Advising non-lodgement of a tax return

The financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June. We balance your FTB after the financial year ends and you get your last payment. We balance CCS from mid-August.

If you or your partner, if you have one, don’t need to lodge a tax return, you need to tell us and confirm your income details. We use your confirmed income, which is also known as your adjusted taxable income, to balance your payments.

It’s important to know we balance FTB and CCS separately.

Why you may need to lodge a tax return

You may need to lodge a tax return if you had any of the following:

• taxable income above the tax-free threshold
• tax withheld, even if your income is below the tax-free threshold
• a child support assessment.

To check if you need to lodge, use the Do I need to lodge a tax return? tool on the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website.

If you need to lodge a tax return, it’s important you wait until late July, so your information is pre-filled in ATO myTax. If you don’t wait for your details to be pre-filled, you’ll have to find, calculate, and enter the information yourself. You may have to amend your tax return if you make a mistake, and we’ll balance your payments again. The ATO will tell us if you amend your tax return, so you don’t need to.

If you lodge before your information is pre-filled, you’ll need to find, calculate and add the information about your financial situation yourself.

Find out more about what you need to do at tax time.

How to tell us about non-lodgement

You need to tell us if you or your partner, if you have one, don’t need to lodge a tax return and confirm any income you got. If you have a Centrelink online account that’s linked to myGov, you can sign in to do this and confirm your income for the financial year.

Sign into myGov

If you don’t have a Centrelink online account or a myGov account, you’ll need to create them.

We have 2 online guides that show you how to advise non-lodgement of a tax return and confirm income. You can choose one of the following:

• Advise non-lodgement of tax return using your Centrelink online account through myGov
• Advise non-lodgement of tax return using your Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.

If you pay or receive child support, you also need to confirm your income using your Child Support online account. Find out more about what to do at tax time if you pay or receive child support.

Find out how we balance your FTB and balance your CCS if you separated from your partner or your partner died during the financial year.

What income to declare when advising non-lodgement

You must tell us all the adjusted taxable income you and your partner got from 1 July to 30 June.

Even if you don’t work for an employer now, you still need to tell us all the income you got during the year.

When to tell us

You can advise us of a non-lodgement after the end of each financial year.

It’s best to wait until late-July to tell us. This is so we have time to get any pre-filled income information.

You must tell us within the time limits for FTB and CCS. If you don’t, your payments may be reduced or cancelled.

If we don’t accept your non-lodgement advice

Sometimes you’ll provide information or we’ll have information that shows you or your partner, if you have one, may need to lodge a tax return.

If this happens, we’ll let you know that we cannot accept your non-lodgement advice. You or your partner will then need to submit a tax return or a non-lodgement advice with the ATO.