Tax help
ATO – Tax Help is available at Cobram Community House from August to October each year.
NOTE: Each person using this service MUST have a MyGov account and we can help you create one before your appointment.
If you want free help filling out your tax return and you are on a low income, our trained Tax Help volunteers may be able to help you.
Tax Help is a network of community volunteers who provide a free and confidential service to help people complete their tax returns at tax time. They can also give you advice on how to complete your tax return next time.
These volunteers are people from within the community who give up their time each year. They are not ATO staff.
Tax can be complex so our volunteers are only able to help with fairly straightforward tax returns. They can help identify and record income received through:
pensions
salary or wages
dividends
managed funds
interest
Australian government benefits and allowances, such as unemployment and sickness benefits.
Am I eligible for Tax Help?
You are eligible for Tax Help in if your income is around $60,000 or less for the income year and you did NOT:
work as a contractor, for example a contract cleaner or taxi driver
run a business, including as a sole trader
have partnership or trust matters
sell shares or an investment property
own a rental property
have capital gains tax (CGT)
receive royalties
receive distributions from a trust, other than a managed fund
receive foreign income, other than a foreign pension or annuity.
What can volunteers help me with?
Volunteers can help you lodge your tax return online with myTax or claim a refund of franking credits.
If our volunteers work out that you don’t need to lodge a tax return, they can help you complete a non-lodgment advice.
Volunteers are unable to help you with amendments.
your myGov user ID and password
your bank account details (BSB and account number)
your tax file number
an original or amended notice of assessment from any one of the last five years (the assessment needs to have been issued before 31 May this year)
income statements from all sources
all your receipts for gifts, donations and work-related expenses
details of any child support payments made
details of any losses on investments in shares and rental properties (net investment losses).
If you had a spouse (married or de-facto) at any time during the financial year, you also need to bring details of their taxable income or a reasonable estimate.