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Lodge your first tax return

Find out what you need to do if you are preparing and lodging a tax return for the first time.

Last updated 20 June 2024

Preparing to lodge your first return

Before you lodge a tax return each income year you need to work out if you need to lodge a tax return. If you don’t need to lodge, you still need to lodge a non-lodgment advice.

You should also check what’s new for individuals for updates and changes this tax time.

To lodge your tax return make sure you have all your information available, including:

If you lodge your tax return online using myTax, we will pre-fill some information for you. To lodge online you will need to create a myGov account and link it to the ATO.

How to lodge your tax return

Most individuals who earn income and had tax withheld from that income need to lodge a tax return. If you need to lodge you can choose how you prepare and lodge your tax return.

You can choose to:

If you need help to prepare and lodge your tax return, you may be eligible for our free Tax Help program. This is a service to help eligible individuals with simple tax affairs.

Tax return due date

If you are preparing and lodging your own tax return, you have from 1 July to 31 October to lodge. If you lodge online we will pre-fill most of your information in your tax return for you. You'll be less likely to leave something out.

After you lodge

If you lodge online, most tax returns process within 2 weeks (10 business days).

If you lodge by paper, tax returns can take up to 10 weeks (50 business days). If your tax return requires manual checks, it may take longer to process.

The quickest and easiest way to check the progress of your tax return is by using our self-help services.

Once we process your tax return, we'll send you your notice of assessment. If you have a tax debt, check our advice on why you may receive a tax bill.

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