Each year the ATO tells tax agents where it will be looking. For 2026 the message is consistent: declare all your income, claim only what you’re entitled to, and keep the records to prove it.
1. All income, not just the payslip
Side-hustle and gig income, interest, dividends, rental income, crypto disposals and foreign income are all pre-filled or data-matched. If you drive for a rideshare platform, sell online or freelance alongside a job, that income belongs in your return.
2. Work-related and business deductions
- Working from home: the fixed-rate method is 70 cents per hour for 2025–26, and you need a record of actual hours worked — not an estimate. Or use the actual-cost method with receipts.
- Car expenses: home-to-work travel is not deductible. For anything else, keep a logbook or a record supporting the cents-per-kilometre claim.
- Self-education: must relate to your current job or business, not one you’d like to have.
- ATO interest charges: no longer deductible from 1 July 2025 — another reason to lodge and pay on time.
3. Records, records, records
A bank statement line is not a receipt. For most claims over $300 in total you need written evidence showing the supplier, amount, date and what was bought. Depreciating assets need a schedule, and rental properties need loan statements and agent summaries.
4. Don’t take tax advice from social media
The ATO has flagged a rise in incorrect deduction “hacks” circulating online, and in impersonation scams. If a claim sounds too good to be true, ask us before you lodge.
Lodging yourself? Remember 31 October.
Self-lodgers must lodge by 31 October 2026. Engage a registered tax agent before then and you’ll generally have until May 2027, with someone checking you haven’t missed anything.
