Things to know
This section is for primary producers only.
Complete this section if you made farm management deposits or had repayments during 2023–24.
The farm management deposits (FMD) scheme is designed to enable primary producers to deal with uneven income flows by making deposits during prosperous years and receiving repayments during less prosperous years.
A FMD provider is an institution that accepts farm management deposits.
An FMD owner is a person who makes an eligible farm management deposit.
Subject to basic rules, you can deduct FMDs in the year in which you make them.
If any FMDs that you have previously claimed as a tax deduction are repaid, the repayments are treated as assessable income in the year in which they are made.
If your FMD contains both deductible and non-deductible deposits, when you receive a repayment, we consider you to have withdrawn any non-deductible amounts first.
Amounts that are repaid within 12 months of deposit don't receive concessional treatment unless the repayment is due to a natural disaster or severe drought.
The following repayments are not assessable income:
- reinvested deposits, or extensions of the term of deposits, with the same FMD provider
- merged deposits, provided certain conditions are met
- transfers of the same deposit amount from one FMD provider to another, such as
- electronic transfers from a liquidated authorised deposit-taking institution (ADI) to a new ADI
- transfers by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority under the Financial Claims Scheme.
Completing this section
You may need:
- your account statement from your FMD provider
- Information for primary producers
To personalise your return to show farm management deposits or repayments, at Personalise return select:
- You were a sole trader or had business income or losses or partnership distributions
- Net farm management deposits or repayments
To show your farm management deposits or repayments, at Prepare return select 'Add/Edit' at the Business/sole trader and partnership income banner.
At the Net farm management deposits or repayments banner:
- Add up your deductible deposits you made in 2023–24, and enter the total into Deductible deposits.
- Add up your early repayments you withdrew during 2023–24 that qualify for the natural disaster or severe drought exception, and enter the total into Early repayments – natural disaster and drought.
If you withdrew in 2023–24 a deposit you made in 2022–23 for which you claimed the deduction, you don't need to lodge an amendment to your 2022–23 tax return. - Add up the FMDs you held for 12 months or more that were repaid during 2023–24, and enter the total into Other repayments.
MyTax will calculate your Net farm management deposits or repayments amount by adding together Early repayments – natural disaster and drought and Other repayments, then reducing the total by Deductible deposits. - Select Save.
- Select Save and continue when you have completed the Business/sole trader and partnership income section.
Record keeping
You will need to keep the following documents:
- statement of account from your FMD provider
- proof that you received Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) Category C assistance for primary producers.
Small business income tax offset
You may be entitled to the small business income tax offset if any part of:
- Net farm management deposits or repayments relates to a business you carry on as a sole trader and you are a small business entity
- Other repayments relates to a partnership or trust that is a small business entity.
We use these amounts to work out your entitlement to the small business income tax offset. For more information, see Small business income tax offset.