Tax time comes around every year, and one of the biggest questions people ask is: When is my tax return due? The answer depends on whether you lodge yourself, or lodge through us at KDC Accounting.
Lodging Yourself
If you lodge your own return directly with the ATO, your deadline is 31 October. That’s it — no extensions!
Lodging Through KDC Accounting
When you lodge through us, our clients receive an extension through the ATO’s agent lodgement program, usually to 15 May of the following year. We’ll manage that program for you and give you plenty of notice before your individual due date.
There’s one important catch:
- If you give us everything we ask for in time and respond promptly to our queries, and we still miss your deadline, we’ll cover any ATO late lodgement penalty (but not interest charges).
- If you don’t provide your information on time or fail to respond, we have no choice but to remove you from our lodgement program — which means your due date reverts to 31 October.
How We Manage Lodgements
We work on returns in the order they come in, and according to the ATO deadlines. That means we don’t have total control over the queue — but we do make exceptions for genuine urgency.
For example, if you’re:
- Heading overseas for an extended period
- Applying for finance
- Planning for your retirement or Applying to Centrelink for pensions
- Or needing your income details for a spouse’s return or another commitment
…just let us know. We’ll prioritise your work so you can meet those deadlines outside the standard program.
Why Timely & Complete Info Matters
One of our biggest challenges is when information comes to us patchy or in lump sums late in the year. It slows things down for everyone. The smoother and more complete your information, the faster and easier it is for us to get your return done on time. Plus pick up and put down always adds to the time we take on a job. Prompt responses allow us to tackle your work when our memory of it is freshest.
Got Questions?
If you’re unsure about what’s due, what you need to provide, or whether your situation qualifies for an extension, just give us a call. We’d rather you ask than worry about missing a deadline.
At KDC Accounting, our goal is to keep your lodgement stress-free, on time, and penalty-free — and that works best when we’re working together.