📍 104 Bridge Street, Morisset NSW 2264  ·  Mon–Fri 9am–5pm 📞 02 4973 4550 Get in touch
Common questions

The questions we get asked most often

Straight answers, no jargon. If yours isn't here, call us on 02 4973 4550 or send us a message and we'll come back to you.

For individuals & families

Do I need to come into the office?

Not necessarily. We're happy to help in person at Morisset, over the phone, or online — whatever suits you. Plenty of our clients we've never met face to face, and plenty prefer a cuppa at the desk. Both work.

What should I bring for my tax return?

Your income details — PAYG summaries, bank interest, dividends, and any rental or investment income — plus receipts or records for work-related expenses. If you bought or sold a property or shares during the year, bring those documents too.

Not sure what applies to you? Call us first and we'll give you a short list built around your situation, rather than a generic checklist.

What does a tax return cost?

It depends what's in it. A straightforward salary-and-wages return is a set price and we can tell you that over the phone. Add a rental property, a share portfolio, a business, or a few years of catching up, and it's a bigger job — so the fee follows the work.

What we won't do is start and surprise you with the bill. Tell us roughly what you've got and we'll tell you either the price or how it will be worked out. And if we open the file and it turns out bigger than either of us expected, you'll hear from us before we go any further.

I haven't lodged for a few years. Can you help?

Yes, and you're not the first. Late returns are far more common than people think, and the situation is almost always more fixable than it feels.

The important thing is to come to the ATO before they come to you — penalties and interest are treated very differently when you're the one putting your hand up. Call us and we'll work out what's outstanding and deal with it in the right order.

Can I claim working from home?

Usually yes, if you're genuinely working from home and you have the records to back it up. There's more than one method of calculating it and they suit different people, so the right answer depends on your setup and how good your records are.

The rates and rules change regularly, so ask us what applies for the year you're lodging rather than relying on what a mate told you.

Do you handle rental properties and investments?

Yes — rental income and deductions, depreciation, capital gains on property and shares, and the timing decisions that go with them. If you're thinking about buying or selling, talk to us before you sign, not after. That's where the real money is saved.

What happens if the ATO reviews or audits me?

We deal with it. We'll handle the correspondence, work out what they actually want, and put the response together with you. It's a lot less alarming when someone who knows the system is doing the talking.

Can you handle both my tax and my financial planning?

Yes, and that's rather the point of us. Having both under one roof means your tax position, your super and your investment strategy actually line up, instead of three separate advisers each optimising their own corner.

Are you actually licensed to give financial advice?

Yes. Financial planning services are provided as an Authorised Representative (No. 427304) of InterPrac Financial Planning Pty Ltd (AFSL No. 246638). On the accounting side, our head accountant is both a CPA and a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years in public practice, and we're a Registered Tax Agent.

For business

Do you work with small businesses and sole traders?

Yes — that's a big part of what we do. Sole traders, partnerships, companies and trusts, from one-person operations up. We're a small practice ourselves, so we understand the difference between advice that sounds good and advice you can actually implement on a Tuesday afternoon.

I'm starting a business. Sole trader, company or trust?

There's no single right answer, and anyone who gives you one without asking questions is guessing. It depends on what you're doing, who else is involved, what you expect to earn, what assets are at risk and what you plan to do with the business eventually.

Getting it wrong is expensive to unwind later, so it's worth an hour of conversation up front. We'll walk you through the real trade-offs.

Can you do my bookkeeping? Do you use Xero or MYOB?

Both — they're our daily tools. We can take the bookkeeping off your hands entirely, or set things up properly and let your own person run it with us reviewing. Whichever keeps your books clean without paying for work you don't need.

Do you handle BAS, GST and payroll?

Yes. BAS preparation and lodgement, GST, PAYG, superannuation guarantee and payroll. If you're behind on any of it, say so early — deadlines are much easier to manage before they've passed.

My business is struggling. Is it too early to call?

Almost certainly not — the far more common problem is people calling too late. Cash flow trouble, an ATO debt, a bad year: all of these have more options available at month two than at month twelve.

Ring us. Even if the answer is that you're fine, you'll sleep better knowing it.

How hard is it to change accountants?

Easier than almost everyone expects. You tell us you'd like to move, we write to your current accountant requesting your records, and they send them across. That's genuinely most of it — you don't have to have an awkward conversation, and you don't need to wait until the end of a financial year.

Will I be dealing with the same person each time?

Yes. We're a small local practice, not a processing line — you'll deal with people who know your situation and remember what you told them last time. That's the whole reason we're the size we are.

Still got a question?

Ask us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help and what it would involve.