nQueue also provides scanning and print solutions 

67

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

to  its  clients.  nQueue  licences  are  sold  with  implementation  and  post-sale  technical  support  services.  nQueue 
licences are sold either as a bundle including post-technical support services, but with implementation services sold 
separately (subscription model) or the software, support and implementation services are all sold separately (upfront 
model). 

For Practice Management Legal Group upfront model, three distinct performance obligations have been identified:

i. 

The provision of the software licence; and 

ii.  The provision of implementation services; and 

iii.  The provision of support services over the life of the contract.

Revenue is recognised for the licence at the point of sale. This is because customers purchase a specific version of 
the software that exists at the time the licence is granted. 

Revenue is recognised for the implementation services at point at which the services have been provided. These 
services  are  sold  on  an  ad-hoc  basis  as  required  by  a  customer  and  deemed  to  have  one  distinct  performance 
obligation for the services provided.

The  support  services  have  been  deemed  to  be  a  separately  distinct  performance  obligation.  These  services  are 
provided to customers who have existing contracts with nQueue. Customers can choose to purchase the support 
services on a yearly basis. As such, the customer can benefit from support services on their own. It is noted that 
support services are all separately identifiable within the context of the contract because support services do not 
significantly modify the software. 

The  price  allocated  to  the  provision  of  the  software  licence  and  implementation  services,  and  well  as  the  price 
allocated to the support services is based upon a price list and is separately identifiable. 

Revenue for the software licence and implementation services is recognised as and when the performance obligation 
is transferred which is generally when installation is completed. 

Conversely, revenue for the provision of support services is recognised over the life of the contact as the benefits 
from any support is simultaneously consumed by the customer as it is provided. The services are made available to 
the customer throughout the term of the contract.

Revenue for the performance obligation related to the subscription model (being the bundled licence and support) is 
recognised over time. Reckon is providing a continuous service of making the software and support available so long 
as  the  customer  continues  to  pay  for  the  service.  As  the  customer  is  not  able  to  benefit  from  the  software  and 
support if Reckon does not grant continuous access, the performance obligation is transferred over the term of the 
contract. The customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by Reckon’s performance as 
Reckon performs.

This software licence and implementation services revenue above forms part of “other revenue” and revenue from 
the  sale  of  subscription  products  and  the  provision  of  support  services  forms  part  of  “subscription  revenue”  as 
described in Note 4. 

Cost of obtaining a customer contract

AASB 15 requires that incremental costs associated with acquiring a customer contract, such as sales commissions, 
are recognised as an asset and amortised over a period that corresponds with the period of benefit.

An assessment of commissions paid by the Group was performed in connection with the sale of all products. The 
contracts for which commissions are paid vary in length however commissions are expensed over a maximum of 12 
months. 

There are no other costs incurred that are considered to be incremental.

68

The following table summarises the revenue recognition of major sale of software and services:

Revenue stream

Performance obligation

Timing of recognition

Business Group desktop 
products

Sale of a software licence

At the point of sale.

Maintenance updates

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Post-sale technical support for a specified 
period of time

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Reckon One

Sale of licence and ongoing maintenance for 
access to the cloud

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Post-sale technical support for a specified 
period of time

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Reckon Accounts Hosted

Sale of a software licence

At the point of sale.

Post-sale technical support for a specified 
period of time

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Hosting services for a specified period of 
time

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Membership fees – sale of 
license

Sale of a software licence

At the point of sale.

Membership fees – support

Additional membership benefits

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Practice Management 
Accountant Group

Sale of a bundled licence, implementation 
services, upgrade and maintenance.

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Post-sale technical support

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Corporate Services Revenue

Provision of corporate services

At the point of sale.

Practice Management Legal 
Group

The provision of the software licence and 
implementation services

At the point of sale.

The provision of support services (upfront 
model) and software and support services 
(subscription model) over the life of the 
contract

Over the time of the contract with the 
customer.

Interest

Interest revenue relates to revenue recognised from the provision of loans to customers and is accounted for per the 
requirements of AASB 9 Financial Instruments. Interest revenue is recognised as interest accrues using the effective 
interest method, which is a method of calculating the amortised cost of a financial asset and allocating the interest 
income over the relevant period using the effective interest rate, which is the rate that exactly discounts estimated 
future cash receipts through the expected life of the financial asset to the net carrying amount of the financial asset.

69

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

(n) Contract liabilities

Contract liabilities relate to payments received from customers for performance obligations which have not yet been 
fulfilled. Contract liabilities arise when payment for performance obligations do not match the timing of when the 
performance obligations are satisfied. Contract liabilities are recognised at the inception of the contract and unwound 
as the performance obligation is satisfied over the life of the contract. 

(o) Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share is determined by dividing net profit after income tax attributable to members of the Company 
by  the  weighted  average  number  of  ordinary  shares  outstanding  during  the  financial  year,  adjusted  for  bonus 
elements in ordinary shares issued during the year.

Diluted earnings per share adjusts the figures in the determination of basic earnings per share by taking into account 
the after income tax effect of interest and other financing costs associated with dilutive potential ordinary shares and 
the weighted average number of dilutive potential ordinary shares.

(p) Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, deposits held at call with financial institutions and bank overdrafts.

(q) Borrowings

Borrowings are initially measured at fair value, net of transaction costs and are subsequently measured at amortised 
cost using the effective interest method, with interest expense recognised on an effective yield basis. The effective 
interest method is a method of calculating the amortised cost of a financial liability and of allocating interest expense 
over the relevant period. The effective interest rate is the rate that exactly discounts estimated future cash payments 
through the expected life of the financial liability, or (where appropriate) a shorter period, to the net carrying amount on 
initial recognition.

(r) Provisions

Provisions are recognised when the Group has a legal or constructive obligation, as a result of past events, for which 
it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will result and that the outflow can be reliably measured.

(s) Fair Value estimation

The fair value of financial instruments and share based payments that are not traded in an active market is determined 
using appropriate valuation techniques. The Group uses a variety of methods and assumptions that are based on 
existing market conditions. The fair value of financial instruments traded on active markets (quoted shares), are based 
on balance date bid prices. 

The Directors consider that the nominal value less estimated credit adjustments of trade receivables and payables 
approximate their fair values.

(t) Government Grants

Government  grants  are  not  recognised  until  there  is  reasonable  assurance  that  the  Group  will  comply  with  the 
conditions attaching to them and that the grants will be received.

Government  grants  are  recognised  in  profit  or  loss  on  a  systematic  basis  over  the  periods  in  which  the  Group 
recognises as expenses the related costs for which the grants are intended to compensate. Specifically, government 
grants whose primary condition is that the Group should continue to develop its range of software products, are 

70

offset against development costs in the statement of financial position and transferred to profit or loss on a systematic 
and rational basis over the useful lives of the related assets.

Government grants that are receivable as compensation for expenses or losses already incurred or for the purpose 
of giving immediate financial support to the Group with no future related costs are recognised as other income in 
profit or loss in the period in which they become receivable.

Government assistance which does not have conditions attached specifically relating to the operating activities of 
the entity is recognised in accordance with the accounting policies above.

(u) Hedge Accounting

The Group enters into derivative financial instruments to manage its exposure to interest rate risk, including interest 
rate swaps which is designated as cash flow hedges.

At the inception of the hedge relationship, the entity documents the relationship between the hedging instrument and 
the  hedged  item,  along  with  its  risk  management  objectives  and  its  strategy  for  undertaking  various  hedge 
transactions. Furthermore, at the inception of the hedge and on an ongoing basis, the Group documents whether 
the  hedging  instrument  is  highly  effective  in  offsetting  changes  in  fair  values  or  cash  flows  of  the  hedged  item 
attributable to the hedged risk, which is when the hedging relationship meets all of the following hedge effectiveness 
requirements:

• 

• 

• 

there is an economic relationship between the hedged item and the hedging instrument; 

the effect of credit risk does not dominate the value changes that result from that economic relationship; and 

the hedge ratio of the hedging relationship is the same as that resulting from the quantity of the hedged item that 
the Group actually hedges and the quantity of the hedging instrument that the Group actually uses to hedge that 
quantity of hedged item. 

If a hedging relationship ceases to meet the hedge effectiveness requirement relating to the hedge ratio but the risk 
management objective for that designated hedging relationship remains the same, the Group adjusts the hedge ratio 
of the hedging relationship (i.e. rebalances the hedge) so that it meets the qualifying criteria again.

The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges 
is recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated under the heading of swap hedging reserve. The 
gain or loss relating to the ineffective portion is recognised immediately in profit or loss, and is included in the ‘other 
gains and losses’ line item.

Amounts previously recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity are reclassified to profit 
or loss in the periods when the hedged item affects profit or loss, in the same line as the recognised hedged item. 
However, when the hedged forecast transaction that is hedged results in the recognition of a non-financial asset or 
a non-financial liability, the gains and losses previously recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated 
in equity are transferred from equity and included in the initial measurement of the cost of the non-financial asset or 
nonfinancial liability.

Hedge accounting is discontinued when the Group revokes the hedging relationship, when the hedging instrument 
expires or is sold, terminated, or exercised, or when it no longer qualifies for hedge accounting. Any gain or loss 
recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity at that time remains in equity and is recognised 
when  the  forecast  transaction  is  ultimately  recognised  in  profit  or  loss.  When  a  forecast  transaction  is  no  longer 
expected to occur, the gain or loss accumulated in equity is recognised immediately in profit or loss.

Note 14 sets out details of the fair values of the derivative instruments used for hedging purposes.

71

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

(v) Leases

The Group assesses whether a contract is or contains a lease, at inception of the contract. The Group recognises a 
right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability with respect to all lease arrangements in which it is the lessee, 
except for short-term leases (defined as leases with a lease term of 12 months or less) and leases of low value assets. 
For these leases, the Group recognises the lease payments as an operating expense on a straight-line basis over the 
term  of  the  lease  unless  another  systematic  basis  is  more  representative  of  the  time  pattern  in  which  economic 
benefits from the leased assets are consumed.

The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the lease payments that are not paid at the commencement 
date, discounted by using the Group’s incremental borrowing rate. This rate has been determined by considering the 
nature of the leased assets, the Group’s credit rating and the borrowing rate of funds in similar economic environments.

Lease payments included in the measurement of the lease liability compromise:

• 

Fixed lease payments (including in-substance fixed payments), less any lease incentives receivable.

The lease liability is subsequently measured by increasing the carrying amount to reflect interest on the lease liability 
(using the effective interest method) and by reducing the carrying amount to reflect the lease payments made.

The Group remeasures the lease liability (and makes a corresponding adjustment to the related right-of-use assets) 
whenever:

•  The lease term has changed or there is a change in the assessment of exercise of a purchase option, in which 
case the lease liabilities is remeasured by discounting the revised lease payments using a revised discount rate.

•  The  lease  payments  change  due  to  changes  in  an  index  or  rate  or  a  change  in  expected  payment  under 
guaranteed residual value, in which cases the lease liability is remeasured by discounting the revised leased 
payments  using  the  initial  discount  rate  (unless  the  lease  payments  change  is  due  to  a  change  in  a  floating 
interest rate, in which case a revised discount rate is used).

•  A lease contract is modified and the lease modification is not accounted for as a separate lease, in which case 

the lease liability is remeasured by discounting the revised lease payments using a revised discount rate.

The Group did not make any such adjustments during the periods presented.

The right-of-use assets comprise the initial measurement of the corresponding lease liability, lease payments made 
at  or  before  the  commencement  day  and  any  initial  direct  costs.  They  are  subsequently  measured  at  cost  less 
accumulated depreciation and impairment losses.

Right-of-use assets are depreciated over the shorter period of lease term and useful life of the underlying asset. If a 
lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset or the cost of the right-of-use asset reflects that the Group expects 
to exercise a purchase option, the related right-of-use asset is depreciated over the useful life of the underlying asset. 
The depreciation starts at the commencement date of the lease.

The right-of-use assets are presented as a separate line in the consolidated statement of financial position.

The  Group  applies  AASB  136  Impairment  of  Assets  to  determine  whether  a  right-of-use  asset  is  impaired  and 
accounts for any identified impairment loss as described in the ‘Property, plant and equipment’ policy.

Variable rents that do not depend on an index or rate are not included in the measurement of the lease liability and 
the  right-of-use  asset.  The  related  payments  are  recognised  as  an  expense  in  the  period  in  which  the  event  or 
condition that triggers those payments occurs and are included in the line ‘premises expenses or other expenses’ in 
the statement of profit or loss.

(w) Discontinued operations 

A discontinued operation is a component of the consolidated entity that has been disposed of or is classified as held 
for sale and that represents a separate major line of business or geographical area of operations, is part of a single 

72

co-ordinated plan to dispose of such a line of business or area of operations, or is a subsidiary acquired exclusively 
with a view to resale. The results of discontinued operations are presented separately on the face of the statement of 
profit or loss and other comprehensive income.

(x) Significant accounting judgments, estimates and assumptions

Significant accounting judgments

In applying the Group’s accounting policies, management has made the following judgments which have the most 
significant effect on the financial statements:

Capitalisation of development costs – the Group has adopted a policy of capitalising development costs only for 
products for which an assessment is made that the product is technically feasible and will generate definite economic 
benefits for the Group going forward. The capitalised costs are subsequently amortised over the expected useful life 
of the product.

Revenue recognition – The Group has made judgements in relation to the bundling of contract promises into a single 
distinct  performance  obligation  by  determining  whether  the  contract  promises  are  separately  identifiable  in  the 
context of the contract. The Group has also used judgement in allocating the transaction price to revenue streams 
which have more than one performance obligation and where the stand-alone selling price is not directly observable. 
The Group has applied the expected cost plus a margin approach in estimating these prices as described in Note 
1(m) above.

ECL on impairment of financial assets – An allowance for doubtful debts is recognised based on the expected credit 
loss (ECL) from the time the receivable is initially recognised. The ECL is based on a provision matrix that reflects the 
Group’s historical credit loss experience, adjusted for management’s knowledge of specific customers’ circumstances, 
as well as current collection trends and business conditions.

Basis of consolidation – In assessing whether it has control over the nQueue Zebraworks Inc. Group following the 
acquisition  in  February  2021,  the  Group  has  made  some  key  judgements,  including  contractual  arrangements 
between the Group and shareholders, which provides the Group with the ability to execute power over the relevant 
activities of nQueue Zebraworks Inc. Following this assessment, the Group concluded that it has control.

Significant accounting estimates and assumptions

The carrying amount of certain assets and liabilities are often determined based on estimates and assumptions of 
future events. The key estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing material adjustment to the 
carrying amounts of certain assets and liabilities are:

Impairment of goodwill – the Group determines whether goodwill is impaired on an annual basis. This requires an 
estimation of the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the goodwill is allocated. The assumptions 
used in this estimation, and the effect if these assumptions change, are disclosed in Note 12.

Share based payments – the Group measures the cost of equity-settled transactions with employees by reference 
to the fair value of the equity instruments at the date on which they are granted. The fair value has been determined 
using a model that adopts Monte Carlo simulation approach and by external valuation reports, and the assumptions 
related to this can be found in Note 19 and 26 (c).

Product life and amortisation – the Group amortises capitalised development costs based on a straight-line basis 
over a period of 3-4 years commencing at the time of commercial release of the new product. This is the assessed 
useful life.

Deferred consideration - the Group assesses the likelihood of the payment of deferred consideration on its business 
combinations based on budgeted and forecast performance. 

73

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

(y) New Accounting Standards

The Group has adopted all of the new and revised Accounting Standards and Interpretations issued by the Australian 
Accounting Standards Board (the AASB) that are relevant to its operations and effective for the current reporting 
period. 

None of the new standards or revisions that are mandatory for the first time materially affected any of the amounts 
recognised in the current period or any prior period and are not likely to significantly affect future periods. 

The Group has not early adopted any new or revised Accounting Standards and Interpretations issued by AASB 
which are not yet effective during the year.

(z) Working capital deficiency

The consolidated statement of financial position indicates an excess of current liabilities over current assets of $7,473 
thousand (2021: $7,911 thousand). This arises partly due to the adoption of AASB 16, whereby the right of use assets 
are treated as non-current assets, whereas a portion of the lease liabilities are treated as current liabilities. Net cash 
inflows from operating activities for the year were $7,687 thousand (2021: $10,785 thousand). Unused bank facilities 
at balance date was $19,477 thousand. Also, included in current liabilities are contract liabilities of $5,804 thousand 
(2021: $5,912 thousand), settlement of which will involve substantially lower cash outflows.

Given the above, the Directors believe that preparation of the financial report on a going concern basis is appropriate. 

2 Segment Information
Operating segments are identified on the basis of internal reports about components of the Group that are regularly 
reviewed  by  the  chief  operating  decision  maker  in  order  to  allocate  resources  to  the  segment  and  to  assess  its 
performance.

(a) Business segment information

The consolidated entity is organised into three operating divisions:

•  Business Group

•  Practice Management Group, Accountant (Discontinued in 2022)

•  Practice Management Group, Legal

These divisions are the basis upon which the consolidated entity reports its financial information to the chief operating 
decision maker, being the Board of directors.

The principal activities of these divisions are as follows: 

• 

 Business Group - development, distribution and support of business accounting and personal financial software, 
as well as related products and services. Products sold in this division include Reckon Accounts and Reckon One.

•  Practice Management Group, Accountant - development, distribution and support of practice management, 
tax, client accounting and related software under the APS brand and Reckon Elite brand (Discontinued in 2022). 

•  Practice Management Group, Legal - development, distribution and support of cost recovery, scan and cloud-

based integration platforms under the nQ Zebraworks brand predominantly to the legal market.

74

2 Segment Information (continued)

2022
Operating revenue

Segment results
EBITDA1

Depreciation and amortisation

Segment profit before tax

Central administration costs

Transaction related share based 
payment expenses (refer note 26(c))

Finance (costs) / income

Profit before income tax
Income tax expense

Profit for the year

2021 Restated3
Operating revenue

Segment results
EBITDA1

Depreciation and amortisation

Segment profit before tax

Central administration costs

Transaction costs2

Transaction related shared based 
payment expenses (refer note 26(c))

Other income - Cares Act loan 
foregiveness (refer note 3)

Finance costs

Profit before income tax
Income tax expense

Profit for the year

Business 
Group
$’000

Practice 
Management 
Legal Group
$’000

Continuing 
Operations

Discontinued 
Operations

Consolidated 
Group

40,799

10,429

51,228

13,469

64,697

21,036
(8,692)

12,344

222
(4,441)

(4,219)

21,258

(13,133)

8,125

(2,814)

(483)

(72)

4,756

(1,166)

3,590

74,860
(4,591)

70,269

-

-

531

70,800

(17,576)

53,224

96,118

(17,724)

78,394

(2,814)

(483)

459

75,556

(18,742)

56,814

39,881

9,636

49,517

22,556

72,073

20,379
(7,771)

12,608

514
(3,599)

(3,085)

20,893
(11,370)

9,523

(3,323)

(411)

(1,099)

1,202

(433)

5,459

190

5,649

12,185
(7,534)

4,651

-

-

-

-

(342)

4,309

(743)

3,566

33,078
(18,904)

14,174

(3,323)

(411)

(1,099)

1,202

(775)

9,768

(553)

9,215

1 EBITDA means earnings before interest tax, depreciation and amortisation.
2 Transaction costs relate to merger of the Legal Group and Zebraworks.
3 Restated to reflect the sale of the Practice Management Group, Accountants business, refer 26(e)

The revenue reported above represents revenue generated from external customers. Segment profit represents the 
profit earned by each segment without allocation of central administration costs, new market expenditure, finance 
costs and income tax expense, all of which are allocated to Corporate head office. This is the measure reported to 
the chief operating decision maker for the purposes of resource allocation and assessing performance.

No single customer contributed 10% or more of Group revenue for either 2022 or 2021.

75

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

2 Segment Information (continued)

Assets

Liabilities

Additions to non-
current assets

Segment assets and liabilities

2022 
$’000

2021 
$’000

2022 
$’000

2021 
$’000

2022 
$’000

2021 
$’000

Business Group

19,418

19,576

8,564

10,603

10,787

9,148

Practice Management Group, Legal

15,919

14,027

6,702

5,154

4,985

4,676

Corporate Division

4,607

4,113

6,762

20,554

-

-

Continuing operations

39,944

37,716

22,028

36,311

15,772

13,824

Practice Management Group, Accountant 
(Discontinued)

-

34,156

-

3,738

4,212

8,663

39,944

71,872

22,028

40,049

19,984

22,487

(b) Geographical information

Australia

United States of America

Other countries (i)

Continuing operations

Discontinued operations

Revenue from external 
customers

Non-current assets

2022 
$’000

2021 
$’000

2022 
$’000

2021
$’000

38,650

37,686

20,815

19,835

8,740

3,838

7,760

13,730

8,689 

4,071

422

2,893 

51,228

49,517

34,967

31,417

13,469

22,556

-

33,169

64,697

72,073

34,967

64,586

(i) No other country outside of Australia and the United States of America are considered to generate revenues which are material to the group.

76

 
3 Profit for the Year

Profit before income tax includes the following items of revenue and expense:

Revenue 

Sales revenue
Subscription revenue

Other recurring revenue

Loans revenue

Other revenue

Sale of goods and rendering of services

Expenses
Product costs

Expected credit losses:

Other Entities

Depreciation of non-current assets:

Property, plant and equipment

Amortisation of non-current assets:

Leasehold improvements

Right of use assets

Intellectual property

Development costs

Total depreciation and amortisation

Foreign exchange losses / (gains)

Employee benefits expense:

Post employment benefits – defined contribution plans

Termination benefits

Equity settled share based payments

Finance costs/(income):

Loans/overdrafts

Leases

Other

Operating lease rental expenses:

Minimum lease payments

Other income - Cares Act loan forgiveness

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

Restated1

46,708

43,898

236

186

4,098

51,228

1,051

248

4,320

49,517

7,506

7,003

67

824

178

699

14

11,418

13,133

(14)

1,988

57

913

179

72

(179)

72

224

-

333

817

251

826

25

9,451

11,370

31

2,088

84

1,657

246

97

90

433

404

1,202

In the prior year, the Legal Group in the USA received a loan under the “CARES“ Act. This was received as part of 
the USA stimulus package to assist small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. The loan was able to be forgiven if 
the use of the loan met certain criteria, which included retaining our USA employees. The criteria have been met and 
so the loan has been forgiven.

1 Restated to reflect the sale of the Practice Management Group, Accountants business, refer 26(e)

77

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

4 Revenue

Primary 
segments

2022

Product Description

Subscription 
revenue

Licence, support and 
hosting

Other recurring 
revenue

Licence

Support 

Licence

Over time

11,405

Point in time

26,045

Over time

Point in time

7

229

186

382

-

662

40,799

Loan income

Interest and commission

Over time

Other revenue Membership support

Over time

Membership fees - license

Point in time

1,883

Licence and implementation Point in time

Other

Point in time

Total revenue for continuing operations

Discontinued operations

Subscription 
revenue

Bundled licence, support, 
hosting and implementation

Over time

Other revenue

Licence and implementation Point in time

Revenue 
recognition

Busines 
Group
$’000

Practice 
Management 
Accountant 
Group 
$’000

Practice 
Management 
Legal Group 
$’000

Consolidated
Group
$’000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

9,258

20,663

-

-

-

-

-

-

1,171

-

26,045

7

229

186

382

1,883

1,171

662

10,429

51,228

-

-

13,027

442

-

-

13,027

442

40,799

13,469

10,429

64,697

2021 Restated

Subscription 
revenue

Licence, support and 
hosting

Other recurring 
revenue

Licence

Support 

Licence

Over time

10,334

Point in time

25,257

Over time

32

Point in time

1,019

Loan income

Interest and commission

Over time

Other revenue Membership support

Over time

248

399

Membership fees - license

Point in time

2,030

Licence and implementation Point in time

Other

Point in time

Total revenue for continuing operations

Discontinued operations

-

562

39,881

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Subscription 
revenue

Bundled licence, support, 
hosting and implementation

Over time

Other revenue

Licence and implementation Point in time

Corporate services

Point in time

-

-

-

21,357

430

769

8,307

18,641

-

-

-

-

-

-

1,329

-

25,257

32

1,019

248

399

2,030

1,329

562

9,636

49,517

-

-

-

21,357

430

769

78

39,881

22,556

9,636

72,073

5 Income Tax

(a) Income tax expense recognised in profit and loss

Current tax

Deferred tax

Over provided in prior years

(b) The prima facie income tax expense on pre-tax accounting profit 
reconciles to the income tax expense in the financial statements as follows:

Profit before income tax from continuing operations

Profit before income tax from discontinued operations

Profit before income tax

Income tax expense calculated at 30% of profit 

Tax Effect of:

Effect of lower tax rates on overseas income

Utilisation of prior period capital tax losses not previously brought to account

Tax effect of non-deductible/non-taxable items:

Proceeds on sale of business

Research and development claims

Sundry items

Over provision in prior years

Income tax expense attributable to profit

Comprising:

Continuing operations

Discontinued operations

The tax rate used for the 2022 and 2021 reconciliations above is the corporate tax 
rate  of  30%  payable  by  Australian  corporate  entities  on  taxable  profits  under 
Australian tax law.

(c) Future income tax benefits not brought to account as an asset: 

Tax losses:

Revenue

Capital

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

18,631

180

(69)

18,742

4,756

70,800

75,556

22,667

110

(152)

(3,282)

(646)

114

18,811

(69)

18,742

1,166

17,576

18,742

2,027

(960)

(514)

553

5,459

4,309

9,768

2,930

(17)

(1,135)

-

(780)

69

1,067

(514)

553

(190)

743

553

460

1,204

1,664

694

1,155

1,849

79

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

6 Remuneration of Auditors

(a) BDO and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

During the year, the auditors of the parent entity earned the following remuneration:

BDO

Auditing and reviewing of financial reports

Tax compliance and other consulting services

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

Auditing and reviewing of financial reports

Tax compliance and other consulting services

(b) Other Auditors

Auditing and reviewing of financial reports

Tax compliance and other consulting services

Consolidated

2022
$

2021
$

233,402

168,000

64,033

46,000

297,435

214,000

-

-

-

46,350

86,740

133,090

297,435

347,090

59,258

65,306

61,317

62,325

120,575

127,631

80

7 Trade and Other Receivables

Current:

Trade receivables (i)

Allowance for Expected Credit Loss (ECL)

Other receivables

Non-current:

Other receivables

(i) The ageing of past due receivables at year end is detailed as follows:

Past due 0 – 30 days

Past due 31 – 60 days

Past due 61+ days

Total

The movement in the ECL in respect of trade receivables is detailed below:

Balance at beginning of the year

Amounts written off during the year

Increase in ECL recognised in the profit and loss

Balance at end of year

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

1,881

2,739

(30)

(149)

1,851

2,590

98

379

1,949

2,969

146

-

1,005

1,124

73

138

85

445

1,216

1,654

149

(67)

(52)

30

463

(337)

23

149

81

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

7 Trade and Other Receivables (continued)

To determine the expected credit loss of trade receivables, a provision matrix is determined based on historic credit 
loss rates for each group of customers, adjusted for any material expected changes to the customers’ future credit 
risk. On that basis, the credit loss allowance as at 31 December 2022 was determined as follows:

2022

Receivables

Current

Past due 1 to 30 days

Past due 30 to 60 days

Past due over 60 days

Total receivables

Allowance based on historic credit losses

Adjustment for expected changes in credit risk1

Credit loss allowance

Net carrying amount

Business Group
$’000

Legal Practice 
Management 
Group
$’000

342

39

15

25

324

965

58

113

Group
$’000

666

1,004

73

138

421

1,460

1,881

3

13

16

14

-

14

17

13

30

405

1,446

1,851

1 Adjustment to reflect the expected change in the probability of default relating to customers that are over 60 days past due and those customers 

specifically identified. 

82

7 Trade and Other Receivables (continued)

2021

Receivables

Current

Past due 1 to 30 days

Past due 30 to 60 days

Past due over 60 days

Business 
Group
$’000

Legal Practice 
Management 
Group
$’000

Accountant 
Practice 
Management  
Group
$’000

254

27

28

34

294

1,017

30

229

Group
$’000

1,085

1,124

85

445

2,739

56

93

149

537

80

27

182

826

3

12

15

Total receivables

343

1,570

Allowance based on historic credit losses

Adjustment for expected changes in credit risk1

Credit loss allowance

1

6

7

52

75

127

Net carrying amount

336

1,443

811

2,590

1 Adjustment to reflect the expected change in the probability of default relating to customers that are over 60 days past due and those customers 

specifically identified. 

83

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

1,448

1,877

-

60

1,448

1,937

59

37

96

61

109

170

8 Other Assets

Current:

Prepayments

Other

Non current:

Prepayments

Other

84

9 Property, Plant and Equipment

Leasehold Improvements

At cost

Less: Accumulated amortisation

Total leasehold improvements

Plant and equipment

At cost

Less: Accumulated depreciation

Total plant and equipment

Consolidated

2022
$’000

1,082

(896)

186

5,056

(4,556)

500

686

2021
$’000

2,594

(1,882)

712

10,736

(9,638)

1,098

1,810

Consolidated

Carrying amount at 1 January 2022

Additions net of disposals

Effect of foreign currency exchange differences

Capitalised lease incentive reallocated

Sale of Practice Management Accountant Group (refer note 26(e))

Depreciation/amortisation expense

Balance at 31 December 2022

Consolidated

Carrying amount at 1 January 2021

Additions

Effect of foreign currency exchange differences

Capitalised lease incentive reallocated

Depreciation/amortisation expense

Balance at 31 December 2021

Leasehold 
Improvements 
$’000

Plant and 
Equipment 
$’000

Total
$’000

712

(103)

(2)

143

(271)

(293)

186

713

261

7

181

(450)

712

1,098

1,810

207

25

-

(203)

(627)

500

104

23

143

(474)

(920)

686

1,209

1,922

491

29

-

(631)

1,098

752

36

181

(1,081)

1,810

85

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

10 Right of Use Assets/Lease liabilities

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

6,363

11,324

(4,326)

(6,962)

2,037

4,362

1,091

1,329

2,420

1,091

1,136

193

-

1,737

3,269

5,006

1,737

1,544

1,474

251

2,420

5,006

4,362

5,960

98

(9)

(1,010)

263

11

-

(1,404)

(1,872)

2,037

4,362

Right of use assets

At cost

Less: Accumulated amortisation

Lease liabilities

Current

Non-current

Lease liabilities maturity profile

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Consolidated Right of Use Assets 

Carrying amount at 1 January

Additions

Effect of foreign currency exchange differences

Sale of Practice Management Accountant Group (refer note 26(e))

Depreciation/amortisation expense

Balance at 31 December

Leases relate to office premises with lease terms of between 1 to 7 years.

86

11 Deferred Tax Assets

The balance comprises temporary differences attributable to:

Expected credit loss

Employee benefits

Recoverable losses

Other provisions

Details of unrecognised deferred tax assets can be found in Note 5(c)

Reconciliation:

Opening balance at 1 January

(Charged) / credited to profit or loss

Balance at 31 December

12 Intangibles

Intellectual property – at cost (i)

Accumulated amortisation

Development costs – at cost

Accumulated amortisation

Goodwill – at cost

(i) The intellectual property carrying amount comprises of customer contracts. 

Consolidated movements in intangibles

At 1 January 2022

Additions

Note

Goodwill
$’000
18,349

-

Sale of Practice Management Accountant Group     

26 (e)

(14,641)

Impairment to goodwill

Effect of foreign currency exchange differences

Amortisation charge

At 31 December 2022

At 1 January 2021

Additions

Disposal

Effect of foreign currency exchange differences

Amortisation charge

At 31 December 2021

(684)

147

-

3,171

29,107

221

(11,124)

145

-

18,349

26(c)

26(d)

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

-

2

983

-

985

42

943

985

2

20

-

20

42

50

(8)

42

14,655

14,655

(14,655)

(14,641)

-

14

99,658

175,587

(71,812)

(135,748)

27,846

39,839

3,171

31,017

18,349

58,202

Intellectual 
Property
$’000
14

Development 
Costs
$’000
39,839

19,782

Total
$’000
58,202

19,782

-

-

-

-

(14)

-

39

-

-

-

(25)

14

(16,504)

(31,145)

-

437

(684)

584

(15,708)

(15,722)

27,846

31,017

36,586

21,251

(1,540)

(39)

65,732

21,472

(12,664)

106

(16,419)

(16,444)

39,839

58,202

87

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

12 Intangibles (continued)

Impairment test for goodwill
Goodwill is allocated to the Group’s cash generating units (CGUs) identified based on how 
the businesses are managed and reported on and taking into account the use of shared 
resources, as follows

Business Group

Practice Management Group, Accountant - Discontinued

Practice Management Group, Legal

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

46

-

3,125

3,171

730

14,641

2,978

18,349

The recoverable amount of a CGU is the higher of its fair value less costs of disposal or its value in use. The Group has used the 
value in use assessment method in the current year. 

In assessing impairment using value in use for the Business Group, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present 
value using a post-tax discount rate of 10.9% (2021:10.8%) which reflects current market assessments of the time value of money 
and the risks specific to the GCU for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted. Value in use calculations 
utilise  the  most  recently  completed  approved  budgets  for  the  forthcoming  year.  Subsequent  cash  flows  are  projected  using 
constant long term average growth rates of 2.5% per annum (2021:2.5%). 

In assessing impairment using value in use for the Legal Group, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present 
value  using  a  post-tax  discount  rate  of  13%  (2021:11%  for  the  existing  business  and  25%  for  the  new  practice  management 
business recently commenced), which reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the 
CGU  for  which  the  estimates  of  future  cash  flows  have  not  been  adjusted.  Value  in  use  calculations  utilise  the  most  recently 
completed approved budgets for the forthcoming year and forecasts for a further 2 years. Subsequent cash flows are projected 
using constant long term average growth rates of 3% per annum (2021:3%) 

Within the Business Group Segment, an impairment charge of $684 thousand has been incurred against the goodwill recorded 
on a CGU. Management reassessed the free cashflows and the expected achievement of the earn out targets has resulted in a 
decrease in the value of the goodwill from $730 thousand (31 December 2021) to $46 thousand and a corresponding decrease in 
the associated deferred consideration, and as a result there is no impact in the statement of profit or loss. Management assessed 
the carrying value using a value in use discounted cash flow model with a discount rate of 10.8%. No  impairment losses have been 
recognised during the prior year. 

Sensitivity analysis performed indicates that if a change in profit and associated development costs reflected in the models were 
to decrease by up to 15% for the respective CGU’s there would be no impairment.

88

13 Borrowings

Current:

Bank overdraft (i)

Non-current

Bank borrowings (i)

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

-

-

4,074

16,137

(i) The consolidated entity has decreased its bank facilities to $25 million during the year (2021 : $40 million) following the sale 
of the Practice Management Accountants Group business. The facility comprises variable rate bank overdraft facilities, loan 
facilities, and bank guarantee and transactional facilities. The facilities expire in 31 March 2025. The facility is secured over the 
Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom net assets.

2022

The available, used and unused components of the facility at year end is as follows: 

Available

Used

Unused

The remaining contractual maturity for the facility is as follows:

2-5 years

Weighted average interest rate

Bank 
overdraft and 
bank 
guarantee 
$’000

Loan 
facility 
$’000

22,000

4,074

17,926

3,000

1,449

1,551

4,074

1,449

2.21%

2.61%

89

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

14 Other financial assets/(liabilities)

Current:

Derivative that is designated and effective as a hedging instrument carried at fair value

-

(58)

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

15 Provisions

Current:

Employee benefits – annual leave

Employee benefits – long service leave

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

833

1,094

1,927

1,206

1,816

3,022

Non-current:

Employee benefits – long service leave

206

268

90

16 Deferred Tax Liabilities

The temporary differences are attributable to:

Expected credit loss

Employee benefits

Contract liabilities

Difference between book and tax value of non-current assets

Other provisions

Reconciliation:

Opening balance at 1 January

Charged / (credited) to profit or loss

Sale of Practice Management Accountant Group (refer note 26(e))

Consolidated

2022
$’000

(4)

(800)

(434)

3,676

(49)

2,389

3,995

1,123

(2,729)

2021
$’000

(4)

(1,182)

(436)

6,361

(744)

3,995

4,963

(968)

-

Balance at 31 December

2,389

3,995

Details of unrecognised deferred tax assets can be found in Note 5(c)

17 Contract liabilities

The unsatisfied performance obligations are as set out below:

Current

Subscription revenue

Other revenue

Non-current

Subscription revenue

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

5,659

5,753

145

159

5,804

5,912

1,330

-

91

 
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Parent

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

1,741

37,130

38,871

7,243

8,573

15,816

3,974

67,419

71,393

9,757

26,352

36,109

19,534

20,524

(42,018)

(42,018)

-

1,145

(1,657)

(476)

46,527

23,055

(58)

1,250

(1,657)

(476)

57,719

35,284

37,091

6,229

-

–

18 Parent Entity Disclosures

Financial position

Assets

Current assets

Non-current assets

Liabilities

Current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Equity

Share capital

Share buyback reserve

Swap hedging reserve

Share based payments reserve

Acquisition of non-controlling interest reserve

Foreign currency translation reserve

Retained earnings

Financial performance

Total comprehensive income

Capital commitments for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment

Not longer than 1 year

Other

Reckon Limited assets have been used as security for the bank facilities set out in note 13.

The parent entity has no contingent liabilities.

Working capital deficiency - refer note 1(z). 

92

19 Employee Benefits

Long-term incentive plan

The long-term incentive plan presently comprises two possible methods of participation: the grant of equity under a 
performance share plan; or cash payments under a share appreciation plan. The board has discretion to make offers 
to applicable employees to participate in these plans. Performance shares offered (all in respect of the company’s 
ordinary  shares)  and/or  share  appreciation  rights  do  not  vest  before  three  years  after  their  grant  date  and  are 
conditional  on  the  participant  remaining  employed  at  vesting  date,  subject  to  board  discretion.  Vesting  is  also 
conditional upon the company achieving defined performance criteria.

From  2011  onwards  performance  shares  were  also  offered  with  longer  term  vesting  periods.  The  single  vesting 
condition is that participants must remain employed for the term required. To achieve 100% vesting employees must 
remain in employment for an effective 10 years from the date of the initial offer. Participation in this programme is no 
longer offered.

The share appreciation rights plan represents an alternative remuneration element (to offering performance shares) 
under which the board can invite relevant employees to apply for a right to receive a cash payment from the company 
equal to the amount (if any) by which the market price of the company’s shares at the date of exercise of the right 
exceeds the market price of the company’s shares at the date of grant of the right. The right may only be exercised 
if the share price at the end of the performance period is greater than at the beginning of the performance period. 
The performance criteria for the rights to vest are fixed by the board in the exercise of its discretion. At present these 
are the same as the TSR target set for performance shares to vest and the same sliding scale applies.

There are two performance criteria that must be met. The first is achievement of budgeted earnings per share growth 
(EPS) over the performance period. The second is a comparison of the company’s total shareholder return over the 
performance period measured against the change in the S&P/ASX 300 over the performance period. The criteria 
carry equal weighting. Vesting against both criteria occurs on a sliding scale. In the case of EPS 75% of entitlements 
vest if the target EPS is achieved and 100% of entitlement will vest on achievement of 110% of target EPS, on a 
sliding  scale  capped  at  100%  of  entitlement.  In  the  case  of  TSR,  75%  of  entitlements  vest  if  the  target  TSR  is 
achieved,  100%  of  entitlements  will  vest  on  achievement  of  110%  of  target  TSR,  and  a  prorata  vesting  occurs 
between 100% and 110% of target TSR capped at 110%.

Share based payments are expensed over the vesting period for each tranche offered.

No options were issued during the year (2021: Nil).

475,000 senior executive rights (2021: 595,000), nil appreciation rights (2021: nil), and nil performance shares (2021: 
nil), were issued during the year. The fair value of senior executive rights issued in 2022 was $0.72, using a model that 
adopts the Monte Carlo simulation approach. The assumptions used in this model for the tranches issued in 2022 
are: grant date share price of $0.93; expected volatility of 40.0%; dividend yield of 5.0%; and a risk-free rate of 1.0%. 
The  expense  recognised  in  2022  for  the  rights/performance  shares  was  $430  thousand  (2021:  $558  thousand). 
Remaining share based payments of $483 thousand (2021: $1,099 thousand) relates to nQueue Zebraworks Inc. 
refer to note 26(c).

93

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

19 Employee Benefits (continued)

Set out below are summaries of performance shares and appreciation rights granted under the long-term incentive plan:

Performance Shares

Grant 
Date

Vesting 
Date

Shares 
Granted

Shares lapsed
during the year

Shares vested 
during the year

Shares available at 
the end of the year

2022

2021

2022

2021

2022

2021

Jan’14

Dec’20

101,250

Jan’15

Dec’21

37,500

-

-

-

-

-

25,625

8,250

-

-

-

-

8,250

Nil shares have been acquired for future grants.

Senior Executive Rights

Grant 
Date

Expiry 
Date

Rights 
Granted

Rights lapsed
during the year

Rights vested 
during the year

Rights available at 
the end of the year 

2022

2021

2022

2021

2022

2021

Jan’19

Dec’21

860,000

34,271

Sep’19

Dec’22

1,000,000

Jan’20

Dec’22

737,500

-

-

Jan’21

Dec’23

595,000

37,778

Jan‘22

Dec’24

475,000

92,639

-

-

-

-

-

788,229

-

87,500

42,222

22,361

-

-

-

-

-

-

822,500

1,000,000*

1,000,000

650,000*

737,500

515,000

595,000

360,000

-

* Purchased on market ($0.60 per share) in November 2022 in respect of rights that vested for the reporting period.

Short-term incentive plan

Each annual budget fixes a pool of cash representing a total potential amount in which the relevant employees can 
share if short term performance conditions are met.

The  performance  period  for  the  short-term  incentive  plan  is  one-year.  However,  approximately  one  third  of  the 
payment will only be made if the employee remains in employment for a further one year period after the performance 
period.

The  performance  conditions  are  budgeted  targets  set  for  revenue,  EBITDA  and  earnings  per  share.  Actual 
performance is the measured on a sliding scale from 90% to 110% against the budgeted performance of the group 
to determine the extent to which incentives are paid. The incentive is paid on a sliding scale. Below 90% no incentive 
is paid. Between 90% and 110% a pro rata increase is paid, capped at 110%. There is an overlap of earnings per 
share as a performance condition for the long-term incentive and the short-term incentive.

94

 
 
20 Issued Capital

Fully Paid Ordinary Share Capital

2022

 2021

No.

$’000

No.

$’000

Balance at beginning of financial year

113,294,832

20,524 113,294,832

20,524

Dividend re-investment plan

-

-

-

-

Balance at end of financial year

113,294,832

20,524 113,294,832

20,524

Less Treasury shares

Balance at beginning of financial year

-

Shares purchased in current period

1,650,000

Lapsed shares utilised 

Shares vested 

-

-

-

990

-

-

Balance at end of financial year

1,650,000

990

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Balance at end of financial year net of treasury shares

111,644,832

19,534 113,294,832

20,524

Fully paid ordinary shares carry one vote per share and carry the right to dividends.

Changes to the then Corporations Law abolished the authorised capital and par value concepts in relation to share 
capital from 1 July 1998. Therefore, the company does not have a limited amount of authorised capital and issued 
shares do not have a par value. 

During the year nil shares were bought back. 

No options were exercised during the year.

The Group implemented a dividend re-investment plan in 2016. 

95

 
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

21 Reserves

Nature and purpose of reserves

(a) Foreign currency translation reserve

Exchange differences arising on translation of the financial reports of foreign subsidiaries are taken to the foreign 
currency translation reserve, as described in note 1(f).

(b) Swap hedging reserve

The swap hedging reserve represents the cumulative gains or losses arising on changes in the fair value of hedging 
instruments entered into. These gains or losses will be reclassified to profit or loss only when the hedged transaction 
affects profit or loss.

(c) Share buyback reserve

The value of shares bought back are allocated to this reserve.

(d) Share-based payments reserve

The  share-based  payments  reserve  is  for  the  fair  value  of  options  granted  and  recognised  to  date  but  not  yet 
exercised, and treasury shares purchased and recognised to date which have not yet vested.

(e) Acquisition of non-controlling interest reserve

The  acquisition  of  non-controlling  interest  reserve  represents  an  equity  account  to  record  transactions  between 
equity holders.

22 Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share – continuing operations

Diluted earnings per share – continuing operations

Consolidated

2022
cents

2021
cents

Restated

5.5

5.4

4.0

3.9

Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in the calculation of basic earnings 
per share

113,294,832 113,294,832

Weighted average number of ordinary shares and potential ordinary shares (in relation to 
employee performance shares) used in the calculation of diluted earnings per share

115,819,832 116,458,082

Earnings used in the calculation of earnings per share is $4,554 thousand (2021: $6,256 thousand), and for 
discontinued operations $53,224 thousand (2021: $3,566 thousand).

23 Contingent Liabilities

There are no material contingent liabilities as at 31 December 2022 (2021: Nil).

96

24 Commitments for Expenditure

(a) Capital Expenditure Commitments

The consolidated entity has capital expenditure commitments of $nil as at 31 December 2022 (2021: $nil). 

(b) Other Commitments

Within 1 year

Later than 1 year and not longer than 5 years

25 Subsidiaries

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

186

212

398

403

588

991

Name of Entity

Country of Incorporation

Ownership Interest

Parent Entity

Reckon Limited 

Subsidiaries

Reckon Australia Pty Limited 

Reckon Limited Performance Share Plan Trust

Reckon New Zealand Limited 

Reckon Accountants Group Pty Limited

Reckon Holdings NZ Pty Limited

Reckon One Limited

Reckon Docs Pty Limited

nQ Zebraworks Pty Limited (Previously nQueue Pty Limited)1

Australia

Australia

Australia

New Zealand

Australia

New Zealand

United Kingdom

Australia

Australia

nQ Zebraworks Limited (Previously nQueue Billback Limited)1

United Kingdom

nQ Zebraworks Inc

nQ Zebraworks LLC1

United States of America

United States of America

Reckon Accounts Pte Limited2

Singapore

1 Wholly owned subsidiaries of nQ Zebraworks Inc.

2. Struck off in 2022

All shares held are ordinary shares.

2022
%

2021
%

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

70

70

70

70

-

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

70

70

70

70

100

97

 
 
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

26 Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows

(a) Reconciliation of Cash

For the purposes of the statement of cash flows, cash includes cash on hand and in banks 
and investments in money market instruments, net of outstanding bank overdrafts. Cash at 
the end of the financial year as shown in the statement of cash flows is reconciled to the 
related items in the statement of financial position as follows:

Cash (i)

Bank overdraft

(i) Cash balance is predominantly in the form of short-term money market deposits, which 
can be accessed at call.

(b) Reconciliation of Profit After Income Tax To Net Cash 
Flows From Operating Activities

Profit after income tax

Depreciation and amortisation of non-current assets

Payment for capitalised development costs 

Non-cash interest

Non-cash employee benefits expense – share based payment

(Gain) / loss on disposal of business

Increase in current tax liability/asset

Increase/(decrease) in deferred tax balances

Unrealised foreign currency translation amount

(Increase)/decrease in assets net of acquisitions:

    Current receivables

    Current inventories

    Other current assets

    Non-current receivables

    Non-current other

Increase/(decrease) in liabilities net of acquisitions:

    Current trade payables

    Other current liabilities

    Other non-current liabilities

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

1,233

1,394

-

-

1,233

1,394

56,814

9,215

17,724

18,904

(19,157)

(20,347)

(87)

913

(50,472)

719

180

38

(254)

(31)

297

(146)

74

(498)

305

1,268

227

1,657

148

445

(960)

46

870

173

(306)

45

16

74

588

(10)

Net cash inflow from operating activities

7,687

10,785

98

(c) Legal Group acquisition
The acquisition of Zebraworks was concluded during the prior year and was effective from 1 February 2021. A new Legal 
Group USA holding company, nQueue Zebraworks Inc., was established and Zebraworks Inc. and the existing Legal Group 
were merged into this new structure.

Zebraworks is a SaaS start-up building an integration platform to move legal practices to the cloud. Reckon Limited owns 
70%  of  the  new  venture,  with  Zebraworks  shareholders  (mainly  management)  owning  30%.  Management  have  the 
opportunity to progressively increase their shareholding by 15% of total issued capital if certain KPI’s are met by 2027. The 
KPI’s include revenue targets and product release targets. Non-cash consideration of $2,449 thousand was transferred 
which is equal to 30% of the existing Practice Management Group, Legal measured at fair value. The non-cash consideration 
includes  $1,600  thousand  of  share  based  payments,  related  to  founding  shareholders.  Fair  value  of  the  non-cash 
consideration  was measured by an independent valuer utilising the discounted cash flow method based on a high level 
cashflow  projection  prepared  by  management  and  publicly  available  information.  The  valuation  assessment  was  cross 
checked with regard to the revenue multiple implied in the valuation compared to the revenue multiple of Reckon Limited. 
An appropriate consideration on lack of discount for control and limited liquidity was also applied.

Trading results for the merged entity are as set out in note 2, and movements in the non-controlling interest are as set out 

in the consolidated statement of changes in equity.

Net assets acquired:

Cash

Fixed assets

Other assets

Goodwill

Non-cash consideration transferred

Less consideration treated as remuneration

Net non-cash consideration

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

613

13

2

221

849

2,449

(1,600)

849

Had the acquisition been effected at 1 January 2021 there would have been no further material impact on the results for the year.

Share based payments recognised in nQueue Zebraworks Inc.

As  part  of  the  nQueue  Zebraworks  Inc  acquisition,  there  are  founding  shareholders  continuing  employment  and 
shares provided to these founding shareholders were treated as remuneration. 

Attaching to a portion of these shares are clawback provisions for certain members of management should they 
leave within three years. These shares are restricted until such time as they vest. Vesting occurs in tranches over a 
three year period.

A share based payment expense of $483 thousand has been included in the consolidated statement of profit and 
loss in 2022 (2021: $1,099 thousand).

99

 
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

26 Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows (continued)

(d) Discontinued operations - Disposal of Reckon Docs business
The Reckon Docs business was sold to Class Limited effective 1 March 2021.

The funds have been used to reduce debt.

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

11,124

1,540

476

8

(107)

13,041

12,473

509

(90)

12,892

149

769

(475)

294

(126)

168

(50)

118

108

108

Net assets sold:

Goodwill

Development costs

Trade debtors

Inventory

Provisions

Carrying amount of net assets sold

Proceeds on sale comprise:

Cash settlement from Class Limited

Collection of trade receivables

Transaction costs

Loss on disposal before income tax

Trading results for the Reckon Docs business:

Revenue

Expenses

EBITDA

Amortisation

Profit before income tax

Income tax expense

Profit after income tax

Net cash from operating activities

Net cash and cash equivalents from discontinued operations

100

(e) Discontinued operations - Disposal of Practice Management Accountant Group
The Practice Management Accountant Group was sold to Access Group effective 1 August 2022. The principal activities 

of this division are set out in note 2.

The completion accounts have since been agreed and all proceeds received. The proceeds were used to retire debt and 

pay a special dividend to shareholders (refer note 27)

Consolidated

Net assets sold:

Cash

Trade and other receivables

Other assets

Property, plant and equipment

Intangible assets

Right of use assets

Trade and other payables

Provisions

Contract liabilities

Lease liabilities

Deferred tax liability

Carrying amount of net assets sold

Proceeds on sale comprise:

Cash settlement from Access Group

Completion accounts-working capital adjustment

Transaction costs and other adjustments

Income tax paid

Gain on sale before income tax

Income tax expense on gain

Gain on sale after income tax

Trading results for the Practice Management Accountant Group, business1:

Revenue

Expenses

EBITDA

Amortisation and depreciation

Interest income / (expense)

Profit before income tax

Income tax expense

Profit after income tax of discontinued operation

Net cash from operating activities

Net cash from investing activities

Net cash from financing activities

Net cash and cash equivalents from discontinued operations

1.  Includes the Reckon Docs Business in 2021 for the period to 1 March 2021.

2022
$’000

93

1,274

192

474

31,145

1,010

(856)

(1,437)

(71)

(1,186)

(2,729)

27,909

100,000

(8)

(4,887)

(16,724)

78,381

67,196

(16,724)

50,472

13,469

(5,805)

7,664

(4,591)

531

3,604

(852)

2,752

3,052

78,356

(398)

81,010

2021
$’000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

22,556

(10,371)

12,185

(7,534)

(342)

4,309

(743)

3,566

3,801

12,597

(739)

15,659

101

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

26 Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows (continued)

(f) Assets and liabilities
The table below details changes in the Group’s liabilities arising from financing activities, including both cash and non-cash 
changes.  Liabilities  arising  from  financing  activities  are  those  for  which  cash  flows  were,  or  future  cash  flows  will  be, 
classified in the Group’s consolidated statement of cash flows as cash flows from financing activities.

Note

Cash

Non-cash

Balance at 
1 Jan 2022
$’000

Financing cash 
flows (i)
$’000

Fair value 
adjustment
$’000

Balance at 31 
Dec 2022
$’000

Borrowings

16,137

(12,063)

Interest rate swap fair value 
hedge or economically hedging 
financing liabilities 

Total liabilities from financing 
activities

58

-

16,195

(12,063)

-

(58)

(58)

4,074

-

4,074

(i) The cash flows from bank loans, and other borrowings make up the net amount of proceeds from borrowings and 
repayments of borrowings in the statement of cash flows.

Note

Cash

Non-cash

Balance at 
1 Jan 2021
$’000

Financing cash 
flows (i)
$’000

Fair value 
adjustment
$’000

Balance at 31 
Dec 2021
$’000

Borrowings

31,788

(15,651)

-

16,137

Interest rate swap fair value 
hedge or economically hedging 
financing liabilities 

Total liabilities from financing 
activities

257

-

(199)

58

32,045

(15,651)

(199)

16,195

(i) The cash flows from bank loans, and other borrowings make up the net amount of proceeds from borrowings and 
repayments of borrowings in the statement of cash flows.

27 Dividends – Ordinary Shares

A fully franked final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2021 of 2 cents (2020: 2 
cents) per share was paid on 25 March 2022.

A fully franked interim dividend for the year ended 31 December 2022 of 3 cents (2021: 3 
cents) per share was paid on 23 September 2022.

A partially franked special dividend of 57 cents was paid on 21 November 2022

Franking credits available for subsequent financial years based on a tax rate of 30% (2021:

30%)

102

Consolidated

2022
$’000

2021
$’000

2,266

2,266

3,399

3,399

64,578

70,243

-

5,665

379

1,852

28 Financial Instruments

(a) Financial Risk Management Objectives

The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for the establishment and oversight of the company and group’s 
financial management framework.

The  Board  of  Directors  oversees  how  Management  monitors  compliance  with  risk  management  policies  and 
procedures  and  reviews  the  adequacy  of  the  risk  management  framework  in  relation  to  the  risks.  The  main  risk 
arising from the company and group’s financial instruments are currency risk, credit risk, liquidity risk and cash flow 
interest rate risk.

(b) Interest Rate Risk

The group is exposed to interest rate risk on the cash held in bank deposits and on bank borrowings. Cash deposits 
of $1,233 thousand were held by the consolidated entity at the reporting date, attracting an average interest rate of 
2.75%  (2021:  0.11%).  Interest  bearing  borrowings  by  the  consolidated  entity  at  the  reporting  date  were  $4,074 
thousand (2021:$16,137 thousand). Interest rate risk is not considered material, and so is not hedged. Variable rate 
borrowings during the year attracted an average interest rate of 2.21% (2021: 2.30%) on overdraft facilities and 2.61% 
on loan facilities (2021: 2.43%). If interest rates had been 50 basis points higher or lower (being the relevant volatility 
considered relevant by management) and all other variables were held constant, the group’s net profit would increase/
decrease by $20 thousand (2021: $81 thousand).

Hedging activities are evaluated to align with interest rate views and defined risk appetite, ensuring the most cost- 
effective hedging strategies are applied.

The maturity profile for the consolidated entity’s cash ($1,233 thousand) that is exposed to interest rate risk is one 
year, and interest-bearing borrowings ($4,074 thousand) that are exposed to interest rate risk, is two years. On the 
assumption that interest bearing borrowings and variable interest rates remain at the current level, the annual interest 
costs are expected to be $191 thousand.

Further details are set out in note 13.

c) Credit Risk

Credit risk refers to the risk that a counter party will default on its contractual obligations resulting in financial loss to 
the consolidated entity. The consolidated entity has adopted the policy of only dealing with creditworthy counterparties 
and obtaining sufficient collateral or other security where appropriate, as a means of mitigating the risk of financial 
loss from defaults.

The consolidated entity does not have any significant credit risk exposure to any single counterparty or any group of 
counterparties having similar characteristics.

The  carrying  amount  of  financial  assets  recorded  in  the  financial  statements,  net  of  any  provisions  for  losses, 
represents  the  consolidated  entity’s  maximum  exposure  to  credit  risk  without  taking  account  of  the  value  of  any 
collateral or other security obtained.

The average credit period on sale of goods is 45 days. Interest is generally not charged. The group has assessed the 
expected credit loss on receivables and have used a provision matrix to measure the Group’s estimated impairment 
losses (refer note 7).

103

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

28 Financial Instruments (continued)

(d) Foreign Currency Risk

The consolidated entity includes certain subsidiaries whose functional currencies are different to the consolidated entity 
presentation currency. The main operating entities outside of Australia are based in New Zealand, United States of America 
and  the  United  Kingdom.  These  entities  transact  primarily  in  their  functional  currency  and,  aside  from  inter-group  loan 
balances,  do  not  have  significant  foreign  currency  exposures  due  to  outstanding  foreign  currency  denominated  items.    
The consolidated entity’s future reported profits could therefore be impacted by changes in rates of exchange between the 
Australian Dollar and the New Zealand Dollar, and the Australian Dollar and the US Dollar and the Australian Dollar and the 
UK Sterling. The Group had assessed that any reasonable change in rates of exchange would not result in a material impact 
to the consolidated entity.

(e) Liquidity

The Group manages liquidity risk by maintaining adequate cash reserves and banking facilities by continuously 
monitoring forecast and actual cash flows.

The credit period for the majority of goods purchased is 30 days. No interest is charged. The Group has policies in place  
to ensure payables are paid within the credit periods.

Further details are set out in notes 1 and 13.

(f) Capital risk management

The Group manages its capital to ensure that entities in the Group will be able to continue as a going concern. The capital 
structure of the Group consists of cash, other financial assets, debt and equity attributable to equity holders of the parent. 
The Board reviews the capital structure on a regular basis. Based upon this review, the Group balances its overall capital 
structure through borrowings, the payment of dividends, issues of shares, share buy-backs and returns of capital. This 
strategy remains unchanged since the prior year.

(g) Fair Value

The carrying amount of financial assets and financial liabilities recorded in the financial report approximates their respective 
fair values, determined in accordance with the accounting policies disclosed in note 1 to the financial statements.

29 Subsequent Events

Reckon Limited advised on 9 March 2023 that it, together with minority shareholders, has made a commitment to 
provide  approximately  US$4  million  in  funding  to  its  Legal  Practice  Management  Group  (“Legal  Group”),  which 
operates  under  the  nQZebraworks  brand  in  the  US.  Certain  other  existing  investors  (“co-investors”)  in  the  Legal 
Group, including the nQZebraworks CEO, have also agreed to provide growth capital on a pro-rata basis. Minority 
shareholders that elect not to contribute, will dilute. 

Reckon’s  portion  of  the  investment  will  be  staged  over  24  months  and  funded  through  earnings  from  Reckon’s 
existing operations, with capital deployed towards scaling operations in the rapidly growing US legal market. 

The strategic rationale for the capital injection is underpinned by the view of the Reckon management team that the 
Company now has a major opportunity to leverage its footprint in the US legal market and generate a step-change 
in revenues and group earnings. 

Reckon’s  increased  investment  will  be  deployed  towards  a  targeted  business  development  strategy  in  the  USA, 
where it already provides scan and print management workflow solutions practice management software to five of 
the world’s largest legal firms and has increased capacity to scale up its client base.  

104

Additional  funds  will  also  be  allocated  to  product  optimisation  amid  the  ongoing  transition  from  desktop-based 
products to innovative cloud-based solutions. The Company is confident that the new funding will provide considerably 
financial flexibility to capitalise on growth over the next 24 months. 

Alongside  the  new  funding  commitment,  Reckon  will  seek  to  implement  a  long-term  incentive  plan  for  the  Legal 
Group’s USA management and staff to pursue growth and exit opportunities. Details of this incentive plan will be 
subject to shareholder approval, to be sought at the next Annual General Meeting. 

The investment highlights Reckon’s ongoing commitment to unlocking growth opportunities for practice management 
solutions in the large US legal services industry.  

In addition, Reckon will also acquire existing securities in the Legal Group, issued to previous management.  

These transactions will increase Reckon’s ownership in the division from 70% to 76% at a total cash cost of US$4 
million.

30 Related Party Disclosures

(a) Key Management Personnel Remuneration

Short term benefits

Post-employment benefits

Share based payments

Make whole payment

Consolidated   

2022
$

2021
$

2,288,664

2,510,327

113,426

250,167

1,182,342

120,604

249,080

-

3,834,599

2,880,011

The names of and positions held by the key management are set out on page 14 of the Remuneration Report. Further 
details of the remuneration of key management are disclosed in the Directors’ Report.

(b) Other Transactions with Key Management Personnel

There were no transactions with Directors and other key management personnel apart from those disclosed in this note.

(c) Directors’ and Key Management Equity Holdings

Refer to the tables on pages 36 and 37 of the Remuneration Report.

31 Company Information

Reckon Limited is a listed public company limited by shares, incorporated and domiciled in Australia. Its registered 
office and principal place of business is:

• 

Level 2, 100 Pacific Highway 
North Sydney 
Sydney NSW 2060

A description of the nature of the consolidated entity’s operations and its principal activities is included in the review 
of operations and activities in the Directors’ Report, which is not part of this financial report.

The financial report was authorised for issue by the directors on 30 March 2023.

105

Additional Information as at 
17 February 2023 (Unaudited)

Corporate Governance Statement

The Reckon Limited Corporate Governance Statement is available on our website in the section titled Corporate 
Governance (https://www.reckon.com/au/investors/governance)

Twenty Largest Holders of Quoted Equity Securities

Ordinary Shareholder

NOVATTI GROUP LIMITED

J P MORGAN NOMINEES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED

CITICORP NOMINEES PTY LIMITED

BNP PARIBAS NOMINEES PTY LTD 

GREGORY JOHN WILKINSON

DJZ INVESTMENTS PTY LTD

NATIONAL NOMINEES LIMITED

MR CLIVE RABIE + MRS KERRY RABIE 

RECKON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 

RAWFORM PTY LTD 

VANWARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED

BNP PARIBAS NOMS PTY LTD 

DMX CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD

VELKOV FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

MR PHILIP ROSS HAYMAN

MS KYLIE LYNETTE NUSKE + MR MATTHEW JAMES COOK

MR CLIVE ALAN RABIE

HSBC CUSTODY NOMINEES (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

BIATAN PTY LTD 

HURSTCLAN HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Number

Percentage

22,518,138

10,347,545

8,799,117

7,219,218

6,280,487

5,690,000

4,022,791

3,920,000

1,650,001

1,330,306

1,076,082

984,061

825,000

675,000

650,909

634,093

596,535

543,427

510,300

500,000

19.88

9.13

7.77

6.37

5.54

5.02

3.55

3.46

1.46

1.17

0.95

0.87

0.73

0.60

0.57

0.56

0.53

0.48

0.45

0.44

78,773,010

69.53

Number of Holders of Equity Securities

Ordinary Share Capital

113,294,832 fully paid ordinary shares are held by 3,260 individual shareholders as at 17 February 2023. All issued ordinary 
shares carry one vote per share.

Less than marketable parcels

As at 17 February 2023 there were 759 holders holding less than a marketable parcel of RKN shares.

A marketable parcel of RKN shares was 991 shares, based on a price of $0.5050 on 17 February 2023

106

Additional Information as at 
17 February 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

Distribution of Holders of Equity Securities

As at 17 February 2023

Number of Ordinary Shares

1 - 1,000

1,001 - 5,000

5,001 - 10,000

10,001 - 100,000

100,001 and over

Total

Number of
Shareholders

862

1,337

445

540

76

Shares

526,253

3,596,915

3,501,557

15,630,327

90,039,780

3,260

113,294,832

%

0.46

3.17

3.09

13.80

79.47

100.00

Substantial Shareholders

As disclosed to ASX during 2022 and up to 17 February 2023

Ordinary Shareholder

Novatti Group Limited (GCI Australia Pty Ltd)*

Microequities Asset Management Pty Ltd

Spheria Asset Management Pty Ltd

Pinnacle Investment Management Group Limited

Number

Percentage

22,518,138

19.88%

8,620,011

8,557,196

5,959,508

7.62%

7.55%

5.26%

* GCI Australia Pty Limited has no legal or beneficial ownership of the shares. The relevant interest has arisen as a consequence of non-disposal 
covenants given by the beneficial owner, Novatti Group Limited, in connection with security arrangements put in place for the purposes of its 
issue of corporate bonds as announced to ASX by Novatti Group Limited  on 15 August 2022.

On-market buy back

There is no on-market buy-back in place as at 17 February 2023.

Unquoted Equity Securities

As at 17 February 2023 there are: 

• 

• 

zero rights on issue held by zero holders;

zero options on issue held by zero holders.

107

Principal Registered Office

Level 2, 100 Pacific Highway 
North Sydney NSW 2060 
Tel: (02) 9134 3300

Principal Administration Office

Level 2, 100 Pacific Highway 
North Sydney NSW 2060 
Tel: (02) 9134 3300

Share Registry

Computershare Investor Services Pty Limited 
Level 3, 60 Carrington Street 
Sydney NSW 2000 
Tel: (02) 8234 5000

Stock Exchange Listings

Reckon Limited’s ordinary shares are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange Limited under the symbol ‘RKN’.

Auditors

BDO Audit Pty Ltd 
Level 11, 1 Margaret Street 
Sydney NSW 2000

Company Secretary

Mr Myron Zlotnick

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting for Reckon Limited will be held on 25 May 2023 at 10:00am at Level 2, 100 Pacific 
Highway, North Sydney, NSW. 

PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS INTENDED AT THE DATE OF THIS REPORT TO HOLD A HYBRID MEETING. 

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE NOTICE OF MEETING TO CHECK ON THE STATUS OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL 
MEETING.  

If you are unable to attend OR NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND, you are invited to complete the Proxy Form included 
with your Notice of Meeting. The completed Proxy Form must be received no later than 48 hours before the Annual 
General Meeting.

108

Important Information – Corporate Notices

Security holders have the option as to how they receive statutory corporate notices and reports. In the interest of cost 
saving  and  the  environment,  we  encourage  you  to  opt  in  to  receive  all  notices  and  reports  electronically.

Please  go  to:  www.computershare.com/au  and  follow  the  prompts  to  register  your  request  to  opt  in  to  receive  
TO RECEIVE ALL NOTICES AND REPORTS IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT.

To register to be notified by email when the Annual Report and other Announcements are available online:

•  Visit the share registry at www.computershare.com/au

•  Click on “Investor Centre”

• 

Follow the prompts to update your “Communications Options”

•  After you have updated your email address and selected the publications you wish to receive, a confirmation 

email will be sent to you

Should you have any further enquiries, contact the Registry on 1300 855 080 or +61 3 9415 4000 (if outside Australia).

Alternatively,  email  your  full  name  and  address  of  the  securityholder  to  shareholders@reckon.com  to  receive  the 
Annual Report, corporate and statutory notices electronically.

109