FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Create your secure client portal account and select “Onboard immediately.” You will then complete the Scope & Quote Organiser with information about your income, deductions and tax circumstances.

I will review your answers and send you a proposal confirming the required work, responsibilities and fee. Once you accept the engagement, you will complete the secure Client Details & ID Verification form, followed by the relevant tax return organisers and document requests.

No. Gold Standard Tax & Accounting operates virtually from Bunbury and assists clients throughout Australia.

Questionnaires, documents, messages, proposals, tax return reviews and electronic signatures are managed through the secure client portal. Telephone or online appointments can be arranged when required.

You do not need an appointment to request a tax return quote. Create your secure account and complete the Scope & Quote Organiser so I can review your circumstances.

If you would prefer to discuss your needs first, you can book a free 15-minute discovery call to explain what you need and confirm the next step.

I provide online tax and accounting support for individuals, sole traders, rental property owners, investors and small businesses.

Services include individual tax returns, sole trader business schedules, rental property schedules, investments, capital gains, cryptocurrency, foreign income, company, trust and partnership returns, prior-year returns and amendments.

Ongoing bookkeeping, catch-up bookkeeping, financial reporting, payroll support and BAS preparation and lodgment are also available.

A simple individual tax return currently starts from $187 including GST under introductory pricing. The standard price is $220.

An individual return with one straightforward additional schedule starts from $319, while complex individual returns start from $550.

Further straightforward schedules start from $99 each. Complex or high-volume work is quoted according to the work required. Your final scope and fee are confirmed before preparation begins.

A schedule is an additional component required when your tax return includes circumstances beyond a simple salary-and-wage return.

Examples include a sole trader business, rental property, investment or capital gains activity, foreign income or cryptocurrency transactions.

The price depends on the number of activities, the complexity of the calculations and the quality of the records supplied. Straightforward additional schedules start from $99 each.

Yes. I review your Scope & Quote Organiser before any tax preparation begins.

You will receive a proposal confirming the work, responsibilities and fee. Nothing proceeds until you have reviewed and accepted the engagement.

If new information later changes the agreed scope, I will explain the additional work and obtain your approval before proceeding.

The required documents depend on your circumstances. They may include income statements, bank interest, dividend or managed-fund statements, rental property statements, business income and expense records, receipts, logbooks, cryptocurrency reports, foreign income records and private health insurance information.

Your organiser will identify the information relevant to your circumstances. I will contact you through the portal if anything further is required.

ATO pre-fill information is helpful, but it must still be checked against your own records. Information can be incomplete, incorrect or not yet reported when preparation begins.

You remain responsible for disclosing all income and relevant circumstances, including anything that does not appear in the pre-fill report. Please provide your available records so the information can be reviewed and corrected where necessary.

Upload your documents through the secure client portal rather than sending sensitive tax or identity information through ordinary email.

You can upload files using a computer, phone or tablet. Clear photographs are acceptable where the entire document is visible, readable and not cut off.

Documents should be uploaded to the request or folder provided so they can be matched to the correct financial year and category.

Yes. You must complete identity verification before we access ATO information or provide tax agent services.

After you accept your engagement, you will receive the secure Client Details & ID Verification form, which explains what information and documents are required.

Do not send identity documents or your tax file number through ordinary email or an unsecured message.

Tell me what is missing as early as possible. ATO pre-fill information, replacement statements or information obtained from the original provider may help fill some gaps.

Figures cannot be invented, and deductions must be supported by appropriate information and records. If sufficient evidence cannot be obtained, I may be unable to include the relevant claim.

Substantial record reconstruction, catch-up bookkeeping or document clean-up may require a separate quote.

Preparation begins once your engagement, identity verification, organisers and required documents are complete.

The timeframe depends on the complexity of your return, the quality of your records, whether additional information is required and the applicable supervision and review process.

I will contact you if anything is missing or requires clarification. Preparation time is separate from the ATO’s processing time after lodgment.

Deductions are assessed according to your circumstances, the applicable tax rules and the records you provide.

An expense is not automatically deductible simply because it was paid during the year. It must have the required connection to earning assessable income and must not be private or capital unless specifically allowed. Expenses with both private and income-producing use must be appropriately apportioned.

I may request receipts, invoices, calculations, diaries, logbooks or other evidence before including a claim.

Yes. Once preparation and the required supervisory review are complete, your tax return and declaration will be provided through the secure client portal.

You must review the information carefully and tell me if anything is incorrect or missing. You will then sign the required declaration electronically.

Your return will not be lodged until the required review, approval and signature process has been completed.

Yes. Taxation services are offered through the registered business name Gold Standard Tax & Accounting, ABN 81 242 982 671, under the supervision of The Accounting Academy Services Pty Limited, ABN 93 671 788 355, registered tax agent number 26233096.

You continue to deal directly with me for communication, documents and support. Tax services are reviewed and monitored under the supervision arrangement to support accuracy, compliance and professional standards.

No tax practitioner can guarantee that you will receive a refund or promise a particular refund amount before reviewing your complete circumstances.

Your result depends on factors including your income, tax withheld, deductions, offsets, private health insurance, Medicare obligations, study and training loan repayments and existing ATO debts.

I will identify the lawful deductions and entitlements supported by your information and records, but I cannot manufacture deductions or guarantee a “maximum refund.”

Yes. I can assist with one or several overdue tax returns where the required information can be obtained.

Available ATO pre-fill information and your records will be reviewed to determine what is required for each year. If records are missing, replacement statements or other supporting information may need to be obtained.

Each overdue return is separately scoped and quoted. Lodging an overdue return does not guarantee that the ATO will remit any existing penalty or interest.

Yes. I can review a previously lodged return and determine whether an amendment is appropriate and supported by the available records.

Individuals generally have two years from the date of the relevant Notice of Assessment to request an amendment, although different periods and exceptions can apply.

If the ordinary amendment period has expired, another process such as an objection may need to be considered.

I can review the penalty or interest charged and explain the available next steps.

Where appropriate and separately agreed, assistance may include preparing a request for remission of a failure-to-lodge penalty or interest charge under the registered-agent supervision arrangement.

The ATO decides whether an amount will be reduced or remitted, and no outcome can be guaranteed. Remission requests are separately scoped and quoted.

I will confirm when your return has been lodged. The ATO will then process it and issue a Notice of Assessment showing the final assessment, refund or amount payable.

The ATO currently aims to process most electronically lodged individual returns within 12 business days. Returns requiring manual processing or additional review may take longer.

The ATO may also adjust information, apply a refund against an existing debt or request further information.

Your Notice of Assessment will show whether you are entitled to a refund or have an amount payable.

A refund is generally paid to the nominated bank account, but the ATO may use some or all of it to reduce existing tax or government debts.

If you have an amount payable, the Notice of Assessment will provide the due date and payment information. Eligible taxpayers may be able to request a payment plan directly from the ATO.

Payment instructions will be included with your invoice.

Depending on the engagement, payment may be required before work begins, before lodgment or according to the payment terms contained in your accepted proposal.

Professional fees charged by Gold Standard Tax & Accounting are separate from any tax debt, penalty or interest payable to the ATO.

Secure messages, questionnaires, document requests, signatures and important updates are managed through the client portal.

Email notifications may let you know when something is waiting in the portal. Telephone or online appointments can also be arranged when appropriate.

Please use the secure portal when sending tax documents, identity information or other sensitive financial information.