Tax help

Do you need help completing your tax return?

Tax Help is a network of community volunteers who provide a free and confidential service to help people complete their tax returns during tax time. Volunteers are fully trained and accredited. These volunteers are people from within the community who give up their time each year. They are not ATO staff, but they receive training and support from the A.T.O.
Tax Help is suitable for people earning around $50,000 or less a year with fairly straightforward tax affairs. Including, but not restricted to, those who are also:

• seniors
• students
• people from non-English speaking backgrounds
• people with a disability
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Since tax can be complex, volunteers are only able to help with fairly straightforward tax returns. They can help identify and record income received through:

• pensions
• Australian government benefits and allowances
• salary or wages
• dividends
• managed funds
• interest

In some cases, people on low incomes do not need to lodge tax returns. Tax Help volunteers can work out if a tax return is necessary. If it is not necessary, and you lodged a tax return last year, it is important that we know this. Tax Help volunteers can help you to fill out a Non-lodgment advice if this is necessary. Tax Help volunteers will also be able to help you with claims for refund of imputation credits.

Tax Help operates from late July to the end of October by appointment only. Appointment days and times are limited to the availability of volunteers, so CISC can only assist Casey South residents.
Appointment bookings can be made by phoning CISC on 5996 3333 after the second week of July and the first appointments are usually in the last week of July.

Are you eligible for Tax Help?

You are eligible for Tax Help if your income is around $50,000 or less for the income year and none of the following situations applied to you in the income year:

• You were employed as a contractor
• You were in business, including being a sole trader
• You sold shares
• You sold an investment property
• You owned a rental property
• You received royalties
• You received distributions from a trust other than a managed fund
• You received foreign income other than a foreign pension or annuity

Tax Help volunteers cannot help you with:

• business tax returns
• partnership and trust matters
• capital gains tax (CGT)
• rental properties

Want to speak to a CISC staff person about Tax Help?

For general information or to make a Tax Help appointment, phone CISC on 5996 3333 and speak to any of our staff.

Need more information?

Visit the Australian Tax Office website at www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Lodging-your-tax-return/Tax-Help-program