As tax season approaches, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has released its focus areas for the 2025–26 financial year. These “tax time targets” highlight the most common mistakes and risk areas the ATO will be closely reviewing when processing tax returns.
Understanding these priorities can help individuals, investors, and business owners lodge accurate tax returns, avoid unnecessary audits, and ensure they are only claiming what they are genuinely entitled to.
At North Coast Accounting, we help clients stay ahead of these changes and prepare tax returns that are fully compliant and optimised for legitimate deductions.
One of the biggest focus areas every year is work-related deductions. The ATO continues to review claims that appear unusually high compared to industry benchmarks.
Common problem areas include:
The ATO expects all claims to be directly related to income earning activities and supported by proper records.
Property investors remain under close scrutiny. The ATO regularly identifies errors in rental property claims, especially where expenses are incorrectly classified or over-claimed.
Key focus areas include:
Accurate record-keeping is essential for property investors to avoid adjustments later.
Income earned from platforms such as ride-sharing, online selling, freelancing, and short-term rentals must be declared.
The ATO is increasingly using data-matching to identify undeclared income from:
Even small amounts of income must be reported correctly.
Work-from-home claims remain a key review area, especially where taxpayers apply simplified methods incorrectly or lack supporting evidence.
Taxpayers must ensure they have:
The ATO continues to monitor cryptocurrency transactions closely, including buying, selling, and swapping digital assets.
They also focus on:
All investment activity must be correctly declared, even if losses are incurred.
For small business owners, the ATO is paying close attention to personal expenses incorrectly claimed as business deductions.
This includes:
Clear separation between business and personal expenses is critical.
From 1 July 2025, significant changes have been made to the treatment of ATO interest charges. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) imposes interest charges such as the General Interest Charge (GIC) and Shortfall Interest Charge (SIC) on unpaid or underpaid tax liabilities.
Under the updated rules, these ATO interest charges remain non-deductible for income tax purposes, meaning taxpayers cannot claim a tax deduction for interest incurred on late or outstanding tax payments.
This reinforces the ATO’s position that interest charges are a penalty for delayed compliance rather than a cost of earning income. As a result, businesses and individuals will need to factor in the full after-tax cost of any late payments or amended tax assessments.
With this change, maintaining timely lodgement and payment of tax obligations is more important than ever. Taxpayers who may face cash flow pressures or ATO debt should consider early planning, payment arrangements, or professional tax advice to minimise the impact.
With increased ATO data-matching and compliance activity, getting your tax return right the first time is more important than ever.
At North Coast Accounting, we help individuals, investors, and business owners:
The ATO’s 2025–26 tax time targets highlight the importance of accurate reporting and proper documentation. While the rules may seem complex, with the right advice and preparation, you can lodge your return confidently and without stress.
If you need assistance with your 2026 tax return or want to ensure your deductions are correctly claimed, contact North Coast Accounting today.
You can reach out to us by:
Calling us on 9306 8888
Emailing via: [email protected]
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