Would it bother you if your weekly or fortnightly pay was consistently 11.5% short? Once you noticed, would you do something about it? If you’re like most Australians, the answer would be a resounding “Yes!”. Here’s the scary part: this is exactly what’s happening to as many as one in three Australians. So, what’s the […]
How Can I Help My Children To Be Successful and Financially Secure?
How to improve your children’s financial future can be an interesting debate. Parents have lots of different ideas about success for their children (and themselves). But most parents share similar concerns and worries about their children’s long-term financial security and happiness. Money and happiness are not the same thing, but it appears that certain habits […]
Live-in Landlord Tax Deductions: What you should know about rental income tax
Live-in landlords are common these days, as more and more people choose to lease out rooms in a house they own and live in. It can help pay the mortgage, cover the rising costs of living expenses and fill up space that’s otherwise unused. If you lease out part of your home, you’ll receive rent. This is […]
Corporate Tax Avoidance and Tax Gaps: What is it costing Australia?
A common theme in ATO messages this year has been that big businesses are generally doing the right thing. They’re lodging income tax returns accurately and paying the correct amount of tax. Interestingly, corporate tax avoidance is absent from their narrative. Instead, concerns focus on individual taxpayers who over claim deductions. However, the recently published […]
Work at home parent – the ultimate balancing act
How do you build your business when you’re a work at home parent and your adorable darlings are doing their utmost to distract you with death defying leaps, or throwing tantrums that could literally wake the dead? The ultimate guide to finding a work/life balance for work at home parents OK, so you were never […]
Etax Fees: How much does a tax return cost at Etax.com.au?
Here’s everything you need to know about the low Etax fees and why Etax.com.au is Australia’s favourite online tax agent. Why is there a tax agent fee to use the online tax return at Etax? Etax is a registered Australian tax agent that offers you: Etax is like visiting an old-fashioned tax accountant – but quicker […]
Don’t Be Afraid of the ATO at Tax Time
At the National Press Club, ATO commissioner Chris Jordan spoke about a change in tactics at the ATO, with a greater focus on work related deduction claims by individuals, representing $22 billion worth of claims made each year. He said a substantial portion of those claims are ‘mistakes’ or ‘fraud,’ although he did not discuss […]
Being made redundant could re-ignite your career: Redundancy tips from a careers expert
Being made redundant is often a tough thing to overcome. Yet, an amazing two per cent of Australian workers experience it every year! We spoke to Australian career advice expert Russell Johnson, a career planning veteran with CEO-level experience in Australia and the US, to get a fresh perspective on being made redundant. Russell also […]
2017 Budget for Health Care: Who wins and who loses?
The 2017 Budget was handed down by Treasurer Scott Morrison on Tuesday 09 May, which included the Government’s $10 billion plan for Health Care funding. Most notably, the National Disability Insurance Scheme is being fully funded by taxpayers through a Medicare levy increase. Here’s our wrap-up on winners and losers in the 2017 federal budget for […]
2017 Budget for Students: Winners and Losers
Treasurer Scott Morrison announced the 2017 federal budget on Tuesday night, which included the government’s plans to save $2.8 billion over the next five years by reforming the Higher Education system. Read on for an overview of the changes announced in the 2017 budget for students. How does the 2017 Budget affect students? Higher Education […]
2017 Budget for Housing: Wins and Losses
To tackle housing affordability, particularly for first home buyers, the Government included a range of measures in the 2017 Budget. A new measure focused on housing as well as the property industry in general. One of the biggest changes was the introduction of a new ‘First Home Super Saver Scheme’. This scheme allows individuals to make […]
GST changes may impact your overseas online shopping
The Australian Government is attempting to level the playing field between Australian and overseas retailers with proposed GST changes effective from 1 July 2017. Here’s what you need to know. Australians are increasingly turning to overseas sellers when they shop online to access cheaper prices and a larger variety of goods and speciality items. The government […]
Overseas HELP Debt – What is it?
The ATO implemented formal changes to how they recover “overseas HELP debt”. So, if you have lived overseas for more than 6 months and have a HELP debt, you may need to make HELP repayments How does the ATO recover HELP debts? Prior to 2017, Australians with a HELP or TSL debt did not have […]
Redundancy Payment and Your Taxes
What is a Redundancy Payment? A redundancy payment, also known as Employment Termination Payment (ETP), is a lump sum amount paid to an employee after redundancy. There are a few different types of redundancy payments, and each one can have a different effect on your tax return at tax time. For tax purposes an Employment […]
HECS-HELP Benefit
The HECS-Help benefit was created to provide an incentive for graduates in particular fields to pursue industry relevant roles and/or work in specified locations. Taxpayers who meet the relevant eligibility criteria can apply to the Australian Tax Office for the HECS-HELP benefit and if approved, the ATO will pay a “benefit amount” up to approximately […]
