Electronic lodgment
As tax law allows, you can lodge documents electronically on behalf of your clients. We can pay some refunds by electronic funds transfer (EFT) to you, if authorised by your client.
There are also administrative safeguards in the legislation designed to protect taxpayers and registered agents. For example, taxpayers must sign a declaration before you can file their tax return.
To help you meet these obligations, your software may prevent you from sending a form to us unless you've recorded in your system that the required declaration has been completed.
Depending on your software, the electronic declaration may include:
- taxpayer declaration
- EFT declaration
- agent certificate.
Your software may allow you to print a declaration in the required format.
Exercise care
Taxpayers and registered agents must still exercise care when preparing returns and forms and must keep appropriate records for specified periods.
The penalties that apply to incorrect statements in paper documents also apply to statements in electronically transmitted documents.
Taxpayer declaration
Each time you lodge an approved form on behalf of your clients, the law requires you to have first received a signed declaration in writing from your client.
This requirement includes all approved forms, such as activity statements and tax returns.
EFT declaration
We pay refunds electronically to a properly nominated Australian financial institution account, including third-party accounts.
The taxpayer (your client) must complete a written declaration nominating the account and authorising us to pay the refund electronically. The declaration will apply to all income tax payments made by us, until a subsequent declaration is provided.
The reconciliation report shows details of the EFT refunds sent to your trust account.