How to lodge your 2026 tax return: myTax vs a tax agent
The two ways to lodge in Australia, why waiting until late July pays off, the 31 October deadline, and how to choose between doing it yourself and using an agent.
Tax time in Australia runs from 1 July, and every year millions of people rush to lodge on day one — often the most expensive mistake of the whole return. Here's how the two lodgement paths work, and how to pick the right one.
Don't lodge on 1 July
Your employer, bank, health fund and share registry all report your income to the ATO, and that pre-fill data usually isn't complete until late July. Lodge before it lands and you're filling in figures by hand — the single biggest source of mistakes and follow-up amendments. Waiting a few weeks until everything pre-fills makes the return faster and more accurate.
Option 1 — myTax (do it yourself)
Free, online, through your myGov account linked to the ATO. Pre-fill drops most of your income in for you; you add deductions, offsets and anything missing. It suits straightforward situations — salary or wages, some bank interest, standard work-related deductions. Most self-lodged refunds are processed in about two weeks.
The catch is the deadline: if you lodge yourself, your return is due by 31 October. Miss it and failure-to-lodge penalties can apply, even when you're owed a refund.
Option 2 — a registered tax agent
An agent lodges for you and, because they're registered, can generally access extended deadlines well beyond 31 October — as long as you're on their books before that date. Their fee is itself deductible next year. Agents earn their keep when things get less standard: rental properties, capital gains, business or ABN income, crypto, or a year with several jobs and a redundancy.
How to choose
Simple return, comfortable online, confident about your deductions? myTax is quick and free. Multiple income sources, an investment property, or you're just not sure you're claiming everything? An agent usually pays for itself — and buys you time past October.
Before you lodge, know your number
Whichever path you take, it helps to know roughly where you'll land. Run your figures through the income tax calculator to sanity-check your expected position, and work the deductions checklist so nothing legitimate gets left off. A refund isn't a bonus — it's your own money coming back because too much was withheld. General information only — not tax advice.
This guide is general information only, current at the date shown — not tax or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check ato.gov.au or a registered tax agent for your circumstances.