If all you have is one job and a bank account, you don't need us. The ATO's pre-filled myTax return will do the job in twenty minutes, and we'd rather tell you that than charge you for it.
You need an accountant when your return stops being a summary of other people's data. A rental property needs a schedule of income, interest, repairs and depreciation. A share sale needs a cost base. Crypto needs every swap tracked. A sole trader business needs a profit figure that stands up. A trust distribution needs to match the trust's return. Each of those is where errors, missed deductions and ATO letters come from.
Who is this service for?
| You are | What makes your return more than a pre-fill |
|---|---|
| A business owner with a company or trust | Salary, dividends, franking credits, trust distributions and director loan accounts that must line up with the entity returns |
| A sole trader or contractor | Business income and expenses, GST, personal services income rules, the small business income tax offset |
| A landlord | Rental schedules for each property, interest apportionment, repairs vs improvements, depreciation, CGT when you sell |
| A share investor | Dividends and franking credits, managed fund statements, dividend reinvestment plans, capital gains and losses |
| A crypto investor or trader | Every disposal, swap and transfer recorded; staking and DeFi income; ATO data matching |
| Someone with a big year | Sale of a property or business, an inheritance, a redundancy, moving to or from Australia |
If your affairs include several entities, we prepare your return alongside the company, trust or SMSF returns, under one engagement for the whole family group. See our services for company tax returns and trust tax returns.
What are the 2026–27 individual tax rates?
For Australian residents, 2026–27:
| Taxable income | Tax on this income |
|---|---|
| $0 – $18,200 | Nil |
| $18,201 – $45,000 | 15c for each $1 over $18,200 |
| $45,001 – $135,000 | $4,020 plus 30c for each $1 over $45,000 |
| $135,001 – $190,000 | $31,020 plus 37c for each $1 over $135,000 |
| $190,001 and over | $51,370 plus 45c for each $1 over $190,000 |
These rates don't include the 2% Medicare levy, or the Medicare levy surcharge if you earn above the threshold without private hospital cover. The 2025–26 return you're lodging now uses the 2025–26 rates, which the ATO publishes on the same page.
How does our deduction checklist work?
Most missed deductions aren't exotic. They're the land tax bill paid in a different account, the depreciation schedule nobody ordered, the interest on the portion of a loan used for shares, the subscription renewed in March.
Before we ask you for anything, our deduction checklist agent builds a checklist from last year's return and what we know about you: your job, your properties, your investments and your business. You get a short, specific list, not a generic 60-item form. Each item has last year's figure beside it, so you can see at a glance what's missing.
Then a qualified accountant reviews everything you send, asks about anything that doesn't fit, and decides what can be claimed. AI drafts the list; a person makes the call. You answer questions by SMS or email and upload photos of receipts from your phone. This all runs on Nagaris, with your data stored in Australia.
Key point: From the 2026–27 income year, many employees can choose a $1,000 standard deduction for work-related expenses instead of claiming itemised expenses. It suits people with small work-related costs. If you have larger claims, such as significant car or home office expenses, itemising may still be better. We compare both for you when we prepare that return.
What do landlords, investors and crypto holders need to know?
Rental property
Rental income is assessable, and you can claim the expenses of earning it: interest, rates, land tax, insurance, agent fees, repairs and depreciation. The common mistakes:
- Claiming improvements as repairs. Replacing a broken tap is a repair. Renovating the bathroom is capital work, claimed over time.
- Claiming interest on the whole loan when part of it was used for a car, a holiday or redrawn for private use.
- Not having a depreciation schedule, especially on newer properties, so years of deductions go unclaimed.
- Getting joint ownership wrong. Income and expenses follow legal ownership, not who pays the mortgage.
This is law. From 1 July 2027, net rental losses on residential property acquired after 7.30 pm AEST on 12 May 2026 are quarantined: they can't reduce your salary or business income, but they carry forward. Properties bought before then keep full negative gearing, and new residential dwellings are outside the quarantine (the detailed definition of a "new residential dwelling" is still being finalised). Our guide to negative gearing changes explains who's affected, and our rental property deductions guide has the full list. For a building's construction costs, a quantity surveyor's depreciation report is usually worth its fee on a newer property.
Shares and managed funds
Dividends and franking credits come through pre-fill, but they often arrive late or incomplete. Managed fund statements (AMMA statements) have to be entered line by line. Dividend reinvestment plans quietly create dozens of small purchases, each with its own cost base. When you sell, our dividend reinvestment cost base agent rebuilds the cost base from your statements so the gain isn't overstated.
Crypto
Every time you sell, swap one coin for another, spend crypto or move it in some DeFi arrangements, there may be a CGT event. The ATO receives data from Australian exchanges, so gaps tend to be noticed. Our crypto records checklist agent builds a list of exactly what we need for your activity, from exchange reports to wallet addresses. Our crypto tax guide covers the rules.
Capital gains from 1 July 2027
This is law. From 1 July 2027, the 50% CGT discount is replaced by cost-base indexation for gains accruing from that date, and individuals face a new 30% minimum tax on certain capital gains. Growth up to 30 June 2027 keeps the discount. If you hold property, shares or crypto with large unrealised gains, a record of their value at 30 June 2027 will matter. Our guide to CGT discount changes in 2027 explains what to do now.
What about sole traders?
As a sole trader, your business profit goes on your personal return. We prepare the business schedule from your Xero file, check GST and PAYG instalments, and look at:
- Personal services income rules, if most of your income is from your own skills and labour
- Non-commercial loss rules, if the business made a loss and you want to offset it against other income
- The small business income tax offset, worth up to $1,000 a year for eligible sole traders with aggregated turnover under $5 million
- The $20,000 instant asset write-off for eligible assets in 2026–27
- Whether a sole trader structure still suits you. Our guide to sole trader vs company vs trust sets out when it's worth changing
When is your tax return due?
| Lodging | Due date for the 2025–26 return |
|---|---|
| Yourself, through myTax | 31 October 2026 |
| Through a registered agent, and on their client list by 31 October 2026 | 15 May 2027 for most people, or 5 June 2027 if any tax is paid by that date |
| Through an agent, where last year's return showed tax of $20,000 or more | 31 March 2027 |
| Prior years still outstanding at 30 June 2026 | 31 October 2026, with all prior years lodged |
If you receive Family Tax Benefit or Child Care Subsidy, you and your partner generally need to lodge (or tell Services Australia you don't need to) by 30 June 2027 so your payments can be balanced, whatever your agent due date is. And if you expect a refund, there's no reason to wait; we'll lodge as soon as your information is complete.
What should you bring?
The checklist we send you will be specific to you, but most investors need:
- Last year's tax return and notice of assessment
- Payment summaries or income statements (we can see most in pre-fill)
- Rental properties: agent's annual statement, loan statements, rates, land tax, insurance, repair invoices, depreciation schedule, and settlement statements for anything bought or sold
- Shares and funds: dividend statements, annual tax statements for managed funds, buy and sell contract notes, DRP statements
- Crypto: exchange reports, wallet addresses and records of transfers between wallets
- Business: Xero access or your income and expense records, plus asset purchases
- Trusts and companies: distribution statements and dividend statements (we'll have these if we do the entity returns)
- Private health insurance statement, donation receipts, and records of any other deductions
What mistakes do we see in investors' returns?
- Lodging before the annual tax statements arrive. Managed fund and trust figures often aren't final until August or later, which means an amendment.
- Ignoring capital losses from earlier years. Carried-forward capital losses must be used against later gains; they're easy to lose track of when you change accountants.
- Treating crypto transfers between your own wallets as sales, or the reverse.
- Claiming the whole rental loan's interest after redrawing part of it for private use.
- Trust distributions that don't match the trust's return. If the trust and the individual are prepared separately, the numbers often disagree.
- Forgetting the foreign income. Overseas rent, pensions, bank interest and shares held on overseas platforms all need to be reported.
What does it cost?
Individual returns are quoted as a fixed fee before we start, based on what's in the return: a salary with a rental property costs less than a sole trader with three properties and a crypto portfolio. Business owners on our weekly plans can include their personal returns in the engagement. See our pricing page.
Our fee is generally deductible in the year you pay it.
"It's been wonderful working with the BPAG team! They are true experts and have provided incredibly valuable business advisory and tax services, helping my business grow." Mitchell King, Google review
Frequently asked questions
Do I get a bigger refund using an accountant?
Not automatically. An accountant can't create deductions you aren't entitled to. What we do is make sure you claim everything you are entitled to, with the records to back it, and that investment income is reported correctly so you don't get an amended assessment later. For people with property, shares or a business, that is usually worth more than the fee.
Are accountant fees tax deductible?
Yes. The cost of managing your tax affairs, including our fee for preparing your return, is generally deductible in the year you pay it. You claim it in the following year's return.
How long should I keep my tax records?
Generally five years from when you lodge the return. For assets such as property, shares and crypto, keep the purchase records for at least five years after you sell, because they set your cost base. For a property you've owned for 20 years, that means keeping the original settlement statement for 25 years or more.
Can you do my return if my partner uses a different accountant?
Yes, though for couples who jointly own investments it's simpler if one accountant does both returns, so rental income, interest and expenses are split the same way in each. If you'd rather stay separate, we'll ask for your partner's figures for the joint assets.
Can you lodge prior years I've missed?
Yes. We regularly bring several years of returns up to date at once. The ATO is generally more lenient with people who come forward. Our overdue tax service covers penalties, payment plans and how to approach the ATO.
I sold an investment property. What do you need?
The purchase and sale contracts and settlement statements, records of capital improvements over the years, any depreciation claimed, and whether you ever lived in it or rented it out. Our CGT agent works through the discount, the main residence rules and any partial exemption, and an accountant checks it before it goes in your return.
Official sources
General information only, current as at 18 October 2026. It is not personal tax, legal or financial product advice and doesn't take your circumstances into account. Talk to us before you act. Where a recommendation needs a licensed financial adviser or a solicitor, we work alongside them.