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Taxation

The final countdown: ATO reminds taxpayers to lodge now

Australian Taxation Office

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is reminding taxpayers who are yet to lodge their 2025-26 individual income tax returns that now is the time to do it.

With just over 2 weeks until the deadline, the ATO has received around 9 million income tax returns, with around 2 million self-preparers still yet to lodge.

ATO Assistant Commissioner Anita Challen said taxpayers who are lodging their own return have until 11:59PM local time Monday 2 November to submit on time.  

‘Because the 31 October deadline falls on a weekend, taxpayers have a couple of extra days to lodge their return this year, but that doesn’t mean they should leave it to the last minute,’ said Ms Challen.

‘When people rush to lodge, they're more likely to make mistakes or overlook important information,’ she said.

‘The ATO has done a lot of the heavy lifting by pre-filling most of the information that taxpayers need, and for taxpayers with straightforward affairs, it takes on average 8 minutes to lodge a return using myTax.’

‘That's less time than it takes many people to change the bedsheets or preheat the oven for dinner, so there’s no reason to wait until the countdown is over to lodge your return.’

Registered tax professionals are still required to lodge any overdue prior year returns for existing clients and add new clients to their client list by 31 October.

Common reasons people lodge late or don’t lodge:

  • They don’t realise they need to lodge. Some people, including retirees and lower-income earners, may not realise they need to lodge a tax return. Even if you have legitimately left the tax system, income from events such as selling an investment property can create lodgment obligations. If tax was withheld from your income from an employer, even if you earn below the tax-free threshold, you still need to lodge and it could result in a refund of that tax. You can check whether you need to lodge on the ATO website.
  • They’re expecting a tax bill and put off lodging. If you expect to receive a bill, it’s still important to lodge on time. Delaying lodging your tax return won’t change the date your bill will be due, which is generally 21 November for self-preparers. If you lodge via a registered tax professional, your due date may be later. Lodging helps you understand your tax position and can prevent unnecessary follow-up action and failure to lodge penalties of up to $1,820. If you’re experiencing financial difficulty, reach out to the ATO or your registered tax professional as soon as possible to discuss what support options are available to you.  
  • They think they have more time. Some taxpayers may have underestimated the time it takes to gather records and organise their tax affairs. Keeping records digitally using tools like the free ATO app can make tax time easier. 

Some taxpayers may not need to lodge a tax return, for example if their income is below the tax-free threshold and no tax has been withheld. Taxpayers who are not required to lodge a return should submit a non-lodgment advice form.

Using a registered tax professional

The ATO is also reminding taxpayers who engage a tax professional to ensure they are registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) and to be on their books by 31 October.

The reminder follows an increase in tax returns suspected of being prepared by unregistered preparers who charge fees for their services while encouraging false or inflated claims.

‘Taxpayers should be sceptical of anyone making promises that sound too good to be true. No reputable tax professional will encourage you to inflate your deductions, guarantee a refund amount, or claim they can fast-track ATO processing,’ said Ms Challen.

So far this tax time, the ATO has stopped over 10,000 returns suspected to be prepared by unregistered preparers which contained more than $170 million in deduction claims.

‘Remember you are making a legal declaration that the information in your tax return is true and correct. Taxpayers who use an unregistered preparer do not have access to the safe harbour provisions available when using a registered tax professional,’ said Ms Challen.

TPB Chair, Peter de Cure AM, said “Addressing unregistered preparers is an important compliance priority for the TPB. Unregistered preparers can expose taxpayers to significant risks and undermine the integrity of the tax system.

“Before engaging a tax practitioner, we encourage taxpayers to look for the Registered tax practitioner symbol and check the TPB Register to make sure the tax practitioner is registered.”

Anyone who suspects unregistered activity can report it to the TPB.

Taxpayers can access trusted information and self-help tools through the ATO app, which is the best way to check on the progress of a return, ATO website and ATO Community making it easier to get answers without needing to call the ATO. Tax time resources are also available in a range of languages other than English including new content in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

Notes to journalists


Contact details:

[email protected] | 02 6216 1901