The TFN report is to be completed by the trustee of a closely held trust to report tax file numbers (TFNs) and other personal details quoted to them by beneficiaries of the trust.
See also:
When you must lodge the report
You must lodge a TFN report for the quarter the beneficiary quotes their TFN to you. The report is due by the last day of the month following the end of the quarter in which the TFN was quoted (or within such further time as the Commissioner allows). For example, if a TFN was quoted in the July-September quarter, the report would be due on or before 31 October.
Only lodge a report for a quarter in which you have information to report.
Do not lodge a TFN report containing information previously reported unless we have notified you that the information provided was incorrect or missing.
Keep a copy of the completed report for your records and send the original to the address on the form.
Completing the report
The TFN reportThis link will download a file (NAT 73651, 362KB) is a fillable PDF that can be completed online, saved and printed. You will need to select each field to complete. If you prefer to complete by hand, print a blank copy of the form.
Lodging the report
Standard Business Reporting
You can lodge your TFN report electronically using Standard Business ReportingExternal Link (SBR) enabled software - talk to your software provider to find out if they offer this service.
Lodge the paper form
Keep a copy of the completed TFN report for your records and return the original and any additional beneficiary information pages to the address provided on the report.
How a beneficiary quotes their TFN
When a beneficiary quotes their TFN they also need to provide you with their:
- full name
- date of birth (individuals only)
- postal address
- residential address for individuals (not a PO Box or private mailbag)
- business address for non-individuals (not a PO Box).
There is no prescribed format for the provision of this information. Beneficiaries may provide this information either verbally or in writing (including an electronic format) to the trustee to meet the requirements.
Beneficiaries subject to the TFN withholding rules
The TFN withholding rules apply to most beneficiaries of closely held trusts, including:
- a company
- an individual
- a partnership
- a self-managed super fund
- a super fund
- trust.
Beneficiaries not subject to the TFN withholding rules include:
- beneficiaries of a closely held trust, that is a unit trust, and already subject to other TFN withholding rules
- non-residents for tax purposes
- exempt entities as defined in the tax laws such as tax concession charities, deductible gift recipients and other entities that self-assess their status as income tax exempt
- beneficiaries under a legal disability (for example, minors).
What we do with the information provided in the report
We will match the information provided in the TFN report against our records.
If the information provided in the report does not match our records (for example, an incorrect TFN) we will notify you by letter.
If you receive a letter, you should check your records. You may also need to contact the beneficiary for the correct details.
Where the beneficiary provides you with updated details, you must report this in a report for the quarter in which you received them.
If the beneficiary chooses not to quote their TFN and personal details to you, or you are advised by us they are considered not to have quoted their TFN, you must withhold from any payments or distributions made to them at the top rate of tax (refer to tax tables for current rate).
If you make a mistake in the report
You can correct any mistakes by obtaining the correct information and lodging it in a new TFN report.
Completing the report
The following instructions will help you complete and lodge a TFN report:
- If you are filling in the report on screen, complete and print the report in one session (data entered cannot be saved when you close the file).
- If you are filling in the report by hand, print clearly in BLOCK LETTERS using a black or blue pen.
- Ensure you sign the declaration before sending the report to the address provided on the form.
Section A: Closely held trust information
For the quarter
Complete the start and finish dates of the quarter in which the beneficiaries quoted their TFN to you.
It is important that quarter dates are in the correct format as follows:
- 01/07/20XX to 30/09/20XX
- 01/10/20XX to 31/12/20XX
- 01/01/20XX to 31/03/20XX
- 01/04/20XX to 30/06/20XX
If the TFN is quoted part way through a quarter, please enter the start and finish dates for the full quarter.
Trust tax file number (TFN)
Complete the TFN of the closely held trust. Do not use the TFN of the trustee.
Name of trust
Complete the full name of the closely held trust.
Postal address
Complete the postal address of the closely held trust.
Full name of the trustee
Complete the full name of the trustee. Include a daytime contact phone number in case we need to contact you.
Section B: Beneficiary information
For each beneficiary who has quoted their TFN and personal details, complete in full. Leave the field blank where you do not have information to report - for example, the Australian business number (ABN).
TFN
Complete the TFN of the beneficiary.
To lodge an accurate and valid TFN report, you must quote the beneficiary's TFN.
Entity type
Print X in the appropriate box for the entity type of the beneficiary.
Complete the postal address of the beneficiary.
Complete the following details for a beneficiary who is an individual:
- print X in the appropriate box for the beneficiary's title
- family and given names
- date of birth
- home/residential address (not a PO Box).
If the beneficiary postal address is the same as the home/residential address, do not write 'AS ABOVE' - complete the beneficiary postal address in full.
Complete the following details for a beneficiary that is a non-individual:
- full name of the entity
- ABN (if applicable)
- business address (not a PO Box).
To ensure that the entity name you provide is able to be matched correctly, quote the name exactly as it appears on ATO correspondence you have received, including correct spacing, spelling and punctuation.
The beneficiary should provide this information to you if they do not want to have amounts withheld from payments you make to them.
It is important that the beneficiary provides you with the TFN and personal details as held on our records. If the details provided do not match the information on our records, we may not be able to confirm that the TFN is correct and may notify you that the beneficiary is considered to have not quoted their TFN.
The beneficiary can find this information on their most recent notice of assessment or other correspondence received from us.
Ensure that you complete details in the correct entity field - for example, putting a non-individual name, even if correct, in the surname field will cause a mismatch to occur.
More than six beneficiaries
When lodging the TFN report by paper, if you have more than six beneficiaries to report, you must:
If completing the report on screen … |
If completing the report on paper … |
|---|---|
print the form after completing the details for six beneficiaries then reset the form and complete 'Section B: Beneficiary information' again (depending on the number of beneficiaries you need to report, you may have to repeat this action). |
photocopy 'Section B: Beneficiary information' for the required number of beneficiaries and complete the required information. |
Ensure you complete and lodge 'Section B: Beneficiary information' for each beneficiary you need to report to us. Do not attach any other schedules to the TFN report.
Section C: Declaration
The TFN report is a legal document and the law imposes penalties for giving false or misleading information.
The report is to be completed and signed by the trustee. A trustee may authorise a tax agent or other authorised person to complete and lodge the report on their behalf.
The procedures for filling out the TFN report.