Communication
How to view and send within the Communication menu.
On this page
Client mail
The Client mail inbox lets you view your clients' communications that have been sent to you digitally when your clients’ communication preferences are set to your practice.
These communications are also available in the Communication history.
Client mail can also be added as a feature on the agent home page.
To view communications where the communication preferences are set to your practice, select Communication then Client mail.
Note: You can also check Communication history for communications sent to your clients including other communication types such as SMS and paper that you won’t receive in your Client mail inbox.
Communication history
The Communication history gives you access to view available digital correspondence we send to your clients via the following channels:
- myGov
- email
- SMS
- paper
- agent digital – used to send digital communications to Online services for agents when you have set up Communication preferences to your practice
- ATO Online – used to send a digital copy of a statement of tax record and digital activity statement notice.
Some communications cannot be sent digitally. These will continue to be sent by post and won't be viewable in Communication history. We'll continue to add more communication types to enhance this function further.
If your client registers for a myGov account and links it to the ATO, they will get an email or SMS notification from myGov to let them know there are new messages in their myGov Inbox.
If you set communication preferences for your client to your practice, then the client won't get an email or SMS notification from myGov. However, the correspondence will be available in Client Mail and Communication history in Online services for agents and Communication history in the clients myGov Inbox.
To view a client's communication history, see Communication history – client summary.
To view your communication history, from the agent home page:
- select Communication then Communication history
- select or deselect All clients depending on the communications you want to view.
- for up to 3 clients deselect All clients and type the client identifier.
- if searching for multiple clients you can only use the same identifier type, TFN or ABN – you can use a combination of the identifier and name.
- select Type
- select Time period using the drop-down menu – Last 24 hours; Last 7 days; Last 30 days; Last 5 years (client summary only); or Choose dates
- select Channel
- myGov
- email
- SMS
- paper
- agent digital
- ATO online services
- then Search – results will be displayed
- select Download CSV – a new window will open with the search results as an Excel spreadsheet
- select Print friendly version to print or save a copy.
You can view and download a digital activity statement notice for quarterly GST and PAYG instalments (forms R, S and T) for your clients who lodge activity statements electronically.
To view and download a client's digital activity statement notice from the agent home page:
- select Communication then Communication history
- select or deselect All Clients depending on what you want to view
- then select Activity statements tick box, and deselect Communications tick box
- select the Time period and then Search – this will display the list of clients and their Digital Activity Statement Notice.
If your client's registered delivery preference is paper, we will continue to send paper instalment notices. We don't change their delivery preferences from paper to electronic unless you have lodged electronically.
Practice mail
Practice mail allows you to communicate with us by a secure email channel, as well as view messages you have sent.
Within your practice, you may have access to more than one mailbox; your own, the practice's or another person in the practice.
What you can view depends on your Access Manager permissions. For:
- your own mailbox – you will have full email functionality to create, send, delete, reply, allocate and set up notifications (you will need your own myGovID to create your own mailbox)
- the practice mailbox – you can view, delete, allocate or set up notifications (you can't create, send or reply to an email)
- other mailboxes in your practice – you can view and allocate emails but cannot action or delete emails.
Note: Before AUSkey was decommissioned, you could have multiple mailboxes as you could have one mailbox for each AUSkey you had. While an AUSkey can no longer be used, the mailboxes still exist for reference purposes. To respond to mail in these mailboxes, a user with admin access must first move them to your new myGovID mailbox. Each user can only have one myGovID and consequently only have one mailbox.
To view mail:
- select Communication then Practice mail
- select the relevant mailbox – the mailboxes you can view depends on your Access Manager permissions
- select Inbox or Sent – you can sort by Client, Subject and Received date.
To allocate mail for the practice mailbox you will need to be a principal authority or authorisation administrator in Relationship Authorisation ManagerExternal Link (RAM).
You can then:
- select mail items to Allocate to the relevant person in your practice
- set up notifications – if you have the relevant Access Manager permissions, you can set up email notifications for your own mailbox and the practice mailbox to alert you when you receive Practice mail messages from us by
- selecting Notifications at the bottom of the screen
- entering an email address
- selecting Save.
You can also view our View, allocate and send practice mail video.
Send a new message
When sending a mail messages ensure you:
- have a separate message for each subject
- include clear client identifiers such as their full name, TFN or ABN, receipt ID or case ID
- attach all supporting documentation, up to a maximum of 6 attachments.
To send a new message:
- from the Agent home page select Communication then Practice mail, or from Client summary select Profile then New messages
- select New
- select the topic and subject of your message. Certain messages require an attachment. See Forms required to be attached for a list of the topics and subjects in which require a form to be attached.
- complete the required fields and attach the relevant form if required
- select the Declaration then select Send
- select Print friendly version to print or save a copy.
Note: You will receive an ATO receipt ID when the message has successfully been sent. You will need to quote this number to us when enquiring about the request.
Forms required to be attached
Topic and subject
The mail topics and subjects available to you depend on if you are a tax or BAS agent:
Tax agents
Tax agent mail topic and subject list
Topic
|
Subject
|
Activity statements
|
- Agent assessed deferral
- ATO assessed deferral
- Cancellation of FTL penalty (safe harbour)
- Debit or nil balance enquiry
- How do I complete my activity statement?
- Payment arrangement request
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Refund for activity statement
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge (GIC)
- Remission of non-electronic notification or non-electronic payment penalty
- Status of BAS refund (where greater than 14 days since BAS was lodged)
- Substantiation for activity statement refund
|
Debt and lodgment
|
- Agent assessed deferral
- ATO assessed deferral
- ATO assessed deferral – Taxable payments annual report
- Bulk client removal
- Cancellation of FTL penalty (safe harbour)
- Closely held deferral request
- Debit or nil balance query
- Managed lodgment program
- Payment arrangement request
- Payment arrangement with supporting documents
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
- Remission of late lodgment penalty – tax agent requests
- Remission of shortfall interest charge
- Supported lodgment program
- Taxable payments annual report
|
Excise
|
- Alcohol enquiry
- Audit
- Collections returns
- Duty-free store enquiry
- Fuel tax credit enquiry (not to be used for registration requests)
- Other fuel scheme enquiry
- Petroleum enquiry
- Product stewardship for oil – category 1 test
- Technical advice request
- Tobacco enquiry
- WET, FTC, LCT registration
- Wine equalisation tax enquiry (not to be used for registration requests)
|
Exploration incentives
|
- EDI advice
- EDI lodgment
- JMEI advice
- JMEI lodgment
|
Fringe benefits tax (FBT)
|
- Agent assessed deferral
- Agent request for electronic FBT client list
- ATO assessed deferral
- Cancel FBT
- Cancellation of FTL penalty (safe harbour)
- Change details for FBT
- Debit or nil balance enquiry
- FBT amendment request
- FBT non-lodgment advice and FBT returns
- General FBT questions
- Other
- Payment arrangement request
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Register for FBT
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
- Remission of late lodgment penalty – tax agent requests
|
General questions, problems and help
|
- Notify ATO of appointment of new public officer
- Review of decision for deferrals from tax agents
- Review of decisions for the remission of late lodgment penalty – tax agent requests
- Single touch payroll bulk requests
- Single touch payroll deferrals
- Submit Tax Practitioner Assistance request form
- Whole of practice transfer
|
GST
|
- ACNC – elect to exclude grants
- Agent assessed deferral
- Assistance to register or update GST details electronically
- ATO assessed deferral
- Branching registration enquiry
- Charities, religious institutions, non-profit entities
- Consolidation registration enquiry
- Deferral of GST on importations (DGST)
- Education courses
- Export, import or online trading of goods and services
- Financial supplies or Insurance
- Food, entertainment and (SAM) simplified accounting method
- Government grant or funding, taxes, fees, charges
- Grouping registration enquiry
- GST accounting method or cycle change
- GST at settlement
- GST joint venture notification
- Health and medical product or service
- How do I complete my activity statement?
- Land or property transaction (including retirement villages)
- Motor vehicles or luxury car tax
- Other sales, purchases and tax invoice enquiry
- Registrations update
- Time limits on refunds or activity statement amendment
|
Income tax
|
- Agent assessed deferral
- AMIT member choice
- AMIT trustee request for remission of income tax
- ATO assessed deferral
- Cancellation of FTL on time penalty (safe harbour)
- Certificate of residency
- Request for copies of tax documents
- Debit or nil balance query
- Div 7A relief
- ESIC Report NAT 75119 unable to submit online
- Financial hardship refunds
- Income tax return amendment – companies
- Income tax return amendment – partnerships
- Income tax return amendment – superannuation funds
- Income tax return amendment – trusts
- Lodge loss carry back claim form
- Lodge temporary full expensing schedule
- New or re-engaged client deferral
- Payment arrangement request
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Prefilled tax return data incorrect
- Prior year IT amendment for earnout purposes
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
- Remission of late lodgment penalty – tax agent requests
- Remission of shortfall interest charge
- RTP schedule lodgment
- Stapled group – choice form
- Submit 14ZYA notice
- Substituted accounting period (SAP)
|
Individuals audit
|
- Capital gains tax
- Dependent tax offset or Medicare levy exemptions
- Dividends
- Employee share scheme
- Employment income and allowances
- Foreign sourced income
- Higher Education Loan Program or income tests
- Interest or welfare
- Lump sum and eligible termination payments
- Medicare surcharge or private health rebate
- Other
- Partnerships and trust distributions
- Rentals
- Taxable payment annual report
- Work related expenses
|
Lodge report
|
- Annual investment income report extension of time
- Annual investment income report lodgment – PC spreadsheet
- Common Reporting Standard (CRS) extension of time
- Employee share scheme annual report extension of time
- Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) extension of time
- Non-resident interest, dividend and royalty annual report lodgment – PC spreadsheet
- Quarterly tax file number report extension of time
- Quarterly tax file number report lodgment – PC spreadsheet
|
Pay as you go (PAYG)
|
- Instalments – change instalment rate
- Instalments – change PAYG instalment cycle
- Instalments – explanation of instalment rate
- Instalments – other instalment queries
- Withholding – ATO cycle change letter received – request to remain on current cycle
- Withholding – cycle change request – withholding amount less than $1 million
- Withholding – cycle change request – withholding amount more than $1 million
|
Petroleum resource rent tax
|
- General enquiries
- PRRT return or instalment lodgment
|
Refunds or remission
|
- ATO pay interest on an early payment – request
- Client overpayment or double payment
- Excess imputation credit refunds
- Financial hardship refunds
- Interest paid on an overpayment of an income tax return
- NRWT – Custodials
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Refund tax withheld
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
- Remission of late lodgment penalty – tax agent requests
- Remission of non-electronic notification or non-electronic payment penalty
- Returned refunds
|
Registrations
|
- Bank account details update request
- Branching registration enquiry
- Consolidation registration enquiry
- Grouping registration enquiry
- GST joint venture notification
- If the online process for cancellation of an ABN or tax obligation hasn't met your requirements
- If the online process for registering an ABN or tax obligation hasn't met your requirements
- If the online process for updating contact details hasn't met your requirements
- If the online process for updating name and address details hasn't met your requirements
- If the online process for updating other registration details hasn't met your requirements
- Non-resident 4157 registration
- Non-residents registration enquiry
- Notify ATO of appointment of a new public officer
- WET, FTC, LCT registration
|
Reported transactions
|
- Business transactions through Payment systems
- Government grants
- Taxable payments
|
Statement request or account details
|
- Debit or nil balance enquiry
- Payment arrangement request
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
|
Study and training support loans
|
- Income contingent loans (ICL Accounts)
|
Superannuation
|
- Agent request for additional time to lodge
- Approved SMSF Auditor number enquiries
- Are there superannuation monies for a client on the lost members register?
- Direct claim payout from the superannuation holding account special account (SHA)
- Is a particular fund registered as a complying super fund?
- Lodge SGC statement
- Lodge Super Guarantee Opt Out Form
- Lodgment – Transfer balance account report
- Manual payment request
- NCC balance
- Other
- Payment and transfer of superannuation holdings reserve
- Payment arrangement request
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Refund request
- Remission of general interest charge
- SG Statement of account or account query
- SMSF cancellation of registration where the fund hasn't legally established
- SMSF Early engagement and voluntary disclosure
- SMSF new registrant – return not necessary request
- SMSF product ruling
- SMSF specific advice
|
Trustee services
|
|
BAS agents
BAS agent mail topic and subject list
Topic
|
Subject
|
Activity statements
|
- Agent assessed deferral
- ATO assessed deferral
- Cancellation of FTL penalty (safe harbour)
- Debit or nil balance enquiry
- Fuel tax credit enquiry (not to be used for registration requests)
- How do I complete my activity statement?
- Payment arrangement request
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Refund for activity statement
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
- Remission of non-electronic notification or non-electronic payment penalty
- Status of BAS refund (where greater than 14 days since BAS was lodged)
- Substantiation for activity statement refund
- Wine equalisation tax enquiry (not to be used for registration requests)
|
Debt and lodgment
|
- Agent assessed deferral
- ATO assessed deferral
- Bulk client removal
- Debit or nil balance query
- Managed lodgment program
- Payment arrangement request
- Payment arrangement with supporting documents
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
- Supported lodgment program
- Taxable payments annual report
|
General questions, problems and help
|
- Review of decision for deferrals from BAS agents
- Single touch payroll bulk requests
- Single touch payroll deferrals
- Submit Tax Practitioner Assistance request form
- Whole of practice transfer
|
GST
|
- Agent assessed deferral
- Assistance to register or update GST details electronically
- ATO assessed deferral
- Charities, religious institutions, non-profit entities
- Deferral of GST on importations (DGST)
- Education courses
- Export, import or online trading of goods and services
- Financial supplies or Insurance
- Food, entertainment and SAM (simplified accounting method)
- Government grant or funding, taxes, fees, charges
- GST accounting method or cycle change
- GST at settlement
- Health and medical product or service
- How do I complete my activity statement?
- Land or property transaction (including retirement villages)
- Motor vehicles or luxury car tax
- Other sales, purchases and tax invoice enquiry
- Registrations update
- Time limits on refunds or activity statement amendment
|
Pay as you go (PAYG)
|
- Instalments – change instalment rate
- Instalments – change PAYG instalment cycle
- Instalments – explanation of instalment rate
- Instalments – other instalment queries
- Withholding – ATO cycle change letter received – request to remain on current cycle
- Withholding – cycle change request – withholding amount less than $1 million
- Withholding – cycle change request – withholding amount more than $1 million
|
Refunds or remission
|
- ATO pay interest on an early payment – request
- Client overpayment or double payment
- Financial hardship refunds
- NRWT – Custodials
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Refund tax withheld
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
- Remission of non-electronic notification or non-electronic payment penalty
- Returned refunds
|
Registrations
|
- Bank account details update request
- If the online process for updating contact details hasn't met your requirements
- If the online process for updating name and address details hasn't met your requirements
- If the online process for updating other registration details hasn't met your requirements
- WET, FTC, LCT registration
|
Statement request / account details
|
- Debit or nil balance enquiry
- Payment arrangement request
- Penalty or interest calculation
- Remission of failure to lodge on time penalty
- Remission of general interest charge
|
Superannuation
|
- Lodge SG statement
- Other
- SG Statement of account or account query
|
Preferences
The Communication preferences feature lets you and your clients choose where our digital communications are sent. It allows you to set a client's communication preferences to reflect their circumstances and your engagement with us.
You should only set communication preferences for communication types a client has authorised you to act on. Before you set or update their communication preferences, ensure you have clear and express written authorisation from your client and their declaration that the information they provided to you to set or update their communication preferences is true and correct. For more information, see Client communication.
You can choose to apply preferences to as many or as few clients as you wish. Communication preferences won't change activity statement lodgment channels or activity statement lodgment notifications.
Before setting communication preferences, consider if its functionality will benefit your entire practice.
You need to set default communication preferences before you can set any client preferences. This allows you to set, at the practice level, the default communication preferences (or favourites) that can be applied to your clients.
Before setting communication preference you will need written authority from your client. For more information, see Client communication.
To set the default preference for the practice at the agent home page:
- select Communication then Preferences
- select Practice or Client to determine who we should send communications to for each communication type
- select Apply.
Note: Setting a client’s communication preferences to Practice will designate Online services for agents as their preferred address for service for certain ATO communications.
Communication preferences can then be set:
- when you add a client
- individually at their Profile
- using the Bulk preferences function for up to 25 clients at a time.
See Communication preferences to change individual settings.
Bulk preferences
To set up to 25 clients communication preferences:
- select Communication then Bulk preferences
- create a list of up to 25 clients
- select Apply default communication preference or a combination of Practice or Client to determine who we send these clients' communications to for each communication type
- select Submit.
See Setting client communication preferences for more detailed information.
Historical transactions
In Historical transactions you can check the status of enquiries you've made with us for your client or your practice.
These include:
- Online services for agents
- mail messages
- online forms
- refund requests
- transfer requests
- mail
- phone
- fax.
This function only shows a list of interactions and their status. You cannot view the content of the message. If you no longer have the content for a specific interaction, contact us with the receipt number.
Interactions remain viewable for 3 months after the completion date.
To view interactions for your practice, at the agent home page select Communication then Historical transactions
To view interactions for a client see Historical transactions – client summary.
You can return to the top of this Online services for agents user guide for help on other areas.