ATO reveals tax time 'dos' and 'don'ts' as lodgments get underway

Australian Taxation Office

A copy of this media release in Arabic is attached

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) now has over 100 million pieces of information ready to be pre-filled into individual tax returns and is giving taxpayers the go ahead to lodge.

The data has been provided to the ATO from a range of third parties including employers, banks, private health insurers, share registries, and government agencies and is designed to help taxpayers and tax professionals lodge more accurately and with less effort.

ATO Assistant Commissioner Anita Challen said taxpayers with straightforward tax affairs can now review their information and start lodging, either by using myTax or through a registered tax professional.

‘For those who have been patiently waiting to lodge, most income statements and pre-fill information is now available,’ Ms Challen said.

‘If you’re self-lodging, before you hit submit, take a few extra minutes to check your details to avoid delays and mistakes.’

‘Be sure to check your pre-fill data is correct, declare all your income and claim deductions you are entitled to. Remember you are making a legal declaration that the information in your tax return is true and correct.’

This year, the ATO is expanding pre-fill services to include income reported through the Taxable Payment Annual Report, to help more contractors get their tax returns right the first time. Taxpayers in industries including building and construction, cleaning, courier services, information technology, road freight and security services may see this income automatically added to their return from late August.

As you get ready to lodge, keep Anita’s tips in mind: 

Don’t:

• Be tempted to overclaim deductions or inflate expenses. The ATO has sophisticated data-matching and analytics that can quickly identify claims that don’t stack up. The ATO may hold your refund for further investigation if it looks suspicious.
• Forget to report all income. This includes income from side hustles, cash jobs, rental properties, and online activities and content creation. If you exclude income, the ATO may amend your tax return and you may need to pay interest and penalties.
• ‘Copy and paste’ from your previous years’ returns. If your job or circumstances have changed, this needs to be reflected in your claims and return.
• Act on information from third-party sources such as artificial intelligence platforms, ‘finfluencers’, or advice from family or friends without verifying the information with a registered tax professional or the ATO.
• Claim the newly announced $1,000 standard work-related deduction. This doesn’t apply until Tax Time 2027.

Do:

• Take your time. Check your personal information and bank and super details are up to date.
• Review the ATO’s industry and occupation specific guides to understand what you can claim and what records are required to prove it.
• Engage a registered tax agent before 31 October if you plan to use one, and check they are registered with the Tax Practitioners Board.
• Download the ATO app to manage your tax and super and track the progress of your return.
• Use the myDeductions feature in the ATO app to keep and organise records for expenses and deductions.  
• Stay alert to scams. Remember the ATO will never project a number when calling or send an unsolicited message with a link asking you to provide personal information or log in to ATO online services.
• Rely on information from verified sources such as the ATO website, ATO app or a registered tax professional.
• If you have already lodged in early July and realised you’ve made a mistake, for example forgetting to include some income, lodge an amendment.

The ATO is also reminding taxpayers that calling the ATO will not speed up the progress of returns.

‘Most returns are processed within 12 business days, and the fastest way to check the progress of a return is through the ATO app or ATO online services,’ said Ms Challen. 

Taxpayers have until 31 October to lodge their tax return if preparing themselves. Those engaging a tax agent may have longer but should be on their books by 31 October.  

The ATO also has a range of support services available including the Tax Help program, National Tax Clinic program, tax and superannuation resources in over 20 languages including new content in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and ATO community.

Notes to journalists

• A high-resolution headshot of ATO Assistant Commissioner Anita Challen is available for download from our media centre.
• ATO stock footage and images are available for use in news bulletins from our media centre.
• Media release on the ATO’s focus areas for Tax Time 2026 can be found here.
• For information about the ATO’s commitments to you see the ATO Charter.

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