CPA Australia urges caution on 2026 tax returns amid scam risks

CPA Australia has advised individuals not to unreserved their 2026 taxation returns, informing that hasty submissions tin summation the likelihood of errors and vulnerability to scams.

CPA Australia Tax pb Jenny Wong acknowledged the beardown tendency among galore Australians to record aboriginal but stressed that velocity should not travel astatine the disbursal of accuracy.

Wong said: "Getting your taxation instrumentality done aboriginal tin beryllium tempting, but it is important not to rush.

"Waiting until each your income accusation has been finalised and pre-filled by the ATO [Australian Taxation Office] volition assistance guarantee accuracy and trim the hazard of errors that tin trigger reviews oregon delays."

She referenced caller ATO figures indicating a displacement successful payer behaviour, with less radical lodging returns successful the opening weeks of the taxation season.

She said: "ATO figures amusement that by 22 July past year, 2.8 cardinal idiosyncratic taxation returns had been lodged, which was a 4% alteration compared to the aforesaid clip the erstwhile year.

"By 12 August, astir 5 cardinal returns had been lodged, besides somewhat down connected the anterior year, with agent-lodged returns successful peculiar trailing behind.

"This suggests much taxpayers whitethorn already beryllium taking a much cautious approach, which is encouraging."

The ATO advised that precocious July is typically the champion clip for lodging returns.

Wong encouraged taxpayers to let capable clip to implicit their returns, making definite they person each the indispensable records to enactment immoderate claims and to debar utilizing estimates wherever possible.

The telephone for attraction follows ATO information showing that much than 595,000 idiosyncratic returns were amended successful the past fiscal twelvemonth owed to missing income, inflated deduction claims and different mismatches.

CPA Australia besides highlighted the heightened hazard of scams during taxation time.

"Scammers usage email, substance messages and telephone calls impersonating the ATO oregon taxation agents to instrumentality radical into handing implicit idiosyncratic accusation oregon money," Wong said.

"CPA Australia urges caution connected 2026 taxation returns amid scam risks" was primitively created and published by The Accountant, a GlobalData owned brand.