Procedures for Tax Returns
Appointment times are approximate and can be affected by several factors with the major factors being traffic and prior client's needs. We will endeavour to contact you as soon as practical if we will be more than 15 minutes late for an appointment.
Interviews are most effective when all the relevant data is available. This minimises the need for a second interview (which will incur additional fees). It also assists in providing your refund or tax assessment in a faster time period. If you have not already received our Income Tax Return Checklist, please contact us prior to your appointment for a copy.
Our senior accountant will review your return prior to it being lodged with the tax office. This review will check the correctness and validity of the details in your return.
Your return will not be lodged for processing by the Tax Office until our fees for preparing your return have been paid. Therefore it is advisable to make your payment when signing your forms or returning your signed forms. Payment can be made by cash, cheque, direct deposit, or credit card.
Amended returns will incur an additional fee unless the amendment is to correct an error that we have made.
As an alternative to a face-to-face appointment, returns can also be completed by fax, post or email. This can save you time by not having to wait for an interview. Please contact us to make further arrangements.
Generally the tax office will take 14 days to process your return. You should allow extra time if you are posting your signed forms to us. You should also allow additional time for the tax office assessment notice to be sent to you.
The months of July, August, September and October are peak processing periods for both the tax office and us. During this period the processing of your return may take longer than usual.
We can reprint a copy of your tax return, however a fee may apply to cover the time and materials used. We strongly recommend that you keep your tax records together to minimise delays. We usually provide a digital copy of your return when your return is ready for signing and lodgement.
You should keep all your tax return records (including evidence of income and deductions) for a minimum of five years. In some cases the tax office may advise you that you only need to keep the records for two years, but we recommend that you still keep them for five years. Details of dividends or rental properties should be kept until five years after the item has been sold.