Don't rush your tax return, says ATO

The Australian Taxation Office is advising taxpayers that improvements to reporting requirements mean that some people may not receive a payment summary directly from their employer this financial year.

This information, now referred to as an income statement, will continue to be pre-filled into people’s income tax return or provided to their registered agent.

Assistant Commissioner Karen Foat said this is because many employers are now reporting wages, tax and super information to the ATO each payday.

“If you use a tax agent to lodge your return, you don’t need to do anything. We provide your agent with this information and they can lodge your return as usual. If you lodge your own return using myTax, this information will be pre-filled into your return.

“Most employers have until 31 July 2019 to finalise their employees’ income statements so, we strongly encourage taxpayers to wait a few weeks before lodging their tax return,” said Ms Foat.

She explained that if you lodge your tax return before your income statement is tax ready, you may need to lodge an amendment, which may incur additional tax and interest.

"Taxpayers who have linked their myGov accounts to ATO online services will receive a message when their income statement is tax ready, for agents this information will be available in pre-fill reports.

“We know from previous years that the early birds who lodge in the first weeks of July are far more likely to make mistakes or submit incomplete data. That’s why we suggest waiting and letting the ATO do most of the work pre-filling your tax return,” Ms Foat said.

The ATO is also warning taxpayers with multiple jobs to take extra care. Those with more than one job should wait until all their employers have reported to the ATO or provided a payment summary.