Tax Support for Individuals
Tailored tax support for individuals finding it hard to lodge or pay tax because of personal circumstances.
Last updated: 17 July 2024
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Financial Difficulties
It’s important to lodge, and pay your tax bills in full and on time, however if you’re experiencing financial difficulties, we may be able to:
- give you extra time to lodge or pay your tax
- set up a payment plan tailored to your individual situation
- remit penalties or interest.
For support tailored to your needs, speak with your registered tax practitioner or contact us.
Serious Hardship
We also have additional support available for people in difficult circumstances, including those in personal crisis, who are unable to provide for themselves, their family or their dependents. This includes being unable to provide:
- food
- accommodation
- clothing
- medical treatment
- education
- other basic necessities.
This is known as 'serious hardship'. Many situations can contribute to serious hardship, including family tragedy, financial misfortune, mental health challenges or impacts of natural disaster.
If you're experiencing serious hardship, contact us as early as you can to discuss what options we have available to help you. This could include:
- deferring a compulsory repayment (such as Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) or Standard Financial Statement (SFS) debt)
- releasing you from some, or all, of your tax debt
- processing your tax return as a priority.
For more information and next steps, you can:
- review the evidence of serious hardship
- gather the evidence you need to support your application - documents you provide should be dated within 4 weeks of supplying them
- apply for serious hardship support