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Don’t rush to lodge too early this tax time! (July 2026)

You may be tempted to lodge your tax return on 1 July to tick that job off the list, or to chase a refund to help with cost of living pressures. However, the ATO has a clear message this year: slow down and get it right. Early lodgers are far more likely to make mistakes, but patience and taking time to get all your financial information together usually leads to a smoother result.

The ATO automatically pre-fills information from your employer, banks, government agencies and health funds into your tax return to help you get it right the first time. While some pre-fill data trickles through from 1 July, most reporting and information is finalised later in the month.

If you wait until late July to lodge, most pre-fill information about your wages, bank interest, government payments and private health insurance details will be pre-filled. You can (and should!) still check it against your own records, add anything that is missing and include any deductions or offsets you’re eligible for.

While you wait for pre-fill to be complete:

  • check your contact details and bank account information are up to date, so corrections after lodgment don’t delay your refund;
  • collect receipts, logbooks and any private health insurance details so you have them ready to check against pre-filled information;
  • review the ATO’s occupation guides to confirm which deductions apply to your line of work; and
  • download or check the ATO app to track employment income, store your expense records and receive ATO account notifications.

Once pre-filled data is available, don’t just accept it on face value. Cross-check the figures against your own records, particularly for bank interest, dividends and government payments. If something looks wrong, contact the provider so corrections can flow through to the ATO.

If you realise after lodgment that something’s missing or incorrect, you can fix it through the ATO online amendment process via myGov once the original return has been processed, or by speaking with your registered tax agent.