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Behind on your tax returns? Start here

However many years it has been, it is fixable — and it is almost always less painful than the version in your head. This is one of the most common situations we resolve.

People fall behind for ordinary reasons. A business got busy, a relationship ended, someone got sick, one missed year turned into three and the whole thing became easier to avoid than to face. The ATO sees this constantly. So do we. Nobody here is going to make you feel bad about it.

As registered tax agents we can access your ATO records directly, so we can see exactly what has been lodged, what is outstanding and what the ATO already knows about your income. That usually reveals the situation is more contained than it felt — and in some years, no tax was even payable.

The important thing is that acting voluntarily is treated very differently from being chased. Penalties are more likely to be remitted, payment plans are easier to negotiate, and you stop the failure to lodge penalty from accruing further. Every month of delay makes the outcome slightly worse.

  • Multiple years brought up to date quickly
  • Full visibility of your ATO record from day one
  • Payment plans negotiated on your behalf
  • Penalty remission sought where grounds exist
  • Judgement-free, confidential and fixed fee
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What’s included

How we resolve it

01

Establish the real position

We access your ATO records and identify exactly which years are outstanding, what income has been reported to the ATO, and what any existing debt actually is.

02

Reconstruct the records

Missing receipts and bank statements are normal after several years. We work with what exists and use reasonable, defensible methods where records are genuinely gone.

03

Lodge in the right order

Multiple years prepared and lodged in sequence, so losses, offsets and carried-forward amounts flow correctly between them.

04

Penalty remission

The failure to lodge penalty accrues per period and per return. Where there are reasonable grounds — illness, family breakdown, natural disaster, business collapse — we apply to have it remitted.

05

Payment arrangements

If there is a genuine debt, we negotiate a payment plan you can actually sustain rather than one that collapses in three months.

06

Stay current afterwards

Getting square is the hard part. We put a simple rhythm in place so it does not happen again.

How it works

From behind to up to date

Step 1

A confidential call

Tell us roughly how many years and what changed. No detail needed at this stage, and no judgement.

Step 2

We check your record

With your authority we access the ATO portal and establish precisely where you stand — usually within a day.

Step 3

Fixed quote

You get a fixed fee for the whole catch-up, so you know the cost before committing to anything.

Step 4

Lodge and resolve

Returns prepared and lodged, penalties challenged where appropriate, and a payment plan arranged if one is needed.

Priced per year, quoted up front

Catch-up returns are priced per year at standard rates — from $220 for an individual year and $550 for a sole trader year — and we quote the entire catch-up as one fixed figure before starting. If cash flow is part of why this happened, tell us; we can usually work with that.

See full fee schedule
FAQ

Late lodgement questions

As many as needed. We regularly bring clients up to date who are five, eight or more years behind. The process is the same regardless of the number — it just takes a little longer.

Prosecution is rare and reserved for deliberate evasion rather than people who fell behind. Failure to lodge penalties are the realistic risk, and they are frequently remitted when you come forward voluntarily with a reasonable explanation. Coming to the ATO before they come to you materially improves the outcome.

Lodge anyway. Lodging and paying are separate obligations, and the penalties for not lodging accrue independently of the debt. Once the returns are in, we negotiate a payment arrangement with the ATO based on what you can genuinely afford — which is a far better position than having an unquantified liability hanging over you.

No. Much of the income data is already held by the ATO and we can retrieve it. For deductions, we use bank statements, supplier records and reasonable reconstruction methods that are accepted practice where original documents are genuinely unavailable. It is rarely the obstacle people expect.

Related services
Individual tax returnsOverdue BASBookkeepingFull fee schedule

It gets better once you start

One confidential phone call is all it takes to find out where you actually stand. No judgement, no lecture — just a plan and a fixed price.

Book an appointment Call 0413 115 225