Tax Help appointments

Role of a Tax Help centre coordinator

The centre coordinator’s role is to:

• introduce Tax Help volunteers to key people in the centre
• ensure the person booking Tax Help client appointments is aware of their responsibilities
• create a roster based on volunteer availability and notify them of upcoming appointments
• ensure volunteers have a private room or workspace to conduct appointments, containing
  • a desk and at least 2 chairs
  • a shelf or drawer to store stationery and personal belongings
  • a phone, or access to a phone in a private area nearby
  • a computer with internet connection
• ensure the safety of volunteers by making sure they're not left alone at the centre and that they're aware of the centre’s security, and health and safety policies
• provide volunteers access to stationery items supplied by Tax Help
• promote Tax Help within the centre and community
• submit administrative documents to facilitate timely reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses to volunteers
• maintain regular contact with Tax Help
• ensure any Tax Help equipment loaned to the centre is used appropriately, stored securely, and returned to the Tax Help team as soon as possible after the Tax Help season has finished.

Making the appointment

When making a Tax Help appointment for a client, the centre will check their eligibility.

Tax Help eligibility

Step	Check	Yes	No
1	Is your income $70,000 or less?	Go to step 2	Tax Help can't help you. See Your tax return or phone our infoline on 13 28 61 for more information.
2	During the income year, did you: Run or own your own business? Operate under a labour hire agreement quoting your ABN? Receive any royalties? Receive income from either a public unit trust or a public trading trust? Own or share ownership in a rental property? Make a capital gain or capital loss by selling shares or other capital assets?	Tax Help can't help you. Please refer to Your tax return or phone our infoline on 13 28 61 for more information.	Tax Help can help you complete your current year tax return. Make an appointment.

If a client has a family member or friend who also needs help, a separate appointment should be made.

Similarly, clients who need help with more than one return or form will need additional appointments.

Appointment confirmation

The Tax Help centre provides the Tax Help client with an appointment confirmation (PDF, 131KB)This link will download a file.

It shows the time and date of their appointment and what they should bring.

Appointment record

When you arrive at your Tax Help centre you will be handed a Tax Help appointment record (PDF, 654KB)This link will download a file which shows the names of the clients you will be helping. The client’s information has been entered by the person who made the appointment.

When you have completed your appointments for the day, return the appointment record to your centre manager or nominee. They will forward this information to us at the end of each month.

If you completed a non-lodgment advice or just provided advice to your client, please ensure you indicate this on the appointment record.

After the appointment

The Tax Help centre and volunteer's responsibility to a client ends once the client's tax returns or forms are completed.

A client may return to the centre with an enquiry about their tax return or notice of assessment. You should explain to the client that Tax Help volunteers can't provide any further help and advise them they can either:

• track the progress of their return in ATO online services
• phone our Individuals enquiries on 13 28 61.

Conflict resolution

Sometimes conflict may arise between you and a representative of the Tax Help centre. This may include issues around appointment rostering or clients consistently arriving for appointments unprepared. If you're unable to resolve an issue with the centre manager or representative or are uncomfortable discussing it with them, contact the Tax Help team.

Conducting a Tax Help appointment

Adequate preparation will help ensure the Tax Help appointment runs smoothly. Before the first client arrives at the Tax Help centre make sure you are prepared.

Find out what you need for:

• Rostering
• Preparing for the appointment
• Greeting the client
• Encouraging client participation
• Showing clients what is available online
• Loss of internet connection

Rostering

We suggest that when you first start as a Tax Help volunteer, you set aside a longer time for each appointment – for example, 45 minutes. As tax time progresses and you feel more comfortable, this can be reduced in consultation with a representative from the centre.

A minimum of 3 or 4 appointments should be scheduled for each half day. Don’t forget to include time for meal or refreshment breaks if appointments span several hours.

If the centre is available and you wish to take Tax Help appointments outside the hours of 8:00 am – 8:00 pm Monday to Friday, you must discuss this with the Tax Help team as we can't assist you outside these hours.

Have a conversation with the centre representative about the best way for them to contact you to let you know about your appointments.

If you can't attend an appointment, tell the centre as soon as possible. This will allow time to arrange another volunteer or reschedule the appointment to another time. If you're unable to contact the centre, contact Tax Help.

If you're going to be unavailable for a significant period of time, please advise Tax Help as early as possible.

Preparing for the appointment

To make sure you are prepared for your first appointment, make sure you:

• display your name badge
• have a list of your appointment times and names of clients
• have access to a phone and a private area
• arrange seating to allow both you and the client to view the computer screen
• have ensured your computer is turned on and working
• have logged onto the internet
• have logged in to AAP
• open the myGov login page
• have pens, paper, disclaimers
• have your volunteer and centre ID numbers handy.

Remember, it's not necessary for you to know the answers to all the questions the client may ask. It's more important to know how and where to find the answers.

If you have spare time between appointments browse our website especially the pages referred to in Tax Help training. The more familiar you are with these pages the easier it will be to find information when you need it.

Greeting the client

Your first interaction with the client is important. Making the client feel welcome and relaxed will help you to feel more confident during the appointment. You should:

• greet the client with a smile, using their name where appropriate
• introduce yourself – you need only use your first name
• always apologise if you are running late.

Invite the client into your 'office' and:

• ensure the client is seated comfortably
• tell the client that myTax will be used to complete their tax return and the tax return will be lodged online to the ATO
• explain to the client that you will be using pre-fill where possible and that this makes completing their tax return easier and quicker
• complete a disclaimer, explain why, and ask the client to sign it
• offer the client the opportunity to complete the tax return themselves – encourage them but don't force them.

Encouraging client participation

Educating clients is a key objective of the Tax Help program. Encourage the client to create a myGov account and complete their own tax return whenever possible.

You will still need to open ATO online and enter your Tax Help details but the client should be offered the opportunity to input information themselves. If they choose to do this, you should give as much or as little help as they need.

Regardless of whether you or the client completes the tax return your client is required to sign a disclaimer form. You should still input your volunteer and centre ID numbers, to show it was a Tax Help assisted lodgment.

Start by enquiring about the documents they have brought with them. Check the dates and names. Ensure that all the documents relate to the client and to the relevant income year.

Show the client how to group together their documents:

• all income, such as payment summaries, dividend and managed fund statements
• items relating to deductions, such as receipts and travel diaries
• private health insurance statement and details of medical expenses
• spouse information
• bank account details.

Remind them that documents may contain more than one piece of information – for example, a payment summary may also show an allowance or union fees. Point out any examples of these to the client.

If the client prefers you to complete the tax return invite them to watch while you input information. You may need to re-arrange your desk or their chair so they can view the screen comfortably.

Some of the ways to involve the client while you are completing the tax return are to:

• explain the benefits of pre-fill and how it allows them to access financial details held by us to help complete their tax return
• show them all pre-fill information and ask them to confirm it's correct (where possible, check against the documents they have with them)
• suggest they read out the information from their documents for you to key in
• allow them to read the information shown on each screen
• demonstrate how to navigate the system
• show them how to access the help files and explain how it can help answer their questions
• at the verification and lodgment stage explain each step as you go
• encourage them to ask questions
• ask them if they feel confident enough to lodge their own tax return next year.

Showing clients what is available online

Volunteers can show clients the online services they can use to manage their tax and superannuation.

Due to time constraints, you may not be able to show the client all the services. At a minimum, you should show the client how to check the progress of their tax return, update their personal details, and find and manage their super online.

You can't provide advice on managing super – clients should seek advice from a professional advisor.

ATO online services you can show Tax Help clients include:

• check the progress of your tax return
• view and update your personal details including change of name and contact details
• find and manage your super
• view, print or amend your tax return (from 2015 onwards)
• view your notice of assessment
• lodge your tax return using myTax – or tell us if you don’t need to lodge a tax return
• lodge a refund of franking credits application
• make a payment or create a payment plan
• view your tax and activity statement account balance and transactions
• view your study and training support loan account balance and transactions
• receive most of your personal ATO letters directly to your myGov Inbox, rather than by mail.

Loss of internet connection

Tax Help is an online service. A secure and constant connection to the internet is needed. Losing the connection restricts what you can do. Lost connections are generally out of your control. If the internet connection is lost, try the following:

• check if there are other users in the building with the same problem
• check cables are attached and power available
• try to re-establish the connection
• try rebooting the modem – turn it off completely and restart.

If none of these options work, or the internet connection doesn't reset itself in a reasonable amount of time, you may have to consider rescheduling the appointment.

Work with the Tax Help centre co-ordinator if you need to reschedule appointments. Sometimes, lack of available appointments or constraints on client time, may mean you need to refer the client to a Tax Help centre nearby. Ask your Tax Help co-ordinator for these centres.

 

Return to: Tax Help program training.