After lodging a tax return, most people focus entirely on the refund or bill amount. They rarely read through the notice of assessment that explains how the ATO calculated that figure. Understanding what this document actually shows helps you catch errors early, though, and gives you a better picture of your own tax position going forward.
A notice of assessment is the ATO’s official summary of how it processed your tax return. It confirms your taxable income, the tax calculated on that income, any offsets applied, and the resulting refund or amount owing. This document confirms the ATO has formally assessed your return, not just received it.
Your taxable income. Confirm this matches what you expected based on your income and deductions. A mismatch could indicate a data entry error or a discrepancy with information the ATO already holds.
Tax withheld and credits. Check that the tax withheld figure matches what you know your employer withheld from your pay throughout the year, along with any instalments or offsets applied correctly.
Medicare levy and other charges. Confirm any Medicare levy, Medicare levy surcharge, or HECS-HELP repayment amounts match your expectations.
The final refund or amount owing. This should reconcile logically with the other figures on the notice. If it doesn’t add up, review it more closely rather than assuming it’s correct.
Pre-fill discrepancies. If the ATO’s pre-filled information (like bank interest or dividend data) differs from what you or your tax agent used, this can create a mismatch worth investigating.
Offsets applied automatically. The ATO applies some offsets automatically, without you needing to claim them specifically. This can change the final figure from a simple deduction-based estimate.
Prior year debts or credits. Outstanding debts from a previous year, or credits carried forward, can affect your final refund or amount owing in ways that aren’t obvious from the current year’s return alone.
Review it against your actual records first. Before assuming an error, check your notice against your own income statements, deduction records, and previous correspondence.
Contact your tax agent if you used one. They can review the assessment against what was actually lodged and identify whether a discrepancy has occurred.
Request an amendment if needed. If you identify a genuine error — either in your original lodgement or in how the ATO processed it — you can generally request an amendment within specific time limits.
Keep a copy of each year’s notice of assessment alongside your other tax records. Lenders, visa authorities, and other formal bodies often require it as proof of income well beyond the tax return itself.
Your notice of assessment is effectively the official record of your tax position for that year. Understanding it helps you plan ahead — whether that’s adjusting PAYG instalments, reviewing deductions for next year, or simply having accurate documentation on hand when you need it.
EBATS reviews your notice of assessment alongside your original return, catching discrepancies early and handling amendments where needed.
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