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1. How much do you charge?
The fee for tax return preparation depends upon the complexity of income and deductions involved. Our up-to-date fees are available on request.

2. Can I have your fee taken from my refund?
We can deduct the accounting fee from the ATO refund.

3. What hours are your offices open during the year?
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm are our normal office hours.
During the peak tax period 1 July to 31 October after hours and Saturday mornings are available by appointment.

4. Can you prepare multiple years returns at the same time?
We can prepare and lodge all past year’s returns together at the same time. The current year’s refunds will be returned in the normal period but there may be slight delays with refunds coming from the ATO for previous years returns and possibly not arriving together.

5. Do I have to lodge a tax return?
Some individuals do not have to lodge a tax return. Each person’s situation will differ due to age, income and expenses.

6. Can I claim any deductions if I have no receipts?
Under some circumstances receipts are not required, but in order to maximise your tax deductions, we recommend you retain all your work and business related receipts and bring them with you at the time of your return preparation.

7. How long will my refund take?
Last year the Australian Tax Office (ATO) was able to process almost 90% of returns within 14 working days. We are expecting this year however, that some delays may be encountered due to data matching between the ATO and Centrelink. If your refund has been with the ATO for more than 21 days then contact this office for further assistance.

8. What if I don’t have a Payment Summary from a job?
If you are still missing one of your payment summaries then you need to contact that employer. If you can’t get one from that employer then contact the Tax Office on 13 28 61. Don’t forget to include all your payment summaries, even if you’ve only worked in a job for a couple of weeks.

9. Can I claim travel for my work?
Home to work and return travel is generally not claimable except in certain circumstances. Travel between jobs on the same day and travel for work (ie. visiting clients, doing pick-ups or deliveries) would be claimable. If you use public transport then keep all receipts and/or diary records. If you use your own car then you need to keep a log book of all business mileage travelled and all expenses of the car including petrol, repairs, registration, insurance and interest on a car loan.

10. I have received a dividend statement, do I need to declare this as income?
You need to include dividends and any other interest earned on bank accounts. Don’t forget to include all interest, even if you’ve already closed the bank account. Also if you’ve quoted your tax file number when opening a bank account then you need to declare that interest in your individual tax return, not in a partnership or trust tax return.

11. Do I get all my tax back if I only work a few months of the financial year?
No. The tax you are required to pay is calculated on your total income earned during the whole year. Whether all your income is earned in 1 day or 12 months makes no difference.

12. How much can I claim if I buy a computer?
If you purchase a computer for use in your work or business, you can generally claim a percentage of the depreciation that pertains to your work or business use. The depreciation allowed will depend on the expected life of the computer or how long it is expected to be current.

13. How much can I claim on my motor vehicle?
There are different methods for claiming expenses in relation to the business use of your motor vehicle. These can be complex so to maximise your potential claim you should maintain a daily mileage logbook for at least three months of the year and a record of any expenses for the full year.

14. Can I claim my work uniform as a tax deduction?
Deductions for uniforms can only be claimed if the work uniform is specific and identifiable to your organization (such as chefs checked pants) or protects you from injury whilst you are at work. You can’t claim the cost of a plain uniform or conventional clothing, such as white shirt and black pants or skirt which is commonly worn by waiters and waitresses even if your employer tells you to wear them.

15. What deductions can I claim if I’m studying?
Only study directly related to your current job may be claimed as a self-education expense. For example if you were a waiter and you were studying book-keeping then you wouldn’t be able to claim the cost of the course as a work related expenses – even if you were looking for work as an accountant.

16. I received money from the government during the year, do I need to include it in my tax return?
Some government payments and allowances are included as taxable income, others are not. It’s important that you declare any taxable payments such as age pensions, Newstart allowance, youth allowance or Austudy in your tax return.

17. The Senior Australian tax offset, how does this affect me?
This tax offset means many seniors can reduce the amount of tax and Medicare levy they pay. In some cases people may not have to lodge a tax return.

18. What forms do I need to fill in for an employer?
You are required to complete a TFN Declaration Form. Your employer will give this to you.