Tax time tips to help you

Filling out your tax return gets easier if you wait an extra couple of weeks to lodge. By waiting until late July, most of your information from your employers, banks, health funds and government agencies will be automatically pre-filled in your return for you. All you’ll need to do is check the information is correct, and add anything that’s missing.

COVID-19 continues to impact many industries and as a result, during the last financial year you might have a few new and different claims. If you received a COVID-19 support payment, the tax treatment varies.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has updated its small business tax time toolkit for 2022. There’s an updated directory of links to useful information to help your business, as well as fact sheets on claiming tax deductions for:

• home-based business
• motor vehicle
• travel
• digital product expenses
• using business money
• pausing or permanently closing your business.

Whether you work in an office, herd cattle on a farm, fix computers or mend broken bones – the Australian Taxation Office has a range of occupation and industry specific posters and guides that will help you get your deductions right this tax time.

Do you invest in crypto assets? If you’ve sold, transferred or disposed crypto this income year, you need to work out if you’ve made a capital gain or loss. You need to keep track of:

• the dates of your transactions
• their values in Australian dollars
• receipts
• details of any other costs.

Be prepared this tax time to start the new financial year on the right foot. Check if there are any concessions you can access before 30 June. For example, you may be eligible for the small business restructure rollover concession so you can save on capital gains tax, or the increased small business income tax offset which is 16% from 2021–22 for unincorporated entities.