How becoming a client works
Whether you need a single tax return or ongoing help with a business, the steps are much the same.
- Get in touch. Call, email or send an enquiry through the contact page. Tell us briefly what you need, for example an individual tax return, BAS for a business, setting up a company or catching up on overdue returns.
- Free general consultation. We talk through your situation and what work is involved, with no obligation to go ahead. People setting up a new business can also take up David Ross's free half hour of advice on business structures.
- Confirm your identity and authority. Registered tax agents must verify who a client is before providing tax agent services, and need your written or electronic authority to act on your behalf (see below).
- We link you to the practice with the ATO. Ross Accounting adds you to its client list. Entities with an ABN other than sole traders, such as companies, trusts, partnerships and SMSFs, first nominate us in Online services for business.
- Send your documents. Bring paperwork to an appointment, email it, or upload it through the free MyAccountants app using the accountant code "Ross".
Ways to contact us and where we are
You can reach Ross Accounting by phone on 1300 711 149, by email at david@rossaccounting.com.au, or through the enquiry form on the contact page. The team aims to reply within 24 hours.
Brookvale head office (Sydney's Northern Beaches)
Suite 103, 20 Dale Street, Brookvale NSW 2100. Limited visitor parking is available in the basement car park of the Biztek building. Postal address: PO Box 6197, Narraweena NSW 2099. See Brookvale and the Northern Beaches for the areas this office covers.
Redland Bay branch (Queensland)
225 Cane Street, Redland Bay QLD 4165. The branch looks after clients in Redland Bay, Victoria Point, Eagleby and greater Brisbane. See Redland Bay and South East Queensland.
What to bring to your first appointment
There is no need to have everything sorted before you call. That said, the first meeting is generally more productive when you have the following on hand:
- Photo identification, such as a driver licence or passport, for the identity check.
- Your tax file number, and the ABN for any business, company, trust or fund we will act for.
- Your most recent notice of assessment or last tax return, if you have one, and any letters from the ATO.
- Income and deduction records for the year, such as income statements, bank interest, dividends, rental statements and receipts. Our tax return checklist lists what to gather.
- For a business: access to your Xero or MYOB file (or your spreadsheets), recent BAS, prior financial statements and details of any ATO payment arrangements.
- For a company or trust: the company constitution or trust deed, and details of directors, shareholders, trustees or beneficiaries.
If some records are missing, that can be talked through at the consultation. Our guides on record keeping for individuals and business record keeping explain what the ATO expects you to keep.
Checking that we are a registered tax agent
The ATO says only registered tax agents can charge a fee to prepare and lodge a tax return, and that agents must be registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB). The TPB oversees their qualifications and experience and their compliance with the Code of Professional Conduct, which gives clients a level of consumer protection.
Ross Accounting Pty Ltd (ACN 153 889 975) is a registered tax agent, registration number 21430015. You can confirm this yourself on the TPB register entry for Ross Accounting Pty Ltd. The public register also shows whether any conditions, suspensions or sanctions have been recorded against a practitioner.
Before handing your tax affairs to anyone, it is worth checking their name on the TPB public register.
Proof of identity and your authority to act
Registered tax and BAS agents must verify a client's identity before providing services, and again on an ongoing basis. The ATO's guidance for agents explains that for most clients seen in person or by video call, a visual check of a driver licence is all that is needed. Unless photo identification can be checked visually, two separate proof of identity documents must be verified.
If someone engages us on behalf of another person or an entity, such as a director for a company or a trustee for a trust, the agent also has to confirm that person's identity and their authority to act. The agent then needs the client's written or electronic authority to act for them and to link them to the ATO record.
These checks protect you against identity fraud, so please expect them even if you are only after a simple return.
Moving from another accountant
Changing accountants is generally a matter of a few administrative steps. A registered agent can only lodge for you through the ATO's practitioner lodgment service once you are on its client list, so the new agent adds you to that list after the identity check and your authority to act.
Companies, trusts, partnerships and SMSFs: client-to-agent linking
Since 13 November 2023, the ATO has required every entity with an ABN, other than sole traders, to nominate a registered agent in Online services for business when it engages a new tax or BAS agent, or changes what an existing agent is authorised to do. The agent cannot make the nomination for you. You need your agent's registered agent number, and once you nominate us the agent has 28 days to add you as a client before the nomination expires. If the agent needs more time, the nomination can be extended from the day after it is submitted until the original 28 days run out, which adds another 28 days from the day of the extension. An expired nomination cannot be extended, so a new one has to be made.
The ATO does not tell the agent that you have nominated them, so let us know once it is done. Individuals and sole traders do not need to complete this step at this stage, although the ATO says linking will eventually extend to them.
Timing for tax returns
Most registered agents use the ATO's lodgment program, which allows later due dates than the usual 31 October deadline for people who lodge themselves. The ATO advises that anyone using a tax agent for the first time, or changing agent, contacts the agent before 31 October to be included in that program. For 2025–26 returns, that means before 31 October 2026.
Under the 2025–26 program, many individuals and trusts lodging through an agent have until 15 May 2027, but some have earlier dates. For example, returns are due 31 October 2026 where one or more earlier returns were still outstanding at 30 June 2026. Our tax return deadlines guide sets out the dates.
Overdue returns
If you have prior year returns that were never lodged, a registered agent can prepare and lodge those too. The ATO notes that getting up to date quickly can help avoid interest on tax debts and late lodgment penalties.
Sending documents with the MyAccountants app
Ross Accounting clients can use the free MyAccountants app to send documents from their phone. Download "MyAccountants" from the App Store or Google Play, open it, and sign in with your email address and the accountant code "Ross".
The MyAccountants app page explains how to set it up. You can still bring paperwork in or email it if you prefer.
Ready to start?
Call 1300 711 149, email david@rossaccounting.com.au or send an enquiry through the contact page to book your free general consultation. To see what we do, browse our services or the page for individuals, sole traders, companies or new businesses.
This page is general information only, not personal advice. We will talk through your own situation at the consultation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I become a client of Ross Accounting?
To become a client of Ross Accounting, call 1300 711 149, email david@rossaccounting.com.au or send an enquiry through the website to book a free, no-obligation general consultation. The team aims to reply within 24 hours. After an identity check and your authority to act, Ross Accounting adds you to its ATO client list.
How can I check that Ross Accounting is a registered tax agent?
Ross Accounting Pty Ltd is registered with the Tax Practitioners Board as a tax agent, registration number 21430015. Anyone can check the registration, and whether any conditions or sanctions are recorded, by searching the TPB public register at tpb.gov.au.
What ID do I need when I become a new client of a tax agent?
Registered tax agents must verify a new client's identity before providing services. The ATO's guidance for agents says a visual check of a driver licence is all that is needed for most clients seen in person or by video call; otherwise, unless photo identification can be checked visually, two separate proof of identity documents must be verified.
Does my company or trust need to nominate a new tax agent with the ATO?
Yes. Under the ATO's client-to-agent linking, which has applied to all entities with an ABN other than sole traders since 13 November 2023, a company, trust, partnership or SMSF engaging a new registered agent must nominate that agent itself in Online services for business. The agent then has 28 days to add the entity as a client before the nomination expires.
When do I need to contact a new tax agent for my 2025–26 tax return?
The ATO advises people using a tax agent for the first time, or changing agent, to contact that agent before 31 October to be included in the agent's lodgment program. For 2025–26 individual tax returns, that is before 31 October 2026. Under the program many returns are then due by 15 May 2027, although some clients, such as those with earlier returns outstanding at 30 June 2026, have earlier dates.
General information only, not personal advice. Tax rules change and your circumstances matter, so talk to us before acting. See our disclaimer.