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.

Many of our clients are unable to make it to our office to have their tax returns completed face to face.

Fortunately, with the technology currently available this no longer presents a problem.

You can post, fax or e-mail your tax return to our office from anywhere in the world.

Should you wish to take advantage of this service, simply download and complete our Client Checklist and forward it to us along with your tax documents. You can review our Taxation Documentation Checklist if you are not sure what information we will require.

New clients will also need to include a legible copy of their drivers licence or passport that has been certified as a true copy by a Justice of the Peace. We also require that the JP includes their contact telephone number on any certified copies.

For returns being sent by mail;

We recommend only posting copies of your tax documents rather than the originals. You will need your documents to substantiate your claims should the ATO audit your return so you don’t want them getting lost in the mail.

If you are forwarding your original documents please ensure you use registered mail to reduce the risk of them being lost in the post. Whilst we endeavour to return all original documents to our clients upon completion of their return we accept no responsibility for documents which are lost in the mail.

Ensure you address your letter to our postal address; PO BOX 460 Ingleburn NSW 1890 and attention your letter to your accountant.

For returns being sent via fax;

Fax your return to us on (02) 9829 2670. Please ensure that you include a fax cover sheet at the beginning of your fax that contains your name, a contact phone number, the number of pages that are being sent and attention your fax to your accountant. If you are sending multiple faxes please use a cover sheet for each fax to ensure that your paperwork is filed correctly.

For returns being sent via email;

You can send your return via email to taxreturns@austaxaccountants.com.au or directly to your accountants’ personal email address. For scanned attachments, it is crucial that you ensure that they are of sufficient size and resolution to able to produce a legible printed copy at A4 size.

We recommend that you request a read receipt when sending your e-mail as there is a chance that your e-mail may be caught by an overzealous spam filter and not be actioned. If you haven’t received an acknowledgment of receipt within a few days please phone our office to confirm whether we have received your job.

At a minimum we need details of any assessable income that you have received during the financial year, as well as any expenses you have incurred in earning that income.

For most salary or wage earners this will entail bringing in a copy of your PAYG payment summary and details of any bank interest received, along with a list of your work related deductions.

If you receive income from other sources such as dividends, managed funds or investment properties, or run your own business we will also need any information pertaining to these sources of income.

We suggest reviewing our Taxation Documentation Checklist for more information.

For clients with a spouse, we will also need details about your spouse, including their full name, date of birth and taxable income. We realise that the taxable income of your spouse may not always be available at the time you prepare your tax return. In these situations we recommend you make the best estimate you can.

For new clients, we also require you to bring photo ID, your tax file number and a copy of your most recent tax return with you.

Please contact our office as soon as possible to notify us and allow us to reschedule your appointment.

Yes you do.

During our peak period of July to October appointments are essential.

Our accountants are commonly fully booked up weeks in advance, particularly our popular evening or Saturday appointment times.

We advise that you book well in advance to avoid disappointment.