Individual tax return

What to bring for your tax return

A plain checklist of what to gather. Work through it before we speak and the whole thing takes minutes instead of a week of back-and-forth.

Free — nothing to sign up for

Start with these

Everyone needs these, whatever your situation.

  • Tax file number
  • Bank account details for your refund
  • Photo ID
  • Last year's tax return, if you have itNot essential — we can usually see it through the ATO portal.
  • Your spouse's taxable income, if you have a spouseA figure is enough. Several offsets depend on the household total, not just yours.

Income

Most of this is now pre-filled by the ATO, but bring anything you know about — pre-fill data can be late or incomplete.

  • Salary and wagesPayment summaries come through STP automatically. Bring details of any employer you left mid-year.
  • Bank interest
  • Dividends and managed funds
  • Government paymentsCentrelink payments, paid parental leave and similar.
  • Rental property incomeBring the agent's annual statement, or your own record of rent received and expenses paid.
  • Sale of shares, property or cryptoPurchase date and price, sale date and price, and any costs along the way.
  • Side incomeSole trader work, rideshare, delivery, online sales, cash jobs — anything outside your main job.
  • Foreign incomeOverseas salary, pension, rent, interest or investments.

Work-related expenses

Bring what you have. We will work out together what applies to your situation — you do not need to sort that out beforehand.

  • Vehicle use for workKilometres travelled for work, or a logbook if you keep one. Commuting from home to your regular workplace is treated differently.
  • Tools, equipment and technologyWhat it was, what it cost, when you bought it, and roughly how much is work use.
  • Working from homeHours worked from home over the year, and your electricity, internet and phone bills.
  • Phone and internet
  • Union fees, professional memberships, licences
  • Work uniforms and protective clothingOccupation-specific or protective items, and laundry costs for them.
  • Training and coursesCourses connected to your current work.
  • Income protection insurance

Other common items

  • Private health insurance statementAffects the Medicare levy surcharge and the private health rebate.
  • Donations to registered charities
  • Last year's accountant fees
  • Personal super contributionsContributions you made yourself, not the ones your employer paid.
  • HECS / HELP balance
  • Investment loan interest

What makes a return more involved

This is also why fees differ. Have a look and you will know roughly where you sit.

Standard
Salary, bank interest, usual work deductions, private healthStraightforward. This is where our starting fee applies.
More involved
Rental property, shares, managed funds, HECS, multiple employersMore schedules and more reconciling, so it takes longer.
Complex
Crypto, capital gains, a side business, foreign income, prior years outstandingNeeds proper review before anything is lodged.
You will get an exact price before anything starts. We will look at your situation, tell you which of the three above you fall into, and give you the figure — not a range. No work begins until you have agreed to it.

Two things worth knowing

  • You do not need every receipt in a shoeboxBank and card statements cover most of it. Bring what you have and we will work with it.
  • If you have several years outstanding, say so earlyIt is more common than people think, and much easier to sort out before the ATO gets in touch.

Not sure what applies to you?

A 15-minute call is usually enough. I will tell you what to bring, what is relevant in your situation, and the exact fee.

Call 0433 408 886 Maybell Sun, FCPA · Registered Tax Agent · Chadstone