When is the tax return deadline in Australia?
Short answer
31 October, for the financial year that ended on 30 June. If you use a registered tax agent they can lodge on a later schedule — often up to 15 May of the following year — but you must be registered as their client by 31 October to get that extension.
Verified · 4 cited sources
The Australian financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June. Self-lodgers must file by 31 October, and lodgement is free through myTax in ATO online services via myGov.
The tax agent extension is the most useful and least known feature of the system. Registered agents lodge on a staggered program that can extend to 15 May of the following year, but only for clients already on their books by 31 October. Signing up with an agent on 30 October buys you more than six months; signing up on 1 November does not.
Do not lodge as soon as the year ends. Employers must finalise Single Touch Payroll data, usually by 14 July, and banks, health funds, share registries and government agencies report through July. Most prefill data is complete by the end of the month, and lodging against incomplete data means amending later.
Check that your income statement shows as 'Tax ready' in ATO online services before you start. If an employer has not finalised, you cannot fix that from your end — contact them.
Late lodgement can attract a failure-to-lodge penalty, charged in units for each 28-day period overdue up to a maximum. Penalties are often remitted for a first offence or a reasonable explanation, and are less likely where you are due a refund — but lodge regardless, because the obligation does not lapse.
- Financial year: 1 July to 30 June
- Self-lodgement deadline: 31 October
- Tax agents can lodge later — but you must be their client by 31 October
- Wait until late July or early August so data has prefilled
- Late lodgement penalties accrue per 28-day period, and are often remitted
People also ask
Sources & provenance
Facts verified
- 1.Lodge your tax return OfficialAustralian Taxation OfficeUsed for: 31 October deadline and the tax agent extension condition
- 2.Failure to lodge on time penalty OfficialAustralian Taxation OfficeUsed for: How late-lodgement penalties are calculated and remitted
- 3.Single Touch Payroll for employees OfficialAustralian Taxation OfficeUsed for: Employer finalisation timing and the 'Tax ready' status
- 4.Tax Practitioners Board public register RegulatorTax Practitioners BoardUsed for: Checking that an agent is registered before engaging them
Deadlines, the agent extension condition, prefill timing and penalty mechanics come from the ATO sources cited. The specific 15 May agent date is the outer limit of the lodgement program and the applicable date depends on the client's circumstances — your agent will confirm yours. The advice to wait until late July or early August is our own practical recommendation rather than ATO guidance.
Facts on this page are taken from the sources listed above — Australian government departments, regulators, statutory bodies and official statistical releases. Comparisons, judgements and "which option suits whom" conclusions are AI-assisted analysis written over those sources; they are marked in the text and listed as an AI-analysis entry in the sources, not attributed to any authority. Rates, thresholds, fees and processing times change, often at the start of a financial year; figures are current as at the review date shown and should be confirmed with the responsible agency before you rely on them for money or legal decisions.