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Tax returns that leave no stone unturned
Lodging your tax return with Ross Accounting maximises your refund and makes sure every possible deduction is accounted for. We go through your lodgement with a fine-tooth comb.
In short
Ross Accounting prepares and lodges tax returns for individuals, sole traders, partnerships, companies, trusts and self-managed super funds across Australia from its offices in Brookvale NSW and Redland Bay QLD. If you lodge your own 2025–26 individual return, the ATO deadline is 31 October, which in 2026 falls on a Saturday, so it moves to Monday 2 November 2026. Clients of a registered tax agent who engage the agent before 31 October can generally lodge later under the agent lodgment program.
Who it is for
- Employees with wages plus work-related expenses, investments or rental properties
- Sole traders and partnerships reporting business income
- Private companies and their directors
- Family, discretionary and unit trusts and their beneficiaries
- Self-managed super fund trustees
- Anyone with overdue returns from earlier years
More refund, less tax
The Australian financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June. If you lodge yourself, your return is due by 31 October. When you are a client of a registered tax agent like Ross Accounting, you can usually lodge later under the tax agent lodgement program.
If you have multiple income sources, investments, a business or plenty of work-related expenses, come and see us and make your money work for you. We prepare returns for individuals, sole traders, partnerships, companies, trusts and self-managed super funds.
Ross Accounting Pty Ltd is a registered tax agent with the Tax Practitioners Board, registration number 21430015. You can check the listing on the TPB public register. The ATO notes that registered tax agents are the only people who can charge a fee to prepare and lodge a tax return.
Tax returns we prepare
Each type of taxpayer lodges a different return, with its own rules and due dates. Our dedicated pages explain each one in more detail.
- Individuals: wages, allowances, interest, dividends, rental properties, capital gains and work-related deductions. See individual tax returns.
- Sole traders: a sole trader lodges using their individual tax file number, with business income and expenses reported in their own return. See sole trader tax returns.
- Partnerships: a partnership lodges its own partnership return every year, and each partner pays tax on their share of the partnership income in their own return.
- Companies: company returns, the related financial statements and the tax position of directors and shareholders. See company tax returns.
- Trusts: the trustee lodges the trust return and beneficiaries include their share of the trust's net income in their own returns. See trust tax returns.
- Self-managed super funds: the SMSF annual return covers the fund's income tax, regulatory information, member contributions and the supervisory levy, and it can only be lodged once the fund's audit is finalised. See self-managed super funds.
When your 2025–26 tax return is due
Tax time 2026 is for the 2025–26 income year (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026). The ATO says that if you lodge your own return, it is due by 31 October, and that a deadline falling on a weekend moves to the next business day. 31 October 2026 is a Saturday, so a self-lodged 2025–26 return is due by Monday 2 November 2026.
If a self-lodged return lodged between 1 July and 31 October results in a tax bill, the ATO sets payment for 21 November. If the assessment issues after 31 October, payment is due 21 days after it issues.
Registered tax agents generally have a lodgment program that lets them lodge for clients after 31 October, but the ATO requires you to engage the agent before 31 October. The main dates the ATO has published for agent clients are below.
| Lodgment due date | Who it applies to |
|---|---|
| 31 October 2026 | Individuals and trusts with one or more prior year returns outstanding at 30 June 2026 |
| 31 January 2027 | Large and medium trusts (annual total income over $10 million) that were taxable in the latest year lodged |
| 31 March 2027 | Individuals and trusts whose latest return had a tax liability of $20,000 or more (excluding large and medium trusts) |
| 15 May 2027 | All remaining individuals and trusts, including new registrations |
| 5 June 2027 | Concession for individuals, partnerships and trusts otherwise due 15 May, provided any payment is also made by 5 June |
For companies and super funds that balance on 30 June, the ATO's 2025–26 agent program includes 31 October 2026 for entities with earlier returns outstanding, 31 January or 28 February 2027 for large and medium taxpayers, 28 February 2027 for newly registered SMSFs, 31 March 2027 for entities with 2024–25 total income over $2 million (unless due earlier), and 15 May 2027 for all remaining agent clients. SMSFs that lodge their own annual return generally lodge by 28 February, or by 31 October if newly registered or behind on earlier returns.
Your own due date depends on your lodgment history and circumstances. Our tax return deadlines guide and the tax calendar set out the dates in more detail.
To use the tax agent lodgment program for your 2025–26 return, get in touch with Ross Accounting before 31 October 2026.
What changes from 1 July 2026
Two changes start with the 2026–27 income year. They affect the returns lodged from July 2027, not the 2025–26 returns being lodged now. The Treasurer announced on 25 June 2026 that the bill containing the instant tax deduction had passed Parliament, and the ATO now describes the standard deduction as applying from the 2026–27 income year.
Standard deduction of up to $1,000 (2026–27 onwards)
Australian residents who earn labour income, such as salary and wages, director fees or parental leave pay, receive a standard deduction of up to $1,000 for work-related expenses, applied automatically in the return. The maximum is the lower of $1,000 or total labour income. It is a deduction that reduces taxable income, not a tax offset, and it does not apply to people who only have income such as dividends or business income.
Work-related expenses claimed in the return, including car, uniform, laundry and working from home expenses, reduce the standard deduction dollar for dollar. Where those expenses add up to more than $1,000, claiming them in full with written evidence generally gives the larger deduction. Union fees, professional association memberships, donations, rental and investment costs, personal super contributions, income protection premiums and tax agent fees are claimed as usual and do not reduce it. Our standard deduction guide covers the detail.
Record-keeping exceptions removed (all taxpayers)
From 1 July 2026 the ATO no longer applies the $300 limit for claiming work-related expenses without receipts, the $150 laundry limit or the award transport exemption. These exceptions apply only to 2025–26 and earlier years. For 2026–27 and later, anyone who claims more than their maximum standard deduction needs written evidence, such as a receipt, for every work-related expense claimed. The ATO still accepts $1 per load for work-only laundry, or 50 cents per load for mixed loads.
What is new in 2025–26 returns
- Gifts and donations: the $2 minimum for gifts to deductible gift recipients has been removed, so eligible gifts of any amount can be claimed.
- ATO interest charges: general interest charge and shortfall interest charge incurred on or after 1 July 2025 can no longer be claimed as a deduction in 2025–26 or later returns.
- Trust distributions: from 1 July 2026 trustees provide extra information in beneficiaries' distribution statements, and the ATO is starting pre-fill of trust distributions for individuals from 2026.
- Not yet: the ATO confirms that the standard deduction, the Working Australians Tax Offset and the changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing do not apply in the 2025–26 return.
Bring your paperwork, we do the rest
Bring your income statement, receipts, invoices and bank statements and we will take care of the rest. You are only as good as what you can prove, so keeping your records through the year is the best way to a bigger refund.
Under the ATO's rules, written evidence for a work-related expense needs to show the supplier, the cost, what was bought and the date. A bank or credit card statement on its own generally is not enough. Records generally need to be kept for 5 years from the date the return is lodged, with longer periods for depreciating assets and capital gains tax assets. Our tax return checklist and record keeping guide list what to gather.
Clients can also send documents through the MyAccountants app on their phone (accountant code "Ross"). See the MyAccountants app for details.
How it works
- 1Get in touch
Call 1300 711 149, or contact us, ideally before 31 October so your return can come under the tax agent lodgment program.
- 2Gather your documents
Collect income statements, receipts, invoices, bank and investment statements, or upload them through the MyAccountants app.
- 3We prepare your return
We go through your income and expenses with a fine-tooth comb and look for every deduction you are entitled to.
- 4Review and lodge
We go through the return with you, answer your questions and lodge it with the ATO once you are happy with it.
What to bring
- Bank account details (BSB and account number) for any refund
- Income statements or payment summaries from all employers
- Centrelink (Services Australia) payment summaries
- Receipts, invoices or statements for the expenses you are claiming
- Interest, dividend and trust distribution statements
- Your spouse's income, if you have a spouse
- Private health insurance details, if you have cover
- Business income and expense records, if you are a sole trader or partner
General information only, not personal advice. Tax rules change and your circumstances matter, so talk to us before acting. See our disclaimer.
Tax Returns FAQs
When is my tax return due?
The Australian financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June, and if you lodge your own return it is due by 31 October. For 2025–26 returns, 31 October 2026 is a Saturday, so under the ATO's weekend rule a self-lodged return is due by Monday 2 November 2026. If you engage a registered tax agent such as Ross Accounting before 31 October, you can usually lodge later under the tax agent lodgement program, with most individuals due by 15 May 2027.
Can I lodge my tax return later if I use a tax agent?
Generally yes. The ATO allows registered tax agents to lodge for clients after 31 October under the agent lodgment program, as long as the client engages the agent before 31 October. For 2025–26 individual returns, most clients are due by 15 May 2027, but anyone with earlier returns outstanding at 30 June 2026 is due by 31 October 2026, and those whose latest return had a tax liability of $20,000 or more are due by 31 March 2027.
Can I claim the $1,000 standard deduction in my 2025–26 tax return?
No. The ATO says the standard deduction of up to $1,000 for work-related expenses first applies in 2026–27 tax returns and is not available for 2025–26. From 2026–27 it is applied automatically for Australian residents with labour income such as wages, and it is reduced dollar for dollar by any work-related expenses claimed in the return.
Do I still need receipts for work expenses under $300?
For 2025–26 and earlier years, the ATO's exception still applies: if total work-related expenses (other than car and some allowance-related expenses) are $300 or less, they can be claimed without full written evidence, provided you can show you spent the money and how the claim was worked out. From 1 July 2026 the ATO has removed the $300 and $150 laundry exceptions for all taxpayers, so 2026–27 claims for work-related expenses above the standard deduction need written evidence such as receipts.
What should I bring to my tax appointment?
Bring your income statements, receipts and invoices for work-related expenses, bank statements, details of investment income such as interest and dividends, and private health insurance details. Ross Accounting will check everything and make sure no deduction is missed.
Do you do tax returns for companies and trusts?
Yes. Ross Accounting prepares tax returns for individuals, sole traders, partnerships, companies, trusts and self-managed super funds for clients across Australia and overseas.
Guides on tax returns
Individuals & tax returns
