Welcome and governance
The ATO Co-chair welcomed members and ATO attendees to the first Tax Practitioner Stewardship Group (TPSG) Tax Time 2025 meeting.
ATO updates
Frontline Services
Frontline Services provided the following update:
- Tax time has progressed well on day 1, noting the day is not over yet.
- We've received 4,000 calls from tax agents so far, which is similar to this time last year.
- Lodgment numbers are slightly higher from this time last year, but we expect this figure to level out throughout the week.
- We've put in place a safety net that may be removed progressively throughout this week.
Member comments
Members queried whether we will investigate and amend tax returns lodged early this year. We stated that this will depend on the circumstances and reiterated the safety net should help prevent this as has been done in previous years.
IT system updates and maintenance
Enterprise Solutions and Technology provided the following update:
- Good system performance throughout the day with notably good response times.
- There is a small issue with the availability of webchat functionality in myTax, which is currently being worked through, but this has had no impact on Online Services for Agents.
ATO Digital services
Digital services are operating as intended and there is nothing to report.
ATO Communications
Marketing and Communications provided the following update:
- Key focus for tax time communications this year is to encourage people to wait until all pre-fill information is available before lodging, with our strategy and messages centered on ‘Back to basics’ themes emphasising record keeping, eligibility to claim, and substantiation.
- The ATO Tax Time Spokesperson has been engaging with a wide range of audiences through media, podcasts, webinars and events, and achieving early reach in partnerships with high-profile consumer brands.
- Our flagship tax time toolkits, including the Investors toolkit, the Individuals tax time toolkit and the Tax time toolkit for small business, have been successfully updated, offering a helpful resource for tax agents to guide conversations with individuals and small business clients.
- A significant focus this tax time is encouraging uptake of the ATO app, with new security features rolling out to keep users safe and their ATO records secure. Recent communication around real time security messaging has been successful in generating uptake, with a number of instances already confirmed of blocking suspected fraud.
- The recent tax time webcast with tax professionals was a success with a total of 2,051 attendees and 132 questions from participants. The recorded version of the webcast will be included in this week’s edition of the Tax professional’s newsletter.
Member comments
Members highlighted that 142,000 early lodged returns last year were adjusted or reviewed for errors is an important message for taxpayers.
Superannuation
Superannuation and Employer Obligations provided the following update:
- Super Guarantee (SG) rate will increase to 12% on 1 July. This rate applies for payments of salary and wages to eligible workers on and after 1 July, even if some or all of the pay period it relates to is before 1 July.
- SG contributions should be made by 28 July in full, on time and to the right fund. For the quarter ending 30 June, apply the 11.5% SG rate for salary and wage payments made before 1 July.
- As of 1 July, some pay as you go (PAYG) withholding schedules and tax tables have been updated. Tax agents should ensure they are using the correct tax tables or the tax withheld calculator to work out how much to withhold from employees’ payments
- a reminder to update payroll software to withhold, report and pay the correct amount of tax.
- Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting and finalisation declarations are due by 14 July
- lodge a finalisation declaration for all employees paid and reported through STP so they have the right information to lodge their income tax returns
- finalise all employees paid in the financial year, even those that haven’t been paid for a while, like terminated employees
- if an employer changes payroll software providers, they should finalise records before they change. This ensures employers and employees have accurate information during tax time.
Member insights and experience
Member comments
A professional association representative member raised an issue in relation to an ATO LinkedIn poll asking taxpayers what they thought was the fastest and easiest way to lodge this tax time. Members were disappointed that this poll did not acknowledge lodging through a registered tax agent is also a valid, fast and easy option.
Members raised concerns that ATO communications do not acknowledge the role of tax professionals and in the current environment with changes to the Tax Agent Services Act (TASA), this adds to the increasing unease across the tax professional community.
Members encouraged us to continue to engage the Communication Content Working Group (CCWG) and the TSPG to improve messaging that positions tax agents alongside myTax in our communications.
We expressed appreciation for this feedback and noted that the post was intended to be a light-hearted and engaging way to spark conversation around tax time, rather than a comprehensive overview of lodgment options. We stated that registered tax agents were considered as an option in this poll, however thought placing them alongside choices like paper returns or interpretive dance might unintentionally come across as disrespectful to tax agents, and not in keeping with the playful tone of the post.
We absolutely recognise the vital role tax professionals play and regularly highlight the contributions they make across our channels, encouraging the community to seek support from registered agents. We've taken this feedback on board and will keep this in mind this for all future communications. We apologised to tax professionals for this post and any offence taken and have since taken the poll down.
A professional association representative member raised an increase in their members commenting on ATO outbound calls, where our officers are requesting the tax agents to go through a POI process, which at tax time is causing an increased level of frustration amongst agents.
Members queried whether there is an easier solution to provide verification through a message in Practice Mail.
Members raised the amendments made by the ATO to 142,000 tax returns lodged within the first 2 weeks of tax time last year and whether shortfall interest charge (SIC) was applied to these taxpayers.