Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh acknowledged that for some, tax could seem overwhelming.
“The ATO is here to help with the support you need to get it right this tax time,” he said.
The Tax Help program is a free and confidential service open to people who earn $60,000 or less each year and have simple tax affairs.
Mr Loh said that ATO-trained volunteers were there to walk you through all stages of your tax return – from creating a myGov account, to navigating lodging through myTax, letting the ATO know if you didn’t need to lodge, and even how to lodge an amendment if you’d made a mistake.
“They can also help you find any superannuation you may have forgotten you had,” he said.
The Tax Help program also supports First Nations people and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, providing support and assistance in many community languages. It is available until the end of October at ato.gov.au/TaxHelp
Taxpayers who are not eligible for Tax Help, may be able to access the National Tax Clinic program, a government-funded initiative to help those who may not be able to afford professional advice and representation with their tax affairs.
The tax clinic program is available to eligible individuals, small businesses, not-for-profit organisations and charities. Details: ato.gov.au/TaxClinic.
The ATO’s Indigenous helpline provides specialised tax and super assistance, tailored to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and is available on 13 10 30, Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm.
It has also translated information to help culturally and linguistically diverse taxpayers understand tax and superannuation in Australia in their preferred language.
“To help the community prepare and lodge tax returns, we have resources and guides available in over 20 languages,” Mr Loh said.
“These include information to help you know if you need to lodge, how to lodge, and what deductions you may be able to claim.
“The other great resource worth checking out is community.ato.gov.au/s/ – our online peer to peer discussion platform that allows members of the community to ask and share information about tax and super issues with other community members.
“With more than 122,000 members involved and over 235,000 posts, it’s likely your query has already been answered.”
