Why you may need to make a voluntary disclosure and why you need to use the approved form.
Types of things to disclose
You make a voluntary disclosure to:
- inform us of a mistake or something left out of a lodgment, such as
- you have income that you haven't disclosed
- you claimed deductions that you weren't entitled to
- you claimed credits that you weren't entitled to
- tell us about any false or misleading information.
The voluntary disclosure gives you the opportunity to correct your tax affairs.
Using the approved form
To make a voluntary disclosure you need to do so 'in the approved form'. This means you must:
- give us the information we require to work out what the error or correct position is
- provide the information in the required manner, such as by letter, specific form through an approved ATO electronic channel, or (in limited circumstances) by phone or face to face
- ensure that it contains a declaration signed by you or your authorised person.
When a disclosure is not a voluntary disclosure
There are several circumstances where a disclosure is not a voluntary disclosure, such as:
- agreeing with a shortfall amount that we have already told you about or answering questions
- providing general information or invoices
- saying that you don't understand the law.
In these situations, please work with us to provide more information.