ATO improves online services for agents

The ATO has said it has made a number of improvements to make it easier for tax professionals to view their clients' account in online services for agents.

The changes, detailed in a statement, include the grouping of activity statements and franking deficit tax accounts in a single system; simplified transaction descriptions using abbreviations for common tax types; and a summarised view of statement of account transactions, letting tax professionals expand and see full account transaction lists.

The improvements also allow tax agents to see pay as you go (PAYG) withholding director penalty accounts against individual director tax file numbers.

Further changes have been made to activity statement payment plans to include direct debit options, while activity statement due dates now incorporate eligible concessional due dates, meaning clients will also see the same due date.

According to the ATO, this change has laid the foundation for future enhancements.

“We will continue to focus on delivering a reliable and contemporary experience for you and will keep you updated on what's to come in the Tax professionals newsletter,” the ATO said.