After you lodge your tax return

If you lodge your return online with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), it will normally be processed in 2 weeks. You can check the progress of your tax return using the ATO online services, the ATO app, or the self-help phone service.

To check the progress of your tax return using ATO online services, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your myGov account.
2. Select Australian Taxation Office from your services.
3. Select Manage tax returns.
4. Go to the correct income year and view the status to check the progress of your tax return.

You’ll need to link ATO to your myGov account, if you haven’t already.

If you don’t have a myGov account, follow the steps to create a myGov account. After you’ve created one, you can link ATO to your account.

Find out more about how to check the progress of your tax return on the ATO website.

If you forgot to include something in your tax return or made a mistake, you can amend your tax return.

Find out how to request an amendment to your tax return on the ATO website.

Child Care Subsidy and Family Tax Benefit balancing

If you get Family Tax Benefit or Child Care Subsidy, information from your tax return will be used to balance your payments.

When your tax return is processed, the ATO will tell Services Australia what your income was for the financial year. This amount is compared to the estimated income you gave to Services Australia and is used to make sure you receive the right amount of payment. This is called balancing your payment.

If your income is more than the estimate you gave Services Australia, you may get an overpayment. If you are due for a tax refund, top up or supplement payments, these can be used to repay money you owe.

Find out more about balancing and what families need to do at tax time with the tax time tool on the Services Australia website.

Child Support and tax time

When the ATO has processed your tax return or non-lodgment advice, they’ll tell Services Australia of both parents' income. Services Australia use both amounts to work out who pays child support and how much. You’ll get a new assessment letter from Services Australia explaining this.

Services Australia will check if you have estimated your income for child support. The amount you estimated will be compared to the actual amount of income you received. If your income is more than the estimate you gave Services Australia, you may get a debt or overpayment. Services Australia can use your tax refund to repay a debt or overpayment.

Find out more about child support at tax time on the Services Australia website.

When your tax return is processed, the ATO sends you a notice of assessment which explains how your tax assessment was calculated. It’ll show any tax you need to pay or your refund.

If you have the ATO linked to your myGov account, your notice of assessment will be sent to your myGov Inbox.

Learn more about your notice of assessment on the ATO website.

Tax bill help

If you get a tax bill from the ATO and can’t pay it in full by the due date, you may be able to set up your own payment plan online.

The ATO has information on setting up a payment plan and help available if you can’t lodge or pay on time.

If you need extra support or assistance, contact the ATO immediately to talk about what you can do.

If you have a Centrelink debt, there are options to help you repay it in a way to suit your situation. Find out how to repay money you owe to Centrelink on the Services Australia website.