Do you prepare Personal Income Tax Returns?
Yep, we do. Personal tax returns aren't the only thing we do at Growthwise (check out our homepage for the full picture), but we do complete them each year.
We open for returns on Saturday 18 July 2026 and work through to 31 October 2026.
The good news? You don't need to book an appointment. You can complete the whole thing from your couch using our tax return checklist.
If you do want to chat with someone, phone appointments and a very limited number of face-to-face Saturday sessions are available. All bookings are here.
What is the Process for completing returns?
- You complete the checklist
- Optional: Book a phone appointment if you've got questions — otherwise we'll email you directly if we need anything before finalising your return
- We complete your return
- We invoice you
- We send your return to you for electronic signature
- Once you've paid and signed, we lodge with the ATO
- The ATO processes your return and deposits your refund — or sends you a bill
Do you take your money out of my refund?
Nope. We invoice you directly, and your return doesn't get lodged until the invoice is paid. No surprises.
How can I pay?
We'll email your invoice once your return is complete. You can pay by credit card or EFTPOS via the link in the invoice, or by direct deposit. All the payment details are on the invoice itself.
Electronic signing — what's that about?
Before we can lodge your return, the law requires you to sign it confirming everything is true and correct. We use e-sign (through Xero) so there's no printing, posting or waiting around.
We send you an email. You open the document, review the numbers, and click to sign. Done. We get your signed return back instantly.
Can you sign on paper instead? Nope. We love trees and we love efficiency. E-sign only.
Not sure how it works? There's a step-by-step guide with video on the Xero website.
My Tax File Number isn't printed on my return. Is that OK?
Totally fine. We remove it from the PDF when we print your return so your personal info isn't sitting on a document, but it's still lodged with the ATO correctly behind the scenes.
How long will the ATO take to process my refund?
Standard ATO processing time is around 28 days. Calling us won't speed that up, we promise. The ATO sets their own timelines.
You can track your refund here on the ATO website.
Just remember — your return needs to be paid and signed before we press lodge.
I don't have my PAYG Payment Summary
Payment summaries (the old Group Certificates) no longer exist. Your employer reports payroll to the ATO each time you're paid, which means the ATO already has your income information. When you complete our checklist, we pull this directly from the ATO. One less thing to track down.
I want to see a specific person but they're not available
We all work hard here and genuinely love what we do, but we're human and we only have Saturdays for personal tax returns. There are a very limited number of face-to-face spots available each year, and more phone appointments if you'd prefer to talk.
All current availability is online here.
How do I move my appointment?
Find your confirmation email from Timely (sent when you booked). Hit the green "View or change my appointment" button and reschedule from there.
I don't have all my documents yet. Can I still book?
No. We only have limited spots for personal tax returns, so we need everything to be ready before you book. Get your documents together first, then come to us.
What expenses can I claim?
There's a fair bit to cover here. We've got a detailed post on what you can and can't claim as an employee. And if you work from home, check out our Working from Home guide as there are specific rules around that.
I drive a lot for work. What can I claim?
Car expenses are their own world. Check out our guide on motor vehicle deductions — it covers the two claiming methods and how to choose between them.
I've got a rental property. What do I need?
There's a lot to know here, especially with the Budget 2026 changes coming through. We've covered it all in our rental property tax guide, including depreciation, repairs vs capital improvements, negative gearing changes, and what documents we need from you.
I sold my rental property. What do I need to bring?
The settlement statements for both the purchase and the sale, your loan statements, any depreciation schedule you have, and all other legal documents from both transactions. Capital gains tax on property sales is complex — let us know early so we can make sure we've got everything.
I work from home — what can I claim?
The rules here are specific and they've changed in recent years. The fixed rate is 70 cents per hour for every hour you work from home — but you need a record of every single hour, not an estimate. See our full Working from Home guide for both methods and the records you need.
I've got shares, ETFs or managed funds. What do I need to bring?
You'll need all your dividend and distribution statements for the year. Most Australian companies pay two dividends a year, and managed funds and ETFs make distributions too — all of it needs to be declared, even if you reinvest it rather than take the cash.
The easiest way to manage this is through Sharesight. It tracks your entire portfolio and makes reporting a breeze.
I sold some shares or ETFs during the year. What do I need?
The original buy contract and the sell contract. If you've been in a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (where dividends were reinvested as more shares rather than paid as cash), you'll need every dividend statement for that company you've ever received — because each reinvestment is a separate purchase with its own cost base.
That's exactly why we love Sharesight. It tracks all of this automatically. Check out our post on Sharesight if you want to set it up.
I've got crypto or digital assets. What do I need?
The ATO has access to crypto exchange data and matches it against tax returns. If you've traded, sold, swapped or spent crypto during the year, you need to declare it.
We've put together a full guide on Crypto, ETFs, Shares & Managed Funds — tax and the ATO that covers what counts as a taxable event and what records you need.
I earn money from the gig economy or sharing economy. Do I need to declare that?
Yes — all of it. Uber, Airbnb, Airtasker, freelance work, cash jobs, side hustle income — the ATO receives data from the major platforms and matches it against returns. There's no grey area here.
Check out our post on Declaring All Your Income — Gig Work, Side Hustles and the Sharing Economy for more detail.
Ready to go?
Complete the Growthwise 2026 Tax Return Checklist
That's it. We'll take it from there.
