spouse of scouse

End of financial year is 30 June, tax return needs to be in by end of October. Smart move to leave it to an accountant

paulry

Thanks for mentioning H&R Block. I see they also do income tax courses which sounds good for newcomers to the Aussie tax system. I might just enrol on it. Has anyone here done the course already?

spouse of scouse

Now there's an interesting thought. I've always assumed that their courses are only for people who want to work as tax agents, but it makes perfect sense to do one in order to get your head around the tax system. Good idea Paulry!

carolinephillips

We used accountants for the first year, and then OH did the returns after that, once he knew how everything worked. You do need to use a professional to help you with your stuff, particularly if you have been in and out of work, and are claiming benefits- they can help you claim for things you might not have thought of, and help you avoid making a costly error.

old.sparkles

Is H&R Block good (and not too expensive )?

paulry

The angle they take is to become a tax agent but for less than $700 it looks like a plan just to help complete our own returns. It might even help inform investment decisions. Three hours a week for 17 weeks is a bit of a slog though.

upyerfud

In my experience, no they are crap. 20 something 'accountant' using similar, if not identical software to that you can download from the ATO. Do yourself a favour and use someone recommended by a friend/colleague.
H+R didn't reduce my tax bill by one cent the only time I used them. They are no better than the types that pop up in shopping malls every July/August.
Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

paulry

We can't expect much for around $100 in Australia. Other accountants that I know of charge more like 3 or 4 times that.

Amazulu

For most people just earning an employment income they are fine - no need for an accountant costing way more

If you have properties, investments, overseas income etc then an accountant might be a better option but even then, there is only so much that you can claim

Our friend (a pom who used to work for PWC) works for them and she does my returns and trust me, we are claiming every penny that I can

old.sparkles

Thanks - sounds like it will work for me.

ABCD......

I always advised new arrivals to do just that...

ABCD......

When I worked for a Sydney accountants we charged $1,000+ for a basic tax return, and some people paid... !!

They got basically the same service as someone who used a tax specialist instead for about $50 at the time.. Now about $100

Tax Returns are easy and quick, when you are experienced, so $100 for an hours work is pretty good

I really miss doing tax returns

paulry

$1000!

I'm sure for those who know all of the ins and outs of it, it's easy money and is the bread and butter for a lot of accounting firms.

spouse of scouse

For people on low incomes who need help to complete their tax forms, some local Councils offer this service so it's worth a phone call. It needs to be a relatively straightforward tax return though.

brian.w

i would not have a clue who to call.