The tax return form most Australians need for 2025-26 is the individual tax return. You can complete it online in myTax, on paper, or through a registered tax agent. It covers the income year from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, and the self-lodger deadline was 31 October 2026.
Not everyone uses the same form. Sole traders add a business schedule to their individual return, while partnerships, trusts, companies and self-managed super funds each lodge their own entity return. Picking the wrong one, or missing a schedule, is one of the most common ways a return goes wrong.
This guide explains which form fits your situation, what records to gather, the 2025-26 due dates (including what to do if you missed 31 October), and a worked rental property example showing how one missed claim changes the result.
Key takeaways
- Individuals, including sole traders, use the individual tax return. Sole traders also complete the business and professional items schedule.
- Partnerships, trusts and companies lodge their own entity return, and the partners or beneficiaries still report their share on their own returns.
- Self-lodgers had until 31 October 2026. If you were on a registered tax agent’s client list by then, a later agent due date may apply, often 15 May 2027.
- Pre-filled data in myTax is a starting point, not a final answer. Check it against your own records.
- Keep your records for 5 years from the date you lodge, and longer for capital gains and depreciating assets.
| Who you are | Tax return form | How it is usually lodged |
|---|---|---|
| Employee, investor or someone receiving government payments | Individual tax return | myTax, paper return or registered tax agent |
| Sole trader | Individual tax return plus business and professional items schedule | myTax or registered tax agent |
| Partnership | Partnership tax return (each partner also lodges their own return) | Registered tax agent or business software |
| Trust | Trust tax return (each beneficiary lodges their own return) | Registered tax agent or business software |
| Company | Company tax return | Registered tax agent or business software |
| Self-managed super fund | SMSF annual return | Registered tax agent or approved software |
What does a tax return form do?
A tax return reports your assessable income and the deductions and offsets you’re entitled to, so the ATO can work out whether you owe tax, get a refund or break even. It isn’t a refund application. Even if tax was withheld from every pay, the return can still end in a bill if, for example, you had untaxed interest, rental profit or a second job.
The ATO describes it simply in its preparing your tax return guidance: a tax return is a form you complete online, on paper, or with the help of a tax agent or the Tax Help program.
Which tax return form do you need?
Match the form to your legal structure, not to whatever sounds simplest. The ATO’s income tax return guide for businesses sets out the rules:
- Sole traders lodge an individual tax return, including the supplementary section, and complete the business and professional items schedule. Having an ABN doesn’t make you a company. Our sole trader tax return guide goes through the business labels.
- Partnerships lodge a partnership tax return reporting the partnership’s net income. Each partner then reports their share on their own return. See our partnership tax return guide.
- Trusts lodge a trust tax return through the trustee, and each beneficiary reports their share on their own return. Our trust tax return guide covers resolutions and due dates.
- Companies lodge a company tax return.
Most people still use an agent. In the ATO’s 2023-24 taxation statistics, 62.1% of individual returns were lodged by a tax agent, 37.5% through myTax and 0.4% by other self-preparers.
Do you need to lodge a tax return at all?
Most people with income do. If you’ve worked out that you don’t need to lodge, the ATO asks you to lodge a non-lodgment advice instead, so it stops sending reminders. You usually don’t need to lodge if your income was under the $18,200 tax-free threshold and no tax was withheld. You can’t use a non-lodgment advice if ATO records show an active ABN, PAYG withholding or PAYG instalments during the year.
Watch out
Some people must lodge even on low income, including those who received Centrelink family assistance payments, some parents under a child support assessment, and foreign residents with Australian taxable income. Check the ATO’s list before deciding a return isn’t needed.
How do you get the form and what records do you need?
For an individual, myTax is accessed through ATO online services linked to your myGov account. You can also complete a paper return if online lodgement doesn’t suit you. A registered tax agent lodges through their own software. Before you start, gather:
- Income: your income statement from each employer, Centrelink statements, bank interest and dividend statements.
- Deductions: receipts, invoices, logbooks and diaries. Our work-related tax deductions guide explains what you can claim.
- Private health insurance: your annual statement.
- Business income: sales records, expenses and BAS figures for sole traders.
- Rental property: agent statements, loan interest, insurance, rates and repair invoices.
The ATO’s record-keeping rules say you must keep written evidence for 5 years from the date you lodge. For depreciating assets it’s 5 years from your last claim, and for capital gains it’s 5 years after it’s certain no CGT event can happen.
When is the 2025-26 tax return due?
If you lodge yourself, the 2025-26 return was due on 31 October 2026. The ATO says you must lodge, or engage a tax agent, by that date. If you were on a registered agent’s client list by 31 October, the agent lodgment program sets these later dates:
| Situation (lodging through a registered agent) | 2025-26 due date |
|---|---|
| One or more prior-year returns still outstanding at 30 June 2026 | 31 October 2026 |
| Latest return showed a tax liability of $20,000 or more | 31 March 2027 |
| All other returns, including new clients | 15 May 2027 |
| Concession for 15 May returns, if any payment is also made by then | 5 June 2027 |
Missed 31 October and weren’t on an agent’s list? Your return is now overdue. Lodge as soon as you can, because the ATO can apply failure-to-lodge penalties. Our guide on failure-to-lodge penalties explains how they work.
Worked example: how one missed claim changes a rental return
Rental income is where a lot of tax return forms go wrong, because some costs are claimed straight away and others are spread over many years. This example compares a return that misses the capital works claim with one that includes it.
The facts
- Priya, a Melbourne salary earner, owns a newly built rental unit.
- Construction finished and the unit was available for rent from 1 January 2026, so it was income-producing for 181 days of the 2025-26 year (1 January to 30 June).
- Eligible construction cost: $400,000.
- Rent received: $14,000.
- Property agent fees $2,000, landlord insurance $1,000 and council rates $2,000.
Agent fees, insurance and council rates are on the ATO’s list of rental expenses you can claim straight away. Construction cost is different. Under the ATO’s capital works rules, it is generally deducted at 2.5% a year over 40 years, starting once construction is complete.
Option 1: running costs only (capital works missed)
- Immediate deductions: $2,000 + $1,000 + $2,000 = $5,000
- Net rental income: $14,000 – $5,000 = $9,000
Option 2: running costs plus capital works
- Full-year capital works: $400,000 x 2.5% = $10,000
- Part-year claim: $10,000 x 181/365 = $4,958.90
- Total deductions: $5,000 + $4,958.90 = $9,958.90
- Net rental income: $14,000 – $9,958.90 = $4,041.10
Missing the capital works claim overstates Priya’s rental income by $4,958.90 for this year, and the same mistake repeats every year she owns the unit. A quantity surveyor’s report usually supplies the construction cost figure. Our rental property depreciation guide explains capital works and plant and equipment in more detail.
Tip
Want a rough idea of your result before you lodge? Try our tax refund calculator. It’s an estimate only, and the ATO’s notice of assessment is what counts.
What are the most common tax return form mistakes?
- Trusting pre-fill blindly. Pre-filled amounts can be missing, duplicated or for the wrong year. Check every figure against your own statements.
- Counting income twice. A trust distribution or interest amount that’s already pre-filled gets typed in again by hand.
- Using the wrong form. A sole trader without the business schedule, or a partner who forgets to report their share.
- Claiming without evidence. A spreadsheet total isn’t a receipt. Keep the invoices.
- Mixing up repairs and improvements. Fixing a broken item is usually claimed straight away. Adding a new structure is written off over time.
Spotted a mistake after lodging? You can usually fix it. Our guide on how to amend a tax return walks through the steps.
Frequently asked questions
Which tax return form do I need in Australia?
Most people, including sole traders, use the individual tax return. Sole traders also complete the business and professional items schedule. Partnerships, trusts, companies and self-managed super funds lodge their own entity returns.
When was the 2025-26 tax return due?
If you lodged yourself, it was due on 31 October 2026. If you were on a registered tax agent’s client list by that date, a later due date may apply, often 15 May 2027.
Can I still lodge my tax return after 31 October?
Yes. A late return should still be lodged as soon as possible. The ATO can apply failure-to-lodge penalties, and lodging sooner limits the risk.
Do I need to lodge if I earned under $18,200?
Not always. If your income was under the tax-free threshold and no tax was withheld, you can usually lodge a non-lodgment advice instead. Some people, such as those receiving family assistance payments, must still lodge.
How long do I keep records after lodging?
Generally 5 years from the date you lodge your return. Records for depreciating assets and capital gains have longer periods.
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Talk to a registered tax agent
Not sure which tax return form fits you, or running late for 2025-26? Speak with a registered tax agent at Nanak Accountants & Associates on 1300 626 258, or book a consultation with our team. We prepare individual tax returns for employees, investors and sole traders across Australia.
This article is general information only and is not personal financial or tax advice. Information checked against ATO sources on 4 November 2026.
