How do I lodge a late tax returns?

Most people generally need to lodge an income tax return every year. However, some may have been too busy, overseas, or found that it was just too complicated to lodge their tax return. If you have not lodged a tax return for a few years or you have a tax return outstanding or overdue, no matter the reason, getting up to date now will give you peace of mind.

Fines & penalties!

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) may apply a “failure to lodge on time penalty” (FTL). The penalty is calculated at the rate of one penalty unit for each period of 28 days or part thereof that the return is overdue, up to a maximum of five penalty units. Size tests also apply, so that the penalty for larger entities is multiplied by either two or five.

Further, the ATO may issue a default assessment warning letter. This letter will summarise the income on which the default assessment may be based. The letter will also tell you the date by which you must lodge the overdue return if you want to avoid being issued with a default assessment.

The ATO is more likely to apply a penalty if :

• you have more than one tax return outstanding
• you have a poor lodgement history, or
• you have not complied with a request to lodge your tax return.