End-of-Financial-Year Checklist for Individuals

For employees, investors and anyone lodging their own return. Part 1 gets your 2025–26 return lodged by 31 October 2026. Part 2 is what to do before 30 June 2027 so next year's bill is smaller. Running a business? Use the builders' EOFY checklist instead.

PART 1 · NOW Lodging your 2025–26 return

If you lodge yourself, your 2025–26 return is due 31 October 2026. If you're on a registered tax agent's client list before 31 October, you generally get a later date.

Income — check it's all there

• Income statement from every employer shows as "Tax ready" in myGov Employers had until 14 July 2026 to finalise. If one still says "Not tax ready", chase the employer before lodging.
• All allowances included — tool, travel, car, meal, site, uniform, first aid Allowances are income. You claim the matching expense separately.
• Bank interest, dividends and managed fund statements match the pre-fill
• Shares, crypto or property sold during the year — purchase and sale records ready The 50% CGT discount usually applies to assets held more than 12 months. Crypto counts.
• Rental property: agent's annual statement, loan interest, insurance, rates, repairs, and a depreciation schedule if you have one
• Side income — gig work, ride-share, online sales, cash jobs
• Private health insurance statement and spouse's income (for Medicare levy surcharge and offsets)
• HELP / HECS balance noted — your compulsory repayment is worked out on your income when you lodge

Deductions — gather the evidence

• Working from home: a record of actual hours for the whole year — a diary, roster or timesheet The fixed rate for 2025–26 is 70c per hour. The ATO does not accept an estimate.
• Car used for work (not home to work): logbook or a count of business kilometres Cents per km is 88c for 2025–26, up to 5,000 business km.
• Phone and internet: a four-week record of work use to set your percentage
• Protective clothing, uniforms with a logo, and laundry — receipts, or a laundry calculation if $150 or less
• Tools and equipment — items $300 or less claimed in full, dearer items depreciated
• Self-education, licence renewals, union and professional fees, subscriptions
• Donations of $2 or more to registered charities (DGRs)
• Income protection insurance premiums paid outside super
• Last year's tax agent fee
• Personal super contributions you want to deduct: notice of intent sent to the fund and acknowledged before you lodge No acknowledgement, no deduction. This is the one people lose most often.
• Total work-related claims over $300? Written evidence for all of them, kept five years

PART 2 · BEFORE 30 JUNE 2027 Planning for the year you're in now

The 2026–27 year started on 1 July 2026 with some real changes. Most of the savings below have to be done, and received by the fund or paid, before 30 June 2027.

Super — the biggest lever most people have

• Know your concessional cap: $32,500 for 2026–27 (it was $30,000 in 2025–26) This includes your employer's 12% super guarantee and any salary sacrifice. Personal deductible contributions use what's left.
• Check for unused concessional cap from the last five years — if your total super balance was under $500,000 at the previous 30 June, you may be able to carry it forward and contribute more Your available amount shows in ATO online services under Super.
• Contributions must be received by the fund by 30 June 2027 — not just paid. Allow a week for BPAY and clearing houses
• Non-concessional (after-tax) contributions: cap is $130,000 for 2026–27; bring-forward rules may allow more depending on your total super balance
• Income over $250,000 including super? Budget for Division 293 tax — an extra 15% on concessional contributions
• Spouse earning under $37,000? A $3,000 contribution to their super can give you a tax offset of up to $540 (phasing out at $40,000)
• Low-to-middle income? Check whether an after-tax contribution qualifies for the government co-contribution

Deductions you can bring forward

• Prepay up to 12 months' interest on an investment loan (shares or rental) before 30 June if your lender allows it
• Pay income protection premiums annually in June rather than monthly across two years
• Make donations before 30 June, not after
• Buy work tools or equipment under $300 before 30 June if you need them anyway
• Rental property: book repairs (not improvements) and get a depreciation schedule if you've never had one

Records to keep going all year

• Working-from-home hours diary — start it now if you haven't. The 2026–27 rate wasn't published when we checked; confirm it with the ATO or us
• Car logbook: 12 continuous weeks, valid for five years unless your pattern changes. Cents per km is 91c for 2026–27
• Photo every receipt into the ATO app's myDeductions or a folder on your phone
• Crypto and share trades: keep the exchange or broker history, not just the year-end balance

What changed on 1 July 2026

• Tax rate on income between $18,201 and $45,000 dropped from 16% to 15%; it drops again to 14% from 1 July 2027 Your employer's withholding should already reflect this. Check a payslip.
• $1,000 standard deduction for work-related expenses from 2026–27: eligible people with labour income can claim up to $1,000 without receipts. If your real expenses are higher you can still itemise — so keep the records
• Payday Super: your employer must now pay your 12% super each payday, and it must reach your fund within 7 business days. Check your fund's transaction history every quarter

BONUS 20 deductions individuals forget

Skim this before you lodge. Each one still has to meet the ATO's three rules: you paid for it, it relates to earning your income, and you can prove it.

1. Work-related phone (work %)
2. Home internet (work %)
3. Working from home hours × fixed rate
4. Union and professional fees
5. Industry subscriptions and journals
6. Self-education for your current job
7. Licence and ticket renewals
8. Tools and equipment under $300
9. Protective clothing and logo uniforms
10. Laundry of deductible clothing
11. Sunscreen, hats, sunglasses (outdoor workers)
12. Travel between two workplaces
13. Overtime meals (only with an award allowance)
14. Income protection premiums (outside super)
15. Tax agent fees and travel to your agent
16. Donations of $2+ to DGRs
17. Personal super contributions (with notice of intent)
18. Interest on loans for shares or rental property
19. Investment platform and management fees
20. Rental property depreciation and borrowing costs

General information only. This checklist is general in nature and does not constitute personal tax, financial or legal advice. Thresholds and rates change every year — confirm them for your situation before acting. Builder Accountant is a service of Ace Biz (ABN 89 168 839 076), a Registered Tax Agent in Norwest NSW. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. See also: EOFY checklist for builders · Construction worker deductions · All guides.