If you lodge your own tax return, the 2025-26 return is due on 31 October 2026. If you are not going to make it, the most useful thing you can do is act before that date, not after it.

Option one: lodge it yourself, now

Most of what you need is already in myTax. Income statements from employers, bank interest, government payments and private health details are usually pre-filled by the ATO, so for a simple return the work is mostly checking and adding your deductions.

  • Your income statements (pre-filled in myGov)
  • Receipts for work-related expenses, donations and the cost of managing your tax affairs
  • Any income that is not pre-filled: rental property, side work, foreign income, crypto or share sales
  • Your private health insurance statement, if it has not come through

Option two: get a registered tax agent on your side before 31 October

Registered tax agents can usually lodge for their clients later than 31 October under the ATO's lodgment program, but only if you are on their client list before the 31 October deadline. Book in now, even if the appointment itself is later.

Only a registered tax agent can charge you to prepare or lodge a tax return. You can check any agent on the Tax Practitioners Board register, and every tax agent with the FIZO badge has already been matched to it.

Option three: ask the ATO for more time

If something has genuinely stopped you, contact the ATO before the due date and ask for a deferral. It is far easier to get more time before the deadline than to explain a late return afterwards.

What happens if you are late

The ATO can apply a failure to lodge penalty, and if you owe tax, interest can build up on the amount owing. If you are owed a refund, lodging late mostly just delays your money. Either way, lodging as soon as you can is what limits the damage.

Years behind?

If you have more than one year to catch up, this is exactly the work a tax agent does every week. They can see what the ATO has on record for you, lodge the missing years together and talk to the ATO about penalties on your behalf.