Yes, this can generally be done in two ways.

Firstly, if you have granted someone a general power of attorney you may have your attorney complete your return on your behalf.

Alternatively, you can authorise a representative to complete a tax return on your behalf by making a declaration under section 388-65 of Schedule 1 of the Taxation Administration Act 1953.

This declaration can be found as part of the ATO ‘Nomination of a representative’ form available here. This form must be completed correctly and signed by both the taxpayer and their appointed representative to be valid.

In either situation Austax will also require 100 points of identification for both the taxpayer and their representative along with the power of attorney or notice of appointment of a representative.

Only original identification documents or copies certified by a Justice of the Peace are acceptable. We require that the JP includes their contact telephone number on any certified copies. We also require that at least one form of ID for both the taxpayer and their representative contains a specimen of their signature.