General information only, not tax advice. What applies depends on each person's circumstances — confirm the specifics with the ATO or your accountant.
A tax return only moves as fast as the records behind it. Whether you're an individual gathering your own paperwork or an accountant requesting it from a client, a clear checklist turns a vague "send me everything" into a finite, doable task. Here's a practical starting list for an Australian individual return.
Income
- Income statements / PAYG payment summaries from all employers (most now flow through from myGov)
- Bank interest earned
- Dividend statements
- Managed fund and distribution statements
- Rental income and expenses, if you own an investment property
- Records of any share, crypto or property sales (for capital gains)
- Government payments (Centrelink, pensions, allowances)
- Any foreign income
Deductions
- Work-related expenses with receipts — tools, equipment, uniforms, subscriptions
- Working-from-home records (hours and running costs)
- Motor vehicle logbook or work-related travel records
- Self-education expenses related to your work
- Donations to registered deductible gift recipients
- Income protection insurance premiums
- Last year's fee for managing your tax affairs
Offsets and other details
- Private health insurance statement
- Spouse's income details, if applicable
- HECS/HELP or study loan balance
- Bank account details for any refund
Not every line applies to every person — the point of a checklist is to make it obvious what does. For accountants, sending this as a tailored request beats a generic email every time: clients can see exactly what's needed and tick it off.
That's where DocFlow helps — save a tax-return checklist as a reusable template, send it to a client in a click, and let automatic reminders collect everything through a secure portal while you watch each item move to Received. No more "did you get my email?"