Answers and general information

We're an online Australian tax practice. Everything happens by phone or video and through a secure client portal — there's no need to visit an office. Here's the path from first contact to a lodged return.

The four steps

• Book — choose a phone or video consultation time that suits you.
• Secure onboarding — we send a secure portal link. You confirm your details and upload documents there, never by email.
• Prepared & reviewed — your return is prepared and reviewed by a registered tax practitioner.
• Lodged — we lodge with the ATO on your behalf and let you know when it's done.

Tax preparation and ATO lodgement happen in separate, dedicated tax software — not on this website. This site is for finding the right service, booking a call, and getting general information.

We prepare and lodge returns for individuals, property investors, and sole traders. Each service page sets out who it suits and what's included.

Our services

• Individual Tax — salary and wage returns for employees.
• Property Tax — individual returns that include a rental property schedule.
• Sole Trader — non-GST and GST sole traders, including BAS guidance where registered.

More complex matters — companies, trusts, partnerships, self-managed super funds, or complex capital gains — usually need a separate engagement. We'll flag that at your consultation and point you to the right next step.

Use the Book a call page to pick a time that suits you. You can choose a phone or video consultation. Times are shown in the practice's local timezone (AEST/AEDT).

Before your call

• Have a rough idea of your income types for the year (salary, rental, business, etc.).
• Note any questions you'd like to ask — we'll confirm scope and next steps on the call.
• You don't need documents for the call itself — those come later through the secure portal.

After booking, you'll receive a confirmation and, when you're ready to proceed, a secure portal link to upload your documents.

If this is your first time using a tax agent (or your first time with us), there's nothing to worry about. We start with a consultation to understand your situation, then guide you through onboarding one step at a time.

Switching from another agent

• Let us know who prepared your last return — we can ask them to send any records they hold.
• We'll confirm what we still need from you through the secure portal.
• Your previous agent keeps their own files, but we can request a handover with your authorisation.

We'll explain each step before you do it, and we never rush you. If anything's unclear on a call, ask — that's what the consultation is for.

The Australian financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June. Your tax return covers the year that just ended — for example, the 2025–26 return covers 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.

Lodgement due dates depend on your situation and whether you lodge yourself or through a registered tax agent. Agents can generally access later due dates for eligible clients through the ATO's lodgement program. We confirm your specific due date at engagement and track it in the tax software — this website doesn't calculate or display your due date.

You can lodge your own return through myGov, or have a registered tax agent prepare and lodge it for you. Both are valid; the right choice depends on how comfortable you are doing it yourself and how complex your affairs are.

What an agent generally handles

• Preparing the return from your documents.
• Review by a registered practitioner before lodgement.
• Lodging with the ATO on your behalf.
• Answering questions and explaining the process as you go.

Using an agent doesn't change what you're entitled to claim — that depends on your circumstances and the law. We don't guarantee a particular outcome or refund; we prepare and lodge the return you're entitled to based on the information you provide.

Your Tax File Number, identity documents, and tax documents are handled only inside a secure client portal — never through this website or by email. After you book and accept your engagement, we send you a portal link.

What the portal is for

• Uploading your documents safely.
• Confirming your details for the engagement.
• Reviewing and signing your return before lodgement.

Each service page has its own document checklist. This is a general overview of the kinds of records that are typically relevant — we'll confirm exactly what you need at your consultation.

Individual Tax (salary & wages)

• Income statement or PAYG payment summary (or your myGov record).
• Bank interest, dividend and distribution statements.
• Private health insurance statement.
• Receipts for deductions (work-from-home, uniforms, self-education).
• HECS/HELP and super contribution statements.

Property Tax (investment property)

• Rental statements from your property manager.
• Loan statements and interest paid.
• Council rates, water, strata, insurance and management fees.
• Receipts for repairs and capital improvements.
• Depreciation schedule, if you have one.
• Purchase and sale contracts and settlement statements.

Sole Trader

• Income records and invoices for the year.
• Expense receipts and bills.
• Business bank statements.
• Motor vehicle logbook or cents-per-km records.
• Home office and running-cost records.
• ABN details and GST registration status; BAS records if registered.

Your Tax File Number and identity documents are sensitive. This website, its forms, and its chat are for general enquiries, booking, and onboarding only — they are not a secure channel for those details.

When you're ready to proceed, we send you a secure portal link. Your TFN and ID are collected and stored there, under the protections of that system — not in a web form or an email.

Keeping good records is what supports the claims in your return. In general, you should keep the receipts, statements and records that relate to your income and deductions for the year — usually for around five years after lodgement, though the exact period can depend on your circumstances.

What helps

• Keep receipts and statements organised by income type and category.
• Note what each expense was for, especially mixed work/private use.
• Keep bank and loan statements that show income or deductible expenses.
• For business or rental: keep a running summary as well as the source records.

If the ATO ever asks about a claim, the records are what support it. We can help you understand what's worth keeping at your consultation — but this is general guidance, not a rule for your specific situation.

To prepare and lodge your return, we act as your registered tax agent. That generally means we're linked to you in the ATO's systems so we can access the information we need (such as income reported by your employer) and lodge on your behalf.

Authorisation is done through the secure portal as part of onboarding — not through this website or by sending your TFN by email. We'll walk you through it when you're ready. We only access what's relevant to preparing and lodging your return.

An individual tax return is the yearly summary of your income and deductions that most Australian residents lodge with the ATO. If you earn a salary or wages, your employer reports your income to the ATO, and your return brings together everything you earned and can claim for the financial year.

What's typically involved

• Salary, wages and allowances.
• Bank interest, dividends and distributions.
• Work-related deductions relevant to your circumstances.
• Private health insurance and HECS/HELP details.

We prepare the return, a registered practitioner reviews it, and we lodge it with the ATO on your behalf. This is general information about the service — not advice on what you can or can't claim.

If you work from home and incur extra running costs as a result, there are generally two ways those deductions can be worked out: a fixed-rate method (a set rate per work hour) and an actual-cost method (the real work-related portion of your expenses). You use one method for the year — you don't mix them for the same expense.

Whichever applies, you need records to support the claim: for the fixed rate, a record of the hours you worked from home and a bill for each type of expense it covers; for the actual cost method, receipts and a way to show the work-related portion. Occupancy costs like rent or mortgage interest are only relevant in limited situations.

Deductions are amounts that may reduce your taxable income where they relate to earning your income and you meet the rules. Whether any particular expense is deductible for you depends on your circumstances — the list below is general and not exhaustive.

Types people often ask about

• Work-related expenses — protective clothing, tools, equipment, union or association fees.
• Car and vehicle expenses — where travel is for work (not the ordinary commute).
• Self-education — closely linked to your current income-earning work, in general.
• Donations to deductible gift recipients, and the cost of managing your tax affairs.
• Home office running costs when you work from home (see that article).

The basic idea: you generally can't claim a private or capital expense, and you can't claim something your employer reimbursed. We confirm what's relevant to you at your consultation — this isn't advice on your entitlements.

If you own a rental property, your individual tax return usually includes a rental property schedule. That schedule brings together the rental income you received and the expenses you can claim for the property for the year.

Records that are typically relevant

• Rental income from your property manager or direct tenants.
• Interest on the loan used for the property.
• Ongoing costs: rates, water, strata, insurance, management fees.
• Repairs versus capital improvements (treated differently).
• Depreciation, where a quantity surveyor's schedule applies.

For jointly-owned property, income and expenses are apportioned according to legal ownership, which we confirm at engagement. This is general information — we don't advise on whether a particular deduction applies to you.

For an investment property, two related concepts often come up: the decline in value of assets inside the property (depreciation) and capital works deductions for the building's construction. Both can be relevant to the rental schedule, and both depend on when the property was built and what you've spent on it.

A depreciation schedule is usually prepared by a quantity surveyor. If you already have one, we use the information in it; if not, we'll let you know at your consultation whether obtaining one might be useful for your situation. This is general information — we don't prepare quantity-surveyor schedules ourselves, and we don't advise on whether one will benefit you.

A sole trader is an individual running a business under their own name or an ABN, rather than through a company or trust. Your business income and expenses are reported in your individual tax return, usually on a business schedule.

GST and BAS

• Whether you need to register for GST depends on your turnover against the GST threshold.
• If you're registered for GST, you generally lodge Business Activity Statements (BAS) and report GST on your activity.
• We can include BAS preparation guidance as part of your engagement where you're registered.

Companies, trusts and partnerships are outside this service and need a separate engagement. We'll let you know if a different structure might suit you, but we don't provide structuring advice on this website.

GST registration is generally required when your GST turnover reaches the current threshold ($75,000 for most businesses — $150,000 for eligible non-profits), measured over a 12-month period. You generally need to register within 21 days of becoming aware your turnover will exceed the threshold. You can also register voluntarily below the threshold.

Once registered, you charge GST on your sales, claim GST credits on your business purchases, and lodge BAS. We confirm whether registration applies to your circumstances at engagement — this is general information about how the rules work, not a determination for your business.

A Business Activity Statement (BAS) is the form registered businesses use to report and pay GST and pay-as-you-go (PAYG) instalments and withholding. Most small businesses lodge quarterly; some lodge monthly. The BAS summarises your activity for the period.

Where you're registered for GST, BAS preparation can be included as part of your engagement. We confirm the right lodgement cycle and what's covered at your consultation. This is a general explainer — it's not advice on your obligations, which depend on your registration and circumstances.

An Australian Business Number (ABN) is an 11-digit identifier used for business dealings. Many sole traders use their ABN on invoices and when dealing with other businesses and government. Whether you need one generally depends on whether you're carrying on an enterprise.

We don't apply for or manage ABNs as part of this service — we use your existing ABN details (and GST registration status) to prepare your return. If you're unsure whether you need one, we can point you in the right direction at your consultation.

Capital gains can arise when you sell or dispose of an asset such as shares or an investment property. Whether a gain applies, and how it's calculated, depends on what you sold, when you bought and sold it, and any relevant concessions or exemptions.

Straightforward capital gains are within scope for our individual and property services. More complex situations — many disposals, business assets, or overlapping events — may need a separate engagement, which we'll flag rather than guess. This is general information; we don't advise on whether a gain applies to a specific sale without an engagement.

Pricing is confirmed at your consultation and set out in your engagement, because the work depends on your circumstances. Each service page shows a placeholder fee ([PRICE_AUD]) as a guide; the confirmed fee is in your engagement letter.

All fees are in Australian dollars (AUD) and are inclusive of GST where applicable. We'll tell you when payment is due and how to pay through the secure portal.

Before we start work, you receive an engagement letter that sets out the scope, the fee, and what's included and excluded. Each service page lists its inclusions and exclusions as a general guide; your engagement is the definitive version.

If something falls outside the agreed scope — for example, complex capital gains or a company return — we'll flag it and discuss a separate engagement rather than guessing. We won't quietly expand the work or the fee.

Turnaround depends on when we receive your complete documents through the secure portal and the complexity of your return. We'll give you an indicative timeframe once we've reviewed what you've sent.

Lodgement due dates depend on your circumstances and the ATO's current deadlines. We confirm your specific due date at engagement and track it in the tax software — this website doesn't calculate or display your due date.

If you have more than one year to lodge, or a return is overdue, we can usually help — but each year is prepared and lodged separately, and the fee reflects the work involved. We'll confirm scope at your consultation once we understand how many years and what's involved.

Being late can mean the ATO applies its own assessment, interest, or penalties in some situations. We don't assess or promise outcomes on that; we focus on getting your return prepared and lodged correctly. This is general information, not advice about your situation.

A refund, if you're entitled to one, is generally paid by the ATO to you. As a registered tax practitioner, we're required to deal with money held on your behalf appropriately, including passing refunds on to you promptly — generally within 14 days — where they come through us. We'll explain how refunds are handled for your engagement when you accept it.

Whether you receive a refund (and how much) depends on your circumstances and the law — using an agent doesn't guarantee one. We don't estimate refunds on this website. Any fee arrangement is set out clearly in your engagement letter.

This website collects only the details needed to respond to your enquiry and book a consultation — your name, contact details, service category, and how you'd like to be contacted. Sensitive information such as your TFN and identity documents are collected only inside the secure portal.

Our Privacy Policy sets out how personal information is handled in more detail. Marketing messages are sent only with your separate, opt-in consent; transactional messages about your engagement are sent regardless of that consent.

Everything on this website — including this knowledge base and the chat — is general information only. It is not tax advice, and it doesn't take your personal circumstances into account.

We don't provide tax refund estimates, tax calculations, or specific advice on what you can claim through this website. For anything specific to your situation, book a consultation and we'll match you with a practitioner.

Returns are prepared and reviewed by a registered tax practitioner. The practitioner's name and Tax Practitioners Board registration number are shown on the site as placeholders ([PRACTITIONER_NAME], [TPB_REGISTRATION_NO]) and are confirmed before the site goes live.

The Tax Practitioners Board keeps a public register of registered tax and BAS agents. You can search it to confirm a practitioner's registration. We don't display invented reviews, testimonials, awards, or client numbers — any such content will be added only with genuine, verifiable sources.

Australia uses a self-assessment system: when you lodge a return, the ATO accepts the information you've given and issues an assessment based on it. The ATO may later review or audit, and in some situations amend an assessment.

If you disagree with an assessment, you generally have the right to object and ask for a review, within set timeframes. We'll explain your rights and obligations as they relate to your engagement, but this is general information — it isn't advice on whether to object in your case.

If you have a concern about the service you've received, please raise it with us first — we want the chance to put it right. We take complaints seriously and will respond in a reasonable timeframe.

If a concern about a registered tax practitioner can't be resolved with us, you can also raise it with the Tax Practitioners Board. For some financial-service disputes, an external dispute-resolution body may also be available. We'll provide the relevant contacts as part of your engagement — this is general information, not a statement about your specific rights.

The chat on this site is an automated concierge. It can help you find the right service, point you to these help articles, and book a phone or video consultation. On first interaction it makes clear it is automated.

It gives general information only — no tax advice, no refund estimate, no calculation. It never collects your TFN or ID: if you offer them, it refuses and points you to the secure portal. For anything account-specific, it routes you to a practitioner via a booking.