Tax Return
An annual form lodged with the ATO reporting your income, deductions, and tax payable or refundable for the financial year.
A tax return is a formal declaration you lodge with the ATO each financial year (1 July to 30 June), reporting all assessable income you earned, deductions you're entitled to claim, and any tax offsets that apply. The ATO uses this information to calculate whether you owe additional tax or are entitled to a refund. Most individuals must lodge by 31 October if self-lodging, or by the extended deadline (usually 15 May the following year) if using a registered tax agent.
You can lodge your tax return through myTax (free, via myGov), a registered tax agent, or approved tax return software. The ATO pre-fills much of the return with data from employers, banks, health funds, and government agencies — but you should always check the pre-filled data for accuracy and add any items that are missing.
Most Australian residents who earned above the tax-free threshold ($18,200) must lodge a return. Even if you earned less, you may want to lodge to claim a refund of tax withheld by your employer or to report other income. Non-lodgement can result in penalties and interest charges.
How it works
A tax return is the annual declaration you lodge with the ATO covering the financial year just finished (1 July to 30 June), setting out every dollar of assessable income you earned and every deduction and offset you're entitled to claim. The ATO uses it to work out whether the tax already withheld or paid during the year covered your actual liability, resulting in either a refund or a bill for the shortfall. Most residents who earned above the $18,200 tax-free threshold are required to lodge, though people below it often still lodge to recover tax that was withheld anyway.
You meet the return itself either through myTax on myGov, through a registered tax agent, or via approved software, and in each case the ATO's pre-filled data from employers, banks, and health funds forms the starting point rather than the finished product. Self-lodgers must submit by 31 October; using a registered tax agent extends that deadline into the following year. Once processed, the outcome is summarised in your Notice of Assessment, which becomes your evidence of what was actually assessed.
People often assume that earning below $18,200 means there's nothing to do, but if any tax was withheld from casual or part-time work during the year, lodging is usually the only way to get it back — the ATO doesn't automatically refund it. On the other end, failing to lodge at all when you're required to can trigger penalties and interest even if you would have ended up owing nothing, so a nil or late return still needs to go in on time or with an agreed extension.
Example: lodging to recover withheld tax
A university student works casual shifts through the year and earns a total of $15,000 — below the $18,200 tax-free threshold, so none of that income should ultimately be taxed. Their employer, following the standard withholding tables, still withheld $300 in tax from various pay cycles over the year.
Because the student's total income sits under the threshold, they have no tax liability for the year, but the $300 already withheld sits with the ATO until it's claimed back. Lodging a tax return — even though it isn't strictly compulsory at that income level — is what triggers the ATO to process and refund the $300.
Calculate it yourself
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ATO (Australian Taxation Office)
The government agency responsible for administering Australia's tax and superannuation systems.
Taxable Income
Your assessable income minus allowable deductions — the figure used to calculate your income tax.
myTax
The ATO's free online tool for individuals to prepare and lodge their own tax return through myGov.
Notice of Assessment (NOA)
An official ATO document confirming the outcome of your tax return, showing tax payable or refundable.
Financial Year
Australia's financial year runs 1 July to 30 June. FY 2025-26 = 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. Tax returns lodge after year-end via ATO myTax or tax agent.