Australian Guide · 2025-26
EOFY Checklist Australia 2025-26 —
Your Tax-Time Action Plan
What to do before 30 June 2026, what to gather after 1 July, and the deductions most Australians miss. Built for the 2025-26 financial year, ATO-cited, no signup required.
Published 2026-06-17 · Updated 2026-06-17 · Reading time ~9 min
The EOFY Sequence
Before 30 June 2026: top up super (concessional cap $30,000), prepay deductible expenses, donate to DGRs, tax-loss harvest, check private hospital cover. 1 July 2026: tax return season opens via myTax. Late July onward: employer Income Statements and bank pre-fill data are populated — the most efficient time to lodge. 31 October 2026: self-lodge deadline. 15 May 2027: tax-agent lodgement extension. Use Richify's Australian income tax calculator with the PAYG-withheld field to estimate your refund before lodging.
Key 2025-26 dates
Last day to make deductible super contributions, prepay expenses, settle CGT-relevant trades and tax-loss harvest.
myTax (via myGov) and tax agents can begin lodging 2025-26 returns from this date. Pre-fill data is typically incomplete for the first two weeks.
Employer PAYG (Income Statements), bank interest, share dividend data and private health insurance statements are mostly populated in myTax. The most efficient time to lodge.
If lodging yourself via myTax or paper, this is the deadline. Failure to Lodge penalty starts at $330 and increases every 28 days.
If on a registered tax agent's lodgement program by 31 October 2026, the standard agent deadline. Some clients get later dates depending on prior-year status.
Before 30 June: Pre-EOFY actions
These are deadline-driven — if you miss 30 June, the opportunity shifts to next financial year.
1.Top up your super before 30 June
Concessional contributions cap is $30,000 for 2025-26 (includes employer SG + salary sacrifice + personal deductible contributions). Your super fund must RECEIVE the contribution by 30 June — not just be sent. Most funds allow 3–5 business days for clearing, so transfer by mid-late June. To claim a deduction on a personal contribution, lodge a Notice of Intent to Claim form with your fund before you lodge your tax return.
Source: ATO — Concessional contributions cap
2.Prepay deductible expenses
If you have income above what you'd usually get in a normal year (bonus, capital gain, redundancy), prepaying 12 months of deductible expenses before 30 June can bring forward a deduction. Common examples: income protection insurance premiums, investment loan interest (subject to prepayment rules), professional subscriptions, work-related certifications. Cap is generally 12 months of prepayment and the expense must be incurred for income-earning activity.
Source: ATO — Prepayment rules
3.Tax-deductible donations to DGRs
Donations of $2 or more to organisations registered as Deductible Gift Recipients (DGRs) are fully deductible. The DGR status of an organisation can be verified on the Australian Business Register (abr.business.gov.au). Donations made after 30 June fall into the next financial year. Keep email receipts — paper not required for amounts on a bank statement.
Source: ATO — Gifts and donations
4.Tax-loss harvesting
If you've made capital gains during 2025-26 (sold an investment property or shares at a profit), selling other holdings at a loss before 30 June can offset that gain. Capital losses also carry forward indefinitely. Wash-sale rules apply: selling and buying the same parcel back within a short period to manufacture a loss can attract anti-avoidance scrutiny — wait 30+ days or buy a meaningfully different asset.
Source: ATO — Capital losses
5.Buy work-related items before 30 June
If you need a new laptop, tools, or work-related equipment that costs under $300, the full amount is immediately deductible (no depreciation schedule) provided it's predominantly used for work. Items above $300 must be depreciated over their effective life. Either way, the deduction is only available in the year the asset is first used or installed for work — so purchasing before 30 June rather than 1 July brings the deduction forward by 12 months.
Source: ATO — Tools, equipment and other assets
6.Check private hospital cover (avoid MLS)
The Medicare Levy Surcharge (1–1.5% of total income) applies to residents earning above $93,000 single / $186,000 family in 2025-26 who don't hold adequate private hospital cover for the full year. Cover must have an excess no greater than $750 (single) or $1,500 (family) to count. If you held no cover and are over the threshold, taking out cover from 30 June onward only avoids the surcharge prospectively — you'll still owe MLS pro-rata for the days without cover this FY.
Source: ATO — Medicare levy surcharge
At lodgement: document checklist
Most of these pre-fill automatically in myTax from mid-July. The ones that don't are your responsibility to gather.
| Document | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Income Statement (formerly PAYG Payment Summary) | myGov → ATO → Income statements (auto-populated by your employer) |
| Bank interest summary | Bank app or branch — pre-fills in myTax from mid-July |
| Dividend and distribution statements | Share registry (Computershare, Link, Boardroom) — pre-fills in myTax |
| Investment property records | Rental income, agent fees, repairs, depreciation schedule, loan interest statements, rates, insurance, body corporate |
| Working-from-home hours log | A diary or time-tracking record of every hour worked from home (the ATO no longer accepts a 4-week sample) |
| Donation receipts | DGR receipts for any single donation of $2+ — typically emailed; pre-fills are improving |
| Private health insurance statement | From your insurer or pre-filled in myTax — required for the rebate |
| Self-education expenses | Course fees, textbooks, travel — only if directly related to your current income-earning activity |
| Investment-related expenses | Financial advice fees (deductible portion), investment platform fees, last year's tax agent fee |
| HECS-HELP balance | myGov → ATO → Loans |
Common 2025-26 deductions
The categories most Australian employees can claim. Rates change annually — verify the current year on ato.gov.au before lodging.
Work-related expenses
Clothing (only compulsory uniforms, occupation-specific, or PPE — not regular work clothes), laundry of those uniforms, work-related tools and equipment, union and professional fees, work-related books, journals, software subscriptions. You can claim up to $300 of work-related expenses without receipts.
Working from home
Two methods. (1) Fixed rate — 70 cents per hour worked from home (2024-25; 2025-26 rate is set annually — verify on ato.gov.au). Covers electricity, gas, internet, phone, stationery, computer consumables. (2) Actual cost — claim the work-related portion of each expense with receipts. The fixed rate is simpler; actual cost can be larger for heavy-users. Whichever you choose, keep a record of every hour you worked from home for the full year — the ATO no longer accepts a 4-week representative period.
Vehicle and travel
Two methods. (1) Cents per kilometre — 88 cents/km for 2024-25 (2025-26 rate set by ATO annually), max 5,000 km per car, no logbook needed. (2) Logbook method — track every trip for 12 weeks, calculate work-use percentage, then claim that percentage of all car costs (fuel, rego, insurance, depreciation). Logbook is usually larger if you do significant work driving. Travel between home and a regular workplace is not deductible.
Self-education
Course fees, textbooks, stationery, and travel are deductible if the education has a direct connection to your current income-earning activity — i.e., it maintains or improves a skill you currently use, or it's likely to lead to increased income in your current role. Education that opens up a new field (a career change) is generally not deductible.
Tax agent fees
Last year's tax agent fee paid this financial year is fully deductible. Same for accountant fees, advice on managing your tax affairs, and the cost of travel to your tax agent.
Investment-related
Interest on investment loans (margin loans, investment property loans), portfolio management fees, the deductible portion of financial advice fees, and investment platform fees are deductible. Personal advice on superannuation that is not retirement-product-specific can now be partly deductible under the 2024 reforms — confirm with your agent.
When and how to lodge
The ATO opens lodgement on 1 July 2026, but for most people the smarter move is to wait until late July. By then, employer Income Statements, bank interest, share dividends, and private health insurance statements have been finalised and pre-fill automatically into myTax. Lodging in the first week of July usually means manually entering numbers that haven't been reported yet — a common cause of amended returns later.
Self-lodge via myTax (through myGov) is free and works well for salary-and-savings returns. It usually takes 30–60 minutes once pre-fill is complete.
A registered tax agent typically charges $100–$300 and is worth it if you have investment property, share trading, business income, or large work-related deductions. The fee is deductible the following year. Tax agents also unlock the 15 May 2027 lodgement extension if you're on their program by 31 October 2026. Always check the agent is registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (tpb.gov.au).
If you'll owe money and can't pay by the deadline, the ATO offers payment plans — but you must lodge on time to avoid the Failure to Lodge penalty (starts at $330 and increases every 28 days up to ~$1,650).
After lodgement
- Notice of Assessment — typically issued 1–2 weeks after lodgement if there are no issues. Available in myGov.
- Refund payment — deposited to the bank account nominated in your tax return. Most refunds arrive within 12 business days of the Notice of Assessment.
- If you owe — the Notice of Assessment includes a payment due date (typically 21 November for self-lodgers). If you can't pay in full, request a payment plan via myGov before the due date to avoid the General Interest Charge.
Run the numbers
Free Australian calculators built around the 2025-26 ATO rates — no signup, no email.
- Income tax calculator (with refund estimator) — Stage 3 brackets, LITO, Medicare Levy, MLS, HECS. Add your PAYG-withheld year-to-date to estimate your refund.
- HECS calculator — Repayment estimator with 2025-26 thresholds and indexation projection.
- Super calculator — Project your super balance at retirement and stress-test salary-sacrifice scenarios.
- Salary sacrifice calculator — See whether redirecting some pre-tax salary into super before 30 June is worth it for your bracket.
- CGT calculator — Estimate capital gains tax with the 50% discount before deciding to sell.
EOFY questions Australians ask
When does tax return season start in Australia?+
1 July each year — the day after End of Financial Year (30 June). The ATO opens lodgement through myTax (via myGov) and registered tax agents from 1 July. However, most employers, banks and share registries finalise their PAYG, interest and dividend data with the ATO by mid-to-late July. Lodging in the first week of July often means manually entering numbers your employer hasn't reported yet. The most efficient time to lodge is late July onward, when pre-fill data is complete.
When is the deadline to lodge my Australian tax return for 2025-26?+
If you lodge yourself via myTax or paper, the deadline is 31 October 2026. If you use a registered tax agent and are on their lodgement program by 31 October, you generally get an extension to 15 May 2027 (later for some clients). Lodging late attracts a Failure to Lodge penalty starting at $330 and increasing every 28 days up to ~$1,650. If you'll owe money, lodge on time even if you can't pay — the ATO offers payment plans.
What is the last day to make a deductible super contribution for 2025-26?+
Your super fund must receive the contribution by 30 June 2026 — not just be sent by you. Most funds advise allowing 3–5 business days for clearing, so aim to transfer by mid-to-late June. The 2025-26 concessional contributions cap is $30,000 (includes employer SG + salary sacrifice + personal deductible contributions). To claim a deduction for a personal contribution you must also lodge a Notice of Intent to Claim with your fund before lodging your tax return.
How much can I claim for working from home in 2025-26?+
The ATO fixed-rate method allows 70 cents per hour worked from home for 2024-25 (up from 67c). The 2025-26 rate is set annually by the ATO — confirm the current rate on ato.gov.au before lodging. The fixed rate covers energy, internet, phone, stationery and computer consumables in a single number. Alternatively, the actual cost method lets you claim the work-related portion of each expense individually, but requires more record-keeping. You must keep a record of all hours worked from home — a representative 4-week period is no longer enough.
What's the difference between Income Tax, Medicare Levy and Medicare Levy Surcharge?+
Income tax is the main tax on your taxable income, applied at the marginal Stage 3 rates: $0–$18,200 at 0%; $18,201–$45,000 at 19%; $45,001–$120,000 at 32.5%; $120,001–$180,000 at 37%; $180,001+ at 45%. The Medicare Levy is 2% of taxable income, paid by most residents to fund the public health system. The Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is an additional 1–1.5% on total income for residents earning above approximately $93,000 single who do not hold adequate private hospital cover — designed to encourage higher earners onto private cover and off the public hospital system.
Where can I find my HECS-HELP balance before lodging?+
Log in to myGov, link the ATO service, and your HELP balance is displayed under 'Loans' on the ATO page. You can also call the ATO on 13 28 61 with your Tax File Number. Your compulsory HECS repayment for 2025-26 is calculated from your Repayment Income — which is broader than taxable income (it adds reportable fringe benefits, reportable employer super, and net investment losses). For 2024-25 the minimum repayment threshold was $54,435 with a 1% rate, scaling to 10% at $156,386+; the 2025-26 thresholds are indexed annually by the ATO.
Should I lodge through myTax or use a tax agent?+
myTax (via myGov) is free and works well for straightforward salary-and-savings tax returns. A registered tax agent is worth the fee (typically $100–$300) if you have investment property, multiple income streams, business income, large work-related deductions, or complex CGT events — they spot deductions you may miss and the fee itself is deductible the following year. Tax agents also unlock the 15 May lodgement extension. Always check the agent is registered with the Tax Practitioners Board (tpb.gov.au).
Related guides
Australian Superannuation Guide
SG rate, caps, salary sacrifice, finding lost super.
Negative Gearing in Australia
Deductions, CGT discount, depreciation, current debate.
FIRE Australia Guide
Two-phase retirement, 3.5% SWR, AU-specific tax strategies.
First Home Buyer Guide
FHSS, state grants, stamp duty exemptions.
