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Guide to lodging a tax return in Australia
Learn how to complete your tax return, see what deductions you can claim and compare tax agents with this guide.
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All working Australians are required to lodge a tax return with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) each year. Your tax return will declare all the income you've earned throughout the financial year, which starts on 1 July and ends on 30 June annually, to ensure you've paid the correct amount of tax. If you've paid more tax than you needed to, or if you've got some tax deductions to claim, you can expect to get this money back after submitting your tax return.
This guide provides all the information you need on how to submit your tax return, the different options available for lodging your tax return, how to correctly claim tax dedications and the deadlines you need to be aware of. You can also compare Australian tax agents in this guide, who can help you correctly lodge your tax return.
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Find a tax agent to lodge your tax return in Australia
*This is the minimum fee charged for income item tax returns. The price listed on this table is subject to terms and conditions. To find out more or to receive an accurate quote for your tax return, please visit the agent's website to submit an enquiry.
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Looking for coronavirus tax deductions?
If you've had your income impacted in the 2019-20 financial year because of the coronavirus pandemic, or your work arrangements have changed, you could be eligible to claim more at tax time.
Learn about how to claim your working-from-home expenses on tax, as well as the tax implications of receiving benefit payments or a redundancy payout in our dedicated COVID-19 tax guide.
Should you do your tax return yourself, or get professional support?
There's two ways you can lodge your tax return. You can complete your tax return yourself online for free using the ATO's tool myTax, or you can seek support from a registered tax agent. Both options have advantages and disadvantages.
Online tax return via myGov versus using a tax agent
Unsure if you should do your tax online via myTax or use a tax agent? This guide compares both options side by side so you can see the pros and cons of each, and decide which option is right for you.
The benefits of using a registered tax agent
A tax agent will ensure you've lodged your return correctly, and they can help maximise your refund by claiming more deductions that you're eligible for.
Choosing the right tax agent
In this guide you can compare a range of online tax agents that each offer a different level of support, from just a little bit of help all the way to a full-service tax agent.
Claiming tax deductions to maximise your refund
Claiming tax deductions for work-related expenses you've paid throughout the year can help reduce your taxable income and get you a bigger tax return. But it's important to claim only what you're legally entitled to.
Guide to claiming tax deductions
This guide outlines how tax deductions work, and lists a huge number of deductions that you could be eligible to claim when lodging your tax return. It also includes the tax dedications you're eligible to claim without receipts.
Tax deadlines you need to be aware of
You need to make sure you've successfully lodged you tax return ahead of the deadline set by the ATO each financial year, or you risk getting a penalty. There are different deadlines you need to be aware of depending on how you choose to lodge your tax return.
ATO tax return deadlines
This guide outlines your requirements for lodging your tax return by the due date, and explains how you can get yourself a six-month extension.
DISCLAIMER: Many of the comments in this article are general in nature and anyone intending to apply the information to practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information applicability to their own particular circumstances.
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Ask an Expert
I have a friend who has just sold their family home in China. They will move here permanently soon. What is the best way to transfer the sale money to Australia? Is it taxable? If they send in multiple amounts less than $10,000 is that OK?
Thank you.
Hi Philly,
Thank you for getting in touch with Finder.
According to our review on tax implications on large money transfers, if someone is planning to send a large sum of money to you in Australia, you could be on the hook for taxes regulated by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), depending on the reason why they are sending it to you.
You may also refer to our guide on how your friend from China can open a bank account in Australia.
I hope this helps.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any other enquiries.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni
My previous employer sold the business I work for early this year, he never sent me a group certificate and I cant phone him to get one sent. How do I lodge with out that group certificate? Any help would be appreciated.
Hello Sharon,
Thank you for your inquiry.
You may consider checking the pre-filing service in myTax if your employer is unable to give you a group certificate. There are ways on how to get it without your employer, usually a statutory declaration is no longer required.
Alternatively, you can review ATO page regarding details about obtaining payment summary information, which includes a gross pay estimator to help you reconstruct.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
Last year [2015-16] I downloaded an ATO app. Filled it out with my Income/Expenses (tax relevant) and then lodged it online. Question – Can I do the same this year?
Hi Denis,
Yes, you can lodge your tax return the same way. Please make sure to lodge your tax return by the 31 October deadline to avoid penalties. If you are completing your own tax return and are unable to lodge by 31 October, kindly contact ATO as soon as possible.
Cheers,
Liezl
Is it possible to do my return now.I haven’t earnt any money this financial year. My only income has been centrelinks newstart .I am owed $2146 from tax i paid from a super claim.as my circumstances will not change and it was only one day that stopped me claiming last year .I wonder if i could do it now as I’m in a desperate situation.i have a car which doesn’t go and am going to living in it unless I can find a way to pay overdue rent.I have serious back issues that will get worse if this happens .thank for you time.Christine
Hi Christine,
Thank you for your inquiry.
If you want to find out if you can lodge a return for 2015-16, you’d need to read ATO’s lodge a tax return guide. If you can lodge, then there are instructions from the Department of Human Services that you can follow on how you can lodge your tax return.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
May
Where do you input RECS in Mytax? Or view it from pre fill?
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for your question.
RECS is generally registered through the REC Registry, rather than through MyTax. If you need further assistance, please get in touch with the REC Registry on 1300 553 542.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Shirley
Sorry, I made a typo, I meant RESC as in Reportable Employer Super Contributions.
Thanks.
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for your question.
The reportable employer superannuation contributions (RESC) section can be found under IT2.
Please add up the reportable employer superannuation contributions amounts shown on your payment summaries and then write the total at T item IT2.
Hope this helps.
how much income tax i have to pay to ATO (being OZ citizen) if I work in US for 1 year and earn USD 100000
Hi ABC,
Thanks for your question.
Generally, you need to pay tax in Australia if you’ve earned the income through an Australian source.
If you would like to discuss your personal situation, we recommend you to speak to an online tax agent.
Regards,
Shirley
what is the best way for me to lodge a partnership tax return for industry code 85990 natural therapies?
Can I do this online?
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your question.
A partnership tax return has a similar structure to that of an individual’s return. It can be done online.
However, if you require assistance, we recommend that you speak to a tax agent.
Cheers,
Shirley