Our simple 5 step process
The Personal Tax Specialists team has developed a simple 5-step process that we follow for every single tax return. By following this process we know that every tax return is completed accurately and results in the best possible refund, with the least effort, for our clients.
Step 1: We make sure we have your personal details rightIf you are a new Personal Tax Specialists client, simply complete our New Client Form, which asks for the basic information we need to welcome you as a client. Once you return this form to us we will let the Tax Office know that you have become one of our clients.
If you are already one of our clients, we will email you our Quick Update Form at tax time each year. This form lists your details as we have them on our system. You just need to let us know if anything has changed.
Step 2: We prepare your Personalised Tax ChecklistNext we contact the Tax Office to find out what information they already have about your income for this year. This may include PAYG payment summaries (supplied by your employer) and details of any interest or other investment income you received for the year.
We use this information, and our knowledge of the deductions allowed for your specific occupation, to prepare your Personalised Tax Checklist. Your checklist will only ask questions that are actually relevant to you and may even prompt you to claim things you hadn’t thought of before. Use the checklist to record all of your income and expenses for the year and then email it back to us.
If you have any questions at this point, you just need to write them on your checklist and one of our Tax Preparation Team members will contact you.
Step 3: We prepare your Tax Return electronicallyOnce we have received all of the information we need from you, our Tax Preparation Team will prepare your tax return using our electronic Tax Agent software.
Every tax return prepared by our Tax Preparation Team then undergoes our quality assurance review process to ensure that it is 100% correct.
Step 3 will take a maximum of five working days to complete (provided we have all of the information we need from you).
Step 4: We email your Tax Return to you for signingNext your tax return is saved as a PDF document (with password protection) and emailed to you to be checked and signed. You just need to print out the pages that need to be signed (we will let you know which ones they are) and then either email, fax or snail-mail those pages back to us.
At the same time we will email you our invoice for the preparation and lodgement of your return. You will need to pay us, either by making a direct deposit into our bank account or by providing us with your Visa or MasterCard details, before we lodge your return. Or if you prefer, we can deduct our fees from your tax refund once it arrives from the Tax Office, so you don’t have to worry about it (but an additional fee of $25 applies for this option).
On the day we receive your signed tax return, provided your account with us has been paid, we will lodge your tax return electronically with the Tax Office.
5. Your refund is paid into your bank accountBecause we use the electronic lodgement system, the Tax Office will usually process your return and issue your assessment within 2 weeks. If you elect to have your refund paid straight into your bank account (which we suggest) you will often see it even earlier than that.
Once we receive a copy of your Tax Assessment Notice from the Tax Office via snail-mail, we check to make sure it is correct and our Support Team will email a copy to you to keep for your records.
If at any point throughout the 5-step process you find that you need help with anything at all, we are just an email, text or phone call away.
The Personal Tax Specialists team has developed a simple 5-step process that we follow for every single tax return. By following this process we know that every tax return is completed accurately and results in the best possible refund, with the least effort, for our clients.
Step 1: We make sure we have your personal details rightIf you are a new Personal Tax Specialists client, simply complete our New Client Form, which asks for the basic information we need to welcome you as a client. Once you return this form to us we will let the Tax Office know that you have become one of our clients.
If you are already one of our clients, we will email you our Quick Update Form at tax time each year. This form lists your details as we have them on our system. You just need to let us know if anything has changed.
Step 2: We prepare your Personalised Tax ChecklistNext we contact the Tax Office to find out what information they already have about your income for this year. This may include PAYG payment summaries (supplied by your employer) and details of any interest or other investment income you received for the year.
We use this information, and our knowledge of the deductions allowed for your specific occupation, to prepare your Personalised Tax Checklist. Your checklist will only ask questions that are actually relevant to you and may even prompt you to claim things you hadn’t thought of before. Use the checklist to record all of your income and expenses for the year and then email it back to us.
If you have any questions at this point, you just need to write them on your checklist and one of our Tax Preparation Team members will contact you.
Step 3: We prepare your Tax Return electronicallyOnce we have received all of the information we need from you, our Tax Preparation Team will prepare your tax return using our electronic Tax Agent software.
Every tax return prepared by our Tax Preparation Team then undergoes our quality assurance review process to ensure that it is 100% correct.
Step 3 will take a maximum of five working days to complete (provided we have all of the information we need from you).
Step 4: We email your Tax Return to you for signingNext your tax return is saved as a PDF document (with password protection) and emailed to you to be checked and signed. You just need to print out the pages that need to be signed (we will let you know which ones they are) and then either email, fax or snail-mail those pages back to us.
At the same time we will email you our invoice for the preparation and lodgement of your return. You will need to pay us, either by making a direct deposit into our bank account or by providing us with your Visa or MasterCard details, before we lodge your return. Or if you prefer, we can deduct our fees from your tax refund once it arrives from the Tax Office, so you don’t have to worry about it (but an additional fee of $25 applies for this option).
On the day we receive your signed tax return, provided your account with us has been paid, we will lodge your tax return electronically with the Tax Office.
5. Your refund is paid into your bank accountBecause we use the electronic lodgement system, the Tax Office will usually process your return and issue your assessment within 2 weeks. If you elect to have your refund paid straight into your bank account (which we suggest) you will often see it even earlier than that.
Once we receive a copy of your Tax Assessment Notice from the Tax Office via snail-mail, we check to make sure it is correct and our Support Team will email a copy to you to keep for your records.
If at any point throughout the 5-step process you find that you need help with anything at all, we are just an email, text or phone call away.