Lodgment deadlines, penalties, the mistakes the ATO looks for, fixing a return and where to complain.
Saving tax legally is only half the job; the other half is not losing money to late lodgment, rejected claims or penalties. The tax return mistakes guide is the overview: it lists the errors that most often lead to an ATO adjustment and links to the detailed guides.
You will find the 31 October deadline and how the tax agent lodgment program extends it, how failure-to-lodge penalties and the general interest charge are calculated for individuals, the work-related deduction mistakes the ATO regularly targets, what happens when you exceed a super contribution cap, and how to amend a return, object to an assessment or make a complaint.
Each guide ends with the official bodies to contact: the Australian Taxation Office, the Tax Practitioners Board, the Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman, and the Administrative Review Tribunal. Business tax, GST and BAS are outside the scope of this site.
Deadlines, Pitfalls and Official Sources
How to amend an individual tax return, the two- and four-year review periods, objecting to an ATO decision, review by the Administrative Review Tribunal and where to complain.
Deadlines, Pitfalls and Official Sources
What the ATO does when concessional or non-concessional contributions exceed the cap, release options, the 47% excess tax, worked examples and the causes of most excess contributions.
Deadlines, Pitfalls and Official Sources
How the ATO's failure-to-lodge penalty is calculated for individuals, the penalty unit value, interest on late payments, remission requests and payment plans, with examples.
Deadlines, Pitfalls and Official Sources
When your individual tax return is due if you self-lodge, how the tax agent lodgment program extends it, when the tax bill must be paid, and what to do if you miss the date.
Deadlines, Pitfalls and Official Sources
The individual tax return errors that most often trigger ATO adjustments, what happens if you get it wrong, how to avoid scams, and a directory of official sources.
Deadlines, Pitfalls and Official Sources
The ATO's three golden rules, the claims most often reduced — car, clothing, phone, self-education, travel and working from home — and how to fix a claim you got wrong.
