English Post

Rental properties are on the ATO’s radar every tax time. Here is a clear 2026 guide for Melbourne and Brisbane landlords: what you can claim (interest, rates, repairs, depreciation), what you can’t (initial repairs, improvements, travel), and the repairs-versus-improvements line that trips people up.

Working from home is one of the biggest deductions Australians claim, and one of the easiest to get wrong. The fixed rate rose to 70 cents an hour for 2025-26, but the record behind it is stricter than the old four-week diary. Here is what the method covers, the full-year hours record the ATO now wants, what you can still claim on top, and the three mistakes that get claims cut. By Lily Zhang, CPA.

myGov opens on 1 July, but lodging your tax return on day one is the easiest way to slow your refund down. Your employer has until 14 July to finalise your income statement, and bank, dividend and health-fund data reports through the month. Lodge before pre-fill is ready and you risk mismatches, manual review and self-amendments. Here’s when to actually lodge your 2026 return in Australia — and how a tax agent extends your deadline. By Lily Zhang, CPA.

Lodged your 2026 return and the refund hasn’t landed — or came back smaller than the myTax estimate? Most online returns take about two weeks, but a manual check can stretch to 30 days, and a debt (including an old ‘debt on hold’) can quietly swallow the refund. Here’s what’s really happening, how to check the status without making it worse, and when you can actually do something. By Lily Zhang, CPA.