A specialist restructuring practice
Small Business Restructuring is a 2021 federal reform letting eligible Australian companies settle debts for around 25 cents in the dollar without losing the business. We're the specialists who prepare the plan and introduce you to a registered practitioner.
The framework, explained
Think of an SBR as a government-approved deal with the ATO and your other creditors. You offer to pay back a portion of what you owe — typically 20 to 30 cents in the dollar — and if they agree, the rest is wiped.
That is the entire mechanism. Everything else is detail.
SBR stands for Small Business Restructuring, codified at Part 5.3B of the Corporations Act 2001 (introduced 2021). Eligibility: Pty Ltd, under $1M unsecured debt, employee entitlements current, lodgments substantially up to date. Personal guarantees and DPN-derived personal liability are not addressed by SBR — these require a parallel strategy.
Anonymised engagement · illustrative
An incorporated services business with $740,000 in unsecured debt — predominantly ATO arrears across PAYG and GST — engages the firm. BAS lodgments are four months behind. Wages and super are current. The business continues to trade and is marginally cashflow-positive after debt service.
Phase one is remediation — bringing BAS lodgments up to date so eligibility criteria are met. Phase two is the formal Part 5.3B process: plan drafting, creditor notification, vote, implementation. Director remains in control throughout. Outcome: company continues trading, debt settled at a fraction of face value.
Illustrative composite. Outcomes depend on individual circumstances and creditor positions. Eligibility cannot be guaranteed without detailed review.
Why directors choose SBR
Four outcomes that distinguish SBR from every other framework.
No external administrator runs the business. You keep the company name, the team and the customers.
Unsecured debts — including ATO arrears — typically settled at 20–30 cents in the dollar via a bound plan.
~35 business days and under $25,000 in fees, versus 6+ months and $80,000+ for Voluntary Administration.
SBR is not publicly advertised the way liquidation is. The company keeps trading without an "in administration" notice.
The specialist edge
We are strategic advisors — not licensed insolvency practitioners. We prepare the eligibility position, the plan and the financial modelling, then introduce you to a registered SBR Practitioner from our trusted network. The two roles are deliberately separate: we work for you on the strategy; the practitioner runs the statutory process.
Confidential 30-minute call to confirm SBR fit — or recommend a different framework (Safe Harbour, informal workout, Voluntary Administration) if more appropriate.
Catching up overdue BAS, addressing super arrears, ordering events so the company is eligibility-ready without triggering further ATO action.
The Restructuring Plan, creditor-by-creditor numbers, cashflow case and the comparative-return analysis that underpins the creditor vote.
The right specialist for your industry, your numbers and the ATO position. Then we hand the statutory process to them.
We manage the conversations so the director can keep the business running through the 35-day process.
Compliance with the plan, supplier and lender re-engagement, and the longer-term strategy once the company is on the other side.
Six plain-English questions. Two minutes. Personalised result with a recommended next step — strong candidate, borderline, remediation, or alternative framework.
SBR is shorter (~35 days vs 6+ months), cheaper (under $25K vs $80K+), and the director keeps day-to-day control. Voluntary Administration appoints an administrator who takes over management. SBR is capped at $1M unsecured debt; VA has no cap.
Lodgments need to be "substantially current" at appointment. Behind-lodgments that can be brought up to date before appointment do not disqualify you. We commonly handle this in a pre-appointment remediation phase.
No. Personal guarantees survive any restructuring, administration or liquidation. A Director Penalty Notice is a personal debt — SBR addresses the company's debts only. We address personal exposure with a separate strategy.
No. We are strategic advisors. We prepare the business and the plan, then introduce you to a registered SBR Practitioner from our trusted network. This separation keeps the statutory role independent — which is a feature, not a limitation.
Yes. The 2-minute qualifier and the 30-minute strategy call that follows are free and confidential. Any subsequent engagement is quoted upfront.
Why directors trust us
Specialists in Small Business Restructuring under Part 5.3B
Director-owned. Level 21, 207 Kent St — not a call centre
Same-day triage when a DPN clock is running
Trusted network of ASIC-registered SBR Practitioners
Strict privacy — no public filings, no leaks to creditors
Langford & Chase — Strategic pre-insolvency advisory
Strategic advisory only. We prepare the plan, model the numbers, and introduce a registered Practitioner from our network. We do not act as the Practitioner ourselves — keeping advice and execution properly separated.