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EOFY Tax Prep Checklist

A practical end-of-financial-year checklist for Australian individuals. Pick your occupation cluster to get tailored deduction prompts, enter dollar amounts to see your estimated tax saving, and tick off pre-30-June actions before the window closes.

Australia 2026-27Occupation-aware
01 —INPUTS

Used to estimate the tax saving from your deductions at your marginal rate.

Adds occupation-specific deductions and traps to your checklist.

1. Documents to gather

Finalised by your employer in your myGov / ATO online account by 14 July.

The ATO pre-fills this but it can take weeks — keep records in case of a discrepancy.

Includes franking credits. Pre-filled, but check against your CHESS holdings.

Usually available August–September. Don't lodge too early if you hold ETFs.

Ask your agent for a full-year landlord statement; gather bills, interest, depreciation report.

Every disposal is a CGT event. Get CSVs before exchanges archive older data.

Needed for the private health rebate and Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) test.

Compulsory repayments apply once you earn above the threshold.

Shows concessional contributions used and available carry-forward room.

myDeductions app in the ATO app keeps receipts tied to your tax return.

2. Deductions to claim

Enter dollar amounts you plan to claim. We'll estimate the tax saving at your marginal rate.

2025-26 revised fixed rate covers electricity, internet, phone, stationery. Requires a diary of actual hours.

Max 5,000 business km per car. Requires reasonable evidence (diary). 2025-26 rate is 88c/km.

Donations of any amount to registered DGRs — the $2 minimum has been abolished. Get a receipt with their ABN.

Compulsory uniforms with a logo, protective clothing. Laundry up to $150 without written evidence.

Must have a sufficient connection to your current job. Fees, textbooks, stationery deductible.

Apportion bills by work vs private. Needs 4-week representative diary of work use.

Industry-specific — registration renewal, APRA, nursing board, teachers registration etc.

Fees from last year's return, or other tax-advice costs paid this year, are deductible.

Only the IP premium is deductible. TPD and life cover components are not.

Items under $300 fully deductible; over $300 depreciated. Instant asset write-off rules apply for some.

Industry publications, software licences used for work, LinkedIn Premium if job-seeking in trade.

Anything else with a direct connection to earning your income.

3. Pre-EOFY actions (before 30 June)

Personal deductible contributions must reach your fund by 30 June and you must file a Notice of Intent before lodging.

Cut-off: 30 June (fund must receive)

If your Total Super Balance was under $500k on 30 June last year, unused cap from the last 5 years stacks on this year's $32,500 cap (2026-27; earlier years accrue at their own year's cap).

Investors and high-income earners can bring forward the deduction into this year.

Fixed-rate lenders often allow annual prepayment, bringing forward the deduction.

Sole traders / contractors on cash accounting can shift income to the next year's MTR.

If your logbook has expired, start a new 12-week period before the next travel intensive season.

Losses offset current-year gains first, then carry forward indefinitely. Watch wash-sale anti-avoidance rules.

Contribute $3,000 to your low-income spouse's super and you get an 18% non-refundable tax offset.

Low-income earners may get up to $500 free from the ATO if they make a $1,000 after-tax super contribution.

Cleans up the shoebox, links receipts to deduction categories, and pushes straight into your return at lodgement.

Ask HR to adjust, or start PAYG instalments, to avoid a bigger bill next July.

4. Common traps to avoid

  • Double-dipping: claiming both the fixed-rate WFH and a separate phone/internet bill
  • Claiming the full value of tools above $300 in year one (these must be depreciated)
  • Forgetting that laundry claims above $150 need written evidence
  • Omitting crypto disposals — the ATO data-matches every major Australian exchange
  • Lodging before ETF / managed fund AMMA statements arrive (amendment risk)
  • Treating travel from home to a regular workplace as deductible (it is not)
02 —RESULTS

Your EOFY snapshot

Estimated tax saving$0.00

Based on deductions entered × your marginal rate.

03 —BREAKDOWN
Total deductions entered$0.00
Checklist progress0 / 33 (0%)
Tip: Lodge from mid-August once employer, bank, and ETF data has pre-filled. Early July lodgements have the highest amendment rate.
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How to use this checklist
→ Pick your occupation cluster: Adds job-specific deductions and traps.
→ Tick documents: As you gather them from employers, banks, brokers, and agents.
→ Enter dollar amounts: For each deduction you plan to claim. The tax-saving estimate uses your marginal rate plus Medicare.
→ Work through pre-30-June actions: Many have cut-offs tied to when your super fund or lender receives money.
→ Share the URL: With your spouse or bookkeeper. Everything except dollar inputs is safe to share.
When to lodge

The ATO opens lodgement from 1 July, but returns lodged in the first week of July have by far the highest amendment rate. The typical culprits are late pre-fill from banks and ETF AMMA statements that aren't issued until August or September.

→ Mid-July onwards: Employer income statements finalised (14 July)
→ Late July: Most bank and broker pre-fill ready
→ August–September: Managed-fund and ETF AMMA tax statements
→ Mid-Aug to mid-Sep: Sweet spot for most people
→ 31 October 2026: Hard deadline for self-lodgers
→ 15 May 2027: Extended deadline via registered tax agent (if signed up before 31 Oct)
Popular deduction methods at a glance

Work from home

→ Fixed rate (70c/hr): Easiest — covers electricity + phone + internet + stationery. Requires hour records.
→ Actual-cost method: More detail, potentially bigger claim. Itemise electricity, internet, consumables with work-use %.

Motor vehicle

→ Cents per km: Up to 5,000 work km × 91c/km = max $4,550 per car for 2026-27 (the 2025-26 return you lodge now uses 88c, max $4,400).
→ Logbook method: 12-week representative log, any work-use %, deduct running costs + depreciation. Logbook valid 5 years.

Tools, equipment and devices

→ Under $300 each: Fully deductible in the year of purchase.
→ $300 or more: Depreciate over the effective life (or pool items under $1,000 into a low-value pool at 18.75%/37.5%).
FAQ
When should I lodge my 2025-26 tax return?
The ATO opens lodgement from 1 July, but early-lodgers have a 2-3× higher amendment rate. Employer income statements are usually finalised by 14 July, and ETF/managed-fund AMMA tax statements often don't arrive until August or September. For most people, mid-August to mid-September is the sweet spot — the ATO pre-fill is complete and you still lodge well inside the 31 October self-lodge deadline.
What's the deadline for a deductible super contribution?
Your super fund must receive the money on or before 30 June — not just when you send it. BPAY and direct-debit clearance can take 3-5 business days, so practically you want to transfer by around 22 June. You must also send a valid Notice of Intent to Claim or Vary a Deduction to your fund and get their acknowledgement before you lodge your return.
What is the work from home fixed-rate method for 2025-26?
The ATO's revised fixed rate is 70c per hour worked from home. It covers electricity, gas, phone, internet, stationery and computer consumables — so if you use the fixed rate you can't also claim these separately. You need a record of the actual hours worked for the whole year (a timesheet, diary, or roster will do). You can still separately depreciate a work-use % of your computer, desk, and monitor.
Which occupation-specific deductions actually hold up at audit?
Items that are clearly connected to earning your current income and have a paper trail. For tradies: tools and safety gear. For healthcare: registration fees, CPD, and compulsory uniforms. For office / tech workers: home office running costs, work-use % of devices, and job-specific short courses. The ATO specifically publishes occupation guides that mirror our cluster list; when in doubt, check the guide for your occupation and keep receipts.
What are the most common mistakes on Australian tax returns?
Double-dipping (claiming WFH fixed rate and separate phone/internet), claiming travel between home and a regular workplace, overstating business-use % of vehicles and phones, claiming tools above $300 in full in year one (they must be depreciated), and omitting crypto disposals. The ATO data-matches banks, brokers, employers, health funds, and every major Australian crypto exchange — expect anything missing to turn up as a pre-fill or an amendment letter.
Is tax-loss harvesting allowed in Australia?
Yes. You can crystallise a capital loss by selling an investment before 30 June, use it to offset current-year capital gains first, then carry unused losses forward indefinitely. The ATO does apply a general anti-avoidance rule (Part IVA) and Taxation Ruling TR 2008/1 to wash sales — selling and immediately re-buying the same asset to manufacture a deductible loss. A genuine change in holding, or a gap, reduces this risk.

Related guides

Notice of Intent to Claim a Super Deduction: Deadlines & Traps 2025-26 Lodge your Notice of Intent with your super fund before you file your 2025-26 return, or by 30 June 2027. The traps that void the deduction, plus a worked example. ATO Tax Return Focus Areas 2026: What's Targeted The ATO's 2026 focus areas are work-related deductions and omitted income — WFH claims, side hustles, rental property and crypto explained. Budget 2026 and Your EOFY Plan: Why 30 June 2027 Is the Bigger Date Budget 2026 left the 30 June 2026 EOFY mostly unchanged — but turned 30 June 2027 into the biggest single tax planning date in a generation, as the last EOFY before negative gearing and 50% CGT discount reform take effect.

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Tax Accuracy & Sources

Reviewed: March 2026 · Tax year: 2026-27

General educational tool. Tax-saving estimate uses your marginal rate × Medicare levy and ignores offsets (LITO, spouse), HELP, PHI, MLS, and Division 293. Pre-EOFY actions have cut-offs set by your fund, lender, or the ATO — confirm before relying on this page. Not personal tax advice.

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