Getting the most from your tax return. Make it easy for yourself.
Doing your taxes can feel overwhelming—like a chore you’d rather put off forever. But it doesn’t have to be a headache. We’ll break down the process into simple, manageable steps to make it as painless as possible.
The Australian Taxation Office has plenty of info to help you get through tax time. Your boss should let you know once they’ve sent your details to the ATO. After that, you can either do your tax return yourself online using MyGov or get a registered tax agent to do it for you. If you use a tax agent, you usually get more time to sort out your return than if you do it yourself.
Using a Registered Tax Agent
Tax agents are professionals who help people fill in and send off their tax returns. You can see them in person or sort everything out online. Every tax agent needs to be registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB), so it’s a good idea to check if they’re legit on the TPB website before you start.
Paper Tax Returns
If you prefer doing things on paper, you can order a pack with instructions and two copies of the tax return form. You can get this by going online or phoning the publication ordering service.
Doing Your Tax Return Online
To lodge your tax return online, first make a MyGov account and link it to the ATO. You’ll need to set up myID with a Strong or Standard identity strength for security. Or you can use your email address and set up two-factor authentication (like an SMS code or the MyGov Code Generator app). You can’t use “Answer a secret question” anymore to log in, so if that’s your sign-in method, you’ll need to update it.
Lodging a Tax Return Before Leaving Australia
If you’re leaving Australia for good, the ATO says you can only lodge a paper tax return. You can send it in before the end of the tax year if you:
- Are a foreign resident for tax purposes, are leaving for good, and won’t get any more Australian income (apart from interest, dividends, or royalties).
- Are an Australian resident for tax purposes, are leaving, will stop being a resident for tax purposes, and won’t get any more Australian income (again, apart from interest, dividends, or royalties).
You have to lodge your tax return during the usual time (1 July to 31 October) if:
- You’re not leaving Australia for good
- You’ll keep getting Australian income (other than interest, dividends, or royalties) after you leave
- You have a HELP, AASL, or VET Student Loan debt