How to make a voluntary disclosure

You can make a voluntary disclosure to us online or on paper in the specific form. You may also write to us or in certain situations, phone us. Voluntary disclosures must be made in the approved form for the tax type.

The method you use for making a voluntary disclosure depends on the nature and timing of the disclosure. Methods include the following:

• Specific forms
• In writing
• Electronically
• Over the phone or face-to-face

There are specific methods for Superannuation statements.

However, if we have informed you that we are going to conduct an examination of a particular accounting period, you can't use the above methods to correct any errors. You will need to disclose any errors to the tax officer conducting the review or audit. In these circumstances, use the for Voluntary disclosure form – if you're under review or audit.

Specific forms

We publish specific forms for certain types of voluntary disclosure, see the table below.

In writing

You may make a voluntary disclosure in writing (except for some superannuation fund statements) either:

• in a letter
• on a specific form we publish for some voluntary disclosures.

A voluntary disclosure made in writing may be given to us by:

• posting it to a specified ATO postal address
• faxing it, if we have provided you with an appropriate fax number that you confirm is current and you wish to fax the material
• posting, faxing or handing it to a tax officer conducting an examination of your tax affairs (an audit or review).

Electronically

Some voluntary disclosures can be made online using an ATO approved electronic channel. For example, an individual may make a voluntary disclosure by amending their tax information through myTax.

If you use the Business Portal you can send your documents through the secure mail message function as an attachment. Refer to Online services for more information.

Your tax agent can also make a voluntary disclosure on your behalf by making an amendment request though an ATO approved electronic channel. Your tax agent will need to ensure that their tax agent number is linked to your records.

However, if we have told you that we are going to conduct an examination of a particular accounting period, you can no longer make an electronic voluntary disclosure for that period unless you are explicitly invited to do so.

You will need to disclose any errors to the tax officer conducting the examination, review or audit. In these circumstances, use the for Voluntary disclosure form – if you're under review or audit.

Over the phone or face-to-face

If you want to make a voluntary disclosure about a potential shortfall amount, scheme shortfall amount or the false or misleading nature of a statement, you (or your authorised contact) can only do this by phone or face-to-face when you have been informed of an examination of your tax affairs (an audit or a review). You may then make a voluntary disclosure to the tax officer who is conducting the review or audit.

Where a voluntary disclosure does not relate to a shortfall amount or change your assessed liability, you can make the disclosure over the phone if the correction relates to information you recently provided, or an ongoing matter, and you can provide the information to the person you previously spoke to.

When you phone, you will need to establish your identity by providing details of three of the following items:

• your tax file number
• your date of birth
• your business, residential, postal or email address (maximum of one address)
• your bank account number (BSB number not required)
• details from an ATO generated notice (maximum of two different notices, for example, the sequence number from any notice of assessment issued to you).

Superannuation statements

Specific rules apply when you make a voluntary disclosure about a false or misleading statement made in some superannuation forms.

Self-managed super fund annual return

To make a SMSF voluntary disclosure, the self-managed super fund (SMSF) trustee must lodge an amended SMSF annual return. The entire return must be submitted with the error or omission corrected.

However, if the incorrect information previously provided in the fund's annual return relates only to the regulatory information section, the fund can notify us in writing.

Other forms

You must correct material errors and omissions in these reporting forms within 30 days of becoming aware of them.

By satisfying this obligation you are making a voluntary disclosure about the error or omission to the extent that it was a false or misleading statement.

• Rollover messages
• Release Authority Statements with regard to Excess Contributions Tax

For 2018–19 year onwards:

• Member Account Attribute Service (MAAS) submit message
• Member Account Transaction Service (MATS).

For 2017–18 and prior years:

• Member Contributions Statement (MCS).

For MCS or release authority statements, you must lodge a new statement indicating that it is a correction to a previous statement.

Find out about:

• How we process your voluntary disclosure
• Information we require
• Liability and penalties for voluntary corrections