After you lodge

Processing times

We aim to process most electronically lodged tax returns within 12 business days. If you can't lodge electronically, lodging a paper tax return can take up to 50 days for us to process manually. Find out how to prevent delays in processing returns.

Provide relevant information to your clients to manage their expectations about when they will receive their notice of assessment. For more information, see our service commitment.

Checking the status of a tax return

We will keep you informed about the progress of your clients' tax returns and any delays so your clients will know to expect their notice of assessment.

We let you know about the progress of your clients' tax returns in several ways, including:

• Tax return processing
• Online services for agents
• Confirmation of refund SMS
• Notice of assessment
• Other electronic communication to clients

Tax return processing

Weekly status reports

We'll email you a weekly report where there are processing delays with your clients' tax returns. Your clients will first appear on the tax return status report 26 days after lodgment. They will remain on this report each week until we finish processing their tax returns. The report will provide details of what may be causing the delay.

Management of 'lodged' status delay for specific client types

Despite receiving a lodgment reference number (LRN) from PLS, some of your client's return status won't appear as 'lodged' in Online services for agents for up to 28 days. We acknowledge that whilst the overall number of income tax returns affected are low, practices with a large client base of specific client groups experience a higher overall impact.

We are aware of client types that can result in a lodgment status delay. We have the following process in place to:

1. identify income tax lodgments relating to client types that should display a 'lodged' status in Online services for agents
2. update these lodgments to show a ‘lodged’ status within 28 days.

If the 'lodged' status hasn't appeared after 28 days, you should:

• phone the Tax or BAS agent phone service and quote the LRN
• for multiple Income tax returns, attach a bulk client list of impacted income tax returns when you submit a Tax practitioner assistance form.

The 'lodged' status may be delayed when:

• specific client groups including high wealth individual, partnerships, trusts or consolidated groups enter a substituted accounting period (SAP)
• agents lodge early using a previous years Income tax return
• client account/role or a client to agent link issue occurs.

Online services for agents

You can view the lodgment and progress of your clients' tax returns in Online services for agents. At Client summary select Lodgment then Income tax and History.

Your client's tax return Outcome will only be visible online after the tax return has been processed and the assessment amounts are dispersed to your clients' accounts.

Even when the issue date and assessment amount become visible, they are both subject to review and change until the notice of assessment has issued.

As we process your client’s tax return, the Status and Outcome in Online services for agents may differ to the details provided in the Tax return status report.

Watch: Checking the progress of a return

Confirmation of refund SMS

Your clients may receive a confirmation of refund SMS message from us. This SMS lets them know their tax return has been finalised and when to expect their refund in their nominated bank account.

For more information, see Current SMS and email activities – Tax and BAS agent emails.

Notice of assessment

You can view a client's notice of assessment in Online services for agents. At Client summary select Lodgment then Income tax and History.

You can also view the client's notice of assessment in Communication history.

For more information, see Your notice of assessment.

Other electronic communication to clients

If your client has created a myGov account that is linked to the ATO, they will receive their notice of assessment, tax receipts and most communication from us electronically via their myGov Inbox.

Communications sent to your clients via their myGov Inbox will not be sent to you in paper form. You can view those communications in Communication history in Online services for agents.

You can choose where our digital communications are sent using Communication preferences in Online services for agents.

We will keep you informed about the progress of your clients' tax returns and any delays.