Finding client’s correspondence

Finding client’s correspondence

Finding client’s correspondence

Editor: The ATO has asked that we (and other professional association) share the following information, regarding their recently published guide on “Finding your client’s correspondence”. This is no doubt thanks to the angst we (and others) have been passing on to them regarding how difficult it has become to keep track of these communications. The ATO has advised that, as they continue to “move their interactions digital”, practitioners will receive more correspondence via the portal and email rather than traditional paper mail. The Client correspondence list in the Tax Agent Portal can help practitioners quickly find specific types of correspondence the ATO has sent to clients, including activity statement.

Editor: The ATO has developed a short ‘How do I’ guide to help practitioners use the client correspondence list.

The ATO lists the benefits of the Client correspondence list as follows:

• See correspondence for all clients daily.
• Use the search parameters to return exact correspondence, for example client identifier or delivery method.
• Set specific date ranges to minimise the amount of correspondence returned.
• Search for all of practitioner’s clients’ correspondence in one go, and access the last 60 days correspondence.
• Retrieve up to three years of correspondence when searching for one TFN.
• Electronic access to correspondence.

How correspondence may be received

The ATO will continue to communicate with practitioners via various channels and they may:

• Retrieve the same piece of correspondence via post and the porta;
• Access correspondence via the portal only (for individuals who have linked their myGov account to the ATO); or
• Receive postal mail only

The correspondence available in the Client correspondence list will include:

• Notice of assessment
• Statement of account for income tax
• Payment arrangement letters
• Payment or lodgement reminders
• Letters about PAYG instalments
• Letters about super contributions from employers
• Referral warning letters
• And tax receipts

Future System Changes

The ATO notes that they continue to work in partnership with tax professionals on the design and user testing of future systems changes, including design improvements to the Client correspondence list.

ATO reviewing taxable payments annual reports

The ATO has advised that it is contacting businesses in the building and construction industry about information provided on their Taxable payments annual report, where the businesses have:

• Provided a report with missing or invalid ABN’s;
• Included amounts paid for GST when the contractor isn’t registered for GST;
• Not lodged a report, when the ATO’s records indicate they should; or
• Advised the ATO they are not required to report, but the ATO’s records indicate they are.

The ATO will explain what their review has found and suggest ways to make it easier to complete accurate reports in the future, such as using the ABN Lookup tool or ATO app to check a contractor’s ABN or if they are registered for GST.

NTAA, ‘The Tax advisers’ Voice’ Edition No.254

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Bottrell Group

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