Not every individual tax return is simple
If your only income is a salary, an app can lodge your return in ten minutes. If you own a business, receive trust distributions, hold investment property or trade shares and crypto, the return gets more interesting. Interesting is where mistakes cost money.
We prepare individual tax returns mostly for people connected to the businesses we look after, and for investors and professionals who want it done right. Each return is prepared by someone who understands how it fits with the entities around it.
That matters. A trust distribution on your return needs to match the trust's resolution. A director's loan needs to reconcile with the company's books. When one team sees the whole picture, those things line up.
What's included in an individual tax return
We cover the full range of personal tax matters, from the straightforward to the fiddly.
Where something needs a specialist eye, like complex international matters, that's part of the service rather than an extra referral. As Brad from Manna Health says: "Greg has been an absolute lifesaver when it comes to navigating complex international tax matters."
- Salary and wages, allowances and employment deductions
- Business income as a sole trader or partner
- Trust distributions, dividends and franking credits
- Rental property income, expenses and depreciation
- Capital gains on property, shares and cryptocurrency
- Foreign income and residency questions
- Private health, Medicare levy and offset considerations
- Superannuation contributions and the deductions they may support
Tax returns for business owners and their families
For most of our clients, the individual return is the last piece of a bigger puzzle. The business entities get finalised first, distributions and dividends get determined, and then the individual returns for the owners and family members are prepared to match.
Doing it in that order is the point. The tax planning done before 30 June decides who receives what. The year-end work confirms the figures. The individual returns record the result. Done out of order, you get inconsistencies, amendments and ATO questions.
We also keep an eye on the whole family's position. Spouses, adult children, and anyone else in the group each have their own return, and the outcomes interact.
Deductions, records and staying on the right side of the ATO
A good return claims what you're entitled to and nothing you're not. The ATO uses data matching across banks, employers, share registries, property and crypto exchanges, so the days of a loose estimate are over.
We'll tell you what records you need, which deductions are generally supportable in your situation and which ones are more trouble than they're worth. If the ATO ever asks a question, you'll have the file to answer it.
How individual tax returns work with us
Send us your documents through our secure portal, or bring them to Victoria Point or Jimboomba. We prepare the return, review it with you, and lodge once you've signed off. If there's something worth doing differently next year, we'll say so at the same time.
Clients Australia-wide work with us by video. Business owners usually have their individual returns handled as part of their annual package, so there's one point of contact for everything. New clients are welcome too, especially if last year's return left you with questions.
Questions we get asked
When is my individual tax return due?
For most people lodging themselves, the deadline is 31 October after the financial year ends. If you lodge through a registered agent and are on their lodgement program, you generally have access to later dates under the ATO's current arrangements. Check your position early, because late lodgement can attract penalties and interest.
What records do I need for a rental property?
Keep loan statements, rental agent statements, invoices for repairs and improvements, rates and insurance, body corporate fees, and a depreciation schedule if you have one. For a new property, the purchase contract and settlement statement matter for the cost base later. Good records make the return faster and the claims defensible.
Do I need to declare crypto on my tax return?
Generally, yes. Under the ATO's current rules, disposing of cryptocurrency, including swapping one coin for another, can trigger a capital gains event. Holding it is not itself taxable, but you'll need transaction records for when you sell. The ATO receives data from Australian exchanges, so it's worth getting this right.
Can you do my return if I'm overseas or interstate?
Yes. We work with clients across Australia and overseas by video and secure document exchange. Residency and foreign income questions are a regular part of our work, so if you've moved countries or earn income from abroad, that's exactly the kind of return we're set up to handle well.
Should my spouse use the same accountant?
Usually it helps. Many tax outcomes interact across a couple: private health, offsets, trust distributions, and who holds which investments. When the same team prepares both returns, the family's overall position is considered rather than each return in isolation. It also means one conversation about next year's planning.
