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myTax 2020 Australian Government allowances and payments

How to report allowances and payments from the Australian Government in myTax.

Last updated 31 May 2020

Complete this section if you received allowances and payments from the Australian Government.

Things to know

The following payments are declared at this section:

  • JobSeeker payment
  • Newstart allowance
  • Youth allowance
  • Austudy payment
  • parenting payment (partnered)
  • partner allowance
  • sickness allowance
  • special benefit
  • widow allowance
  • farm household allowance
  • an education payment of any of the following when you were 16 years old or older
    • ABSTUDY living allowance
    • payment under the Veterans’ Children Education Scheme
    • payment shown as ‘MRCA Education Allowance’ on your payment summary
  • other taxable Commonwealth education or training payments shown on your payment summary
  • youth disability supplement as a component of:
    • youth allowance
    • ABSTUDY living allowance
  • an income support component from a Community Development Employment Project (CDEP)
  • a CDEP scheme participant supplement
  • disaster recovery allowance (but not in relation to 2019-20 bushfires)
  • disaster income support allowance for special category visa (subclass 444) holders (but not in relation to 2019-20 bushfires).

Do not show at this section

Do not show the following amounts at this section:

Completing this section

You will need:

  • your PAYG payment summary – individual non-business, or
  • a letter from the agency that paid your allowance or payment stating the amount you received.

If you do not have this information, contact the agency that paid you.

We pre-fill your tax return with Australian Government payments or allowances information provided to us. Check them, and add any other Australian Government payments or allowances you received that have not pre-filled.

To personalise your return to show Australian Government payments or allowances, at Personalise return select:

  • You received salary, wages or other income on an income statement/payment summary, Australian Government payments, or First home super saver (FHSS) scheme payment
  • Australian Government payments such as Jobseeker, Newstart, Youth Allowance, Austudy, pensions etc

To show your Australian Government payments or allowances, at Prepare return select 'Add/Edit' at the Income statements and payment summaries banner.

At the Australian Government payments such as Jobseeker, Newstart, Youth Allowance and Austudy banner:

  1. For each Australian Government payment or allowance not pre-filled in your tax return, select Add and enter information into the corresponding fields.
  2. Select Save.
  3. Select Save and continue when you have completed the Income statements and payment summaries section.

Beneficiary tax offset

You may be entitled to a tax offset on this income.

Tax offsets reduce the amount of tax you have to pay.

If you received one or more of the payments listed above, you may be entitled to a Beneficiary tax offset. You do not have to work out your tax offset. We work it out for you from the answers you give at this section. If you want to work out your beneficiary tax offset, you can use the Beneficiary tax offset calculatorThis link opens in a new window.

If you are eligible for both the Seniors and pensioners tax offset and the Beneficiary tax offset, you are entitled to receive only one of these offsets. We will work out which one gives you the highest tax offset.

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