Guide for tax agents
Tax agent online
services guide
Use the Tax agent online services guide to work out how to best complete your
query or transaction online. You will also find useful links to ato.gov.au.
This guide is updated regularly. Keep checking ato.gov.au/tponlineguide to
ensure you have the most up to date information.
Current at October 2016.
Account information
Account information
ato.gov.au
Tax
Agent
Portal
Yes
For business clients:
■■
replacement cheques
Yes
Yes
■■
view details and print
Yes
Yes
■■
account balance
Yes
■■
explanation
Yes
Request remission of failure to
lodge penalty
■■
notice of assessment
Yes
General interest charge (GIC):
■■
refund or credit transfer
■■
replacement cheques
■■
view details and print
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
view calculation details
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
GIC remission requests
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
Higher education loan program
Yes
Yes
For personal clients:
■■
account balance
Yes
■■
explanation
Yes
■■
name changes
Yes ■■
notice of assessment
Yes
■■
refund or credit transfer
JS 37960
Yes
Bank details – update for activity
statement roles
Yes
Yes
See also: Tax Agent Portal – viewing and using portal accounts

Activity statements
Activity statements
ato.gov.au
Tax Agent Portal
ELS
PLS
Claim fuel tax credits
Yes
Yes
Yes
Confirm lodgment
Yes
Yes
Yes
Confirm processing
Yes
Lodge:
■■
business activity statement (BAS)
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
instalment activity statement (IAS)
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
annual GST return
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
annual IAS
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Receive and change method of receiving – paper to ELS or ELS to paper
Yes
Request to start/cease receiving via ELS
Lodgment deferral request
Yes
Yes
Yes
Request for additional time to lodge
Yes
View document identification number
Yes
Revise
Yes
Yes
Yes
Vary instalment amount
Yes
Yes
Yes
View and prepare
Yes
Yes
Yes
See also:
Activity statements
■■ Prepare and lodge
■■ Tax Agent Portal – Activity statements
■■ Activity statements supported by PLS
■■
Debt and payment
Debt and payment
ato.gov.au
Tax Agent Portal
Download payment slips - payment options
Yes
Yes
Yes
GIC remission request
Yes
Help with paying
Yes
Yes
View and print a client’s activity statement account
Yes
How to pay
Yes
Lodgment
Lodgment
ato.gov.au
Tax Agent Portal
ELS
PLS
Advise return not necessary and further returns not necessary
Yes
Yes
Yes
Confirm lodgment
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lodge:
■■
activity statements
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
revised activity statements
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
auditor/actuary contravention reports
Yes
■■
FBT returns
Yes
Yes
2
Tax agent online services guide

Lodgment
ato.gov.au
Tax Agent Portal
ELS
PLS
■■
individual income tax returns
Yes
Yes
■■
non-individual income tax returns
Yes
Yes
■■
superannuation fund returns
Yes
Yes
■■
self-managed super funds
Yes
Yes
■■
Future year returns
■■
member contribution statements
■■
taxable payments annual report
Yes
Yes
■■
tax file number (TFN) declaration reports
Yes
Yes
■■
annual investment income report (AIIR)
Yes
■■
quarterly TFN reports
Yes
■■
employee share scheme reports
Yes
Yes
Yes
Amendment of income tax returns for:
■■
individuals
■■
non-individuals (2011 and later years)
Yes
■■
non-individuals (2010 and earlier years)
Yes
■■
partnerships
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
companies
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
trusts
Yes
Yes
Yes
■■
FBT
Yes
Yes
■■
superannuation funds
Yes
Yes
■■
self-managed super funds
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Confirm lodgment
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lodgment deferral:
■■
application for deferral
Yes
Yes
■■
review of deferral decision
■■
lodgment performance
Yes
■■
help with your lodgment program
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Objections:
■■
submit
■■
submit further information
Yes
Private binding ruling (PBR):
■■
apply
■■
submit further information
Yes
Submit a range of online forms
Yes
View income tax lodgment status
Yes
To claim superannuation for temporary residents who have
departed Australia and no longer have an active visa use
the Departing Australia superannuation payments (DASP)
online system.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
See also:
■■ Prepare and lodge
■■ Tax Agent Portal
–– Return not necessary – income tax
–– Online forms
Tax agent online services guide3

Practice administration
Practice administration
ato.gov.au
Access Manager system assistance
Yes
ABR
Add or delete clients
AUSkey:
■■
Tax Agent Portal
ELS
PLS
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
register
Yes
Changing your practice contact details
Yes
Feedback and complaints
Yes
Yes
Yes
Electronic forms
Yes
ELS – submit ELS password reset form
Yes
Order publications
Yes
Report integrity issues and suspected tax evasion
Yes
Tax Agent Portal:
■■
assistance including access, technical difficulties, functions
and navigation
Yes
■■
send and receive messages (portal Mail)
Yes
■■
submit portal feedback form
Yes
Yes
Other services:
■■
view your practice details
■■
complex issue resolution
Yes
Yes
ato.gov.au
ABR
Yes
Registration
If your query relates to your tax agent registration, visit tpb.gov.au
Registration
Tax Agent Portal
PLS
Yes
Yes
Register for:
■■
AUSkey
Yes
Yes
■■
ABN
Yes
Yes
■■
GST
PAYG withholding
Yes
Yes
■■
■■
fuel tax credits
■■
TFN (non-individual)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Update client details:
■■
addresses, contacts, some tax types
■■
legal name – individual or sole trader
Yes
■■
legal name – other entities except for-profit companies
Yes
■■
main industry and activity
Yes
■■
associate details
Yes
■■
advise that a client is deceased
4
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Tax agent online services guide

Registration
ato.gov.au
ABR
Tax Agent Portal
PLS
Cancel:
■■
GST, PAYG withholding, LCT, WET
Yes
Yes
■■
fuel tax credits
Yes
Yes
■■
ABN
Yes
Yes
Yes
View client registration details and tax type summary
See also: Australian Business Register (ABR) website at abr.gov.au
Reports available
Reports available
Tax Agent Portal
ELS
PLS
Activity statement client list
Yes
Yes
Activity statement lodgment
Yes
Yes
Activity statement summary
Yes
BAS and IAS – outgoing activity statements
Yes
Client account running balance
Yes
Client correspondence list
Yes
Client statistics
Yes
Due lodgment
Yes
Electronic funds transfer (EFT) reconciliation
Yes
Yes
Family trust/interposed entity election
Yes
Income tax and fringe benefits tax lodgment performance
Yes
Income tax client list
Yes
Yes
Income tax lodgment status
Yes
Yes
Outstanding activity statements
Yes
PAYG instalment
Yes
Pre-filling
Yes
Senior Australians tax offset
Yes
Year to date excise revenue product summary
Yes
Year to date interest summary
Yes
Year to date revenue product summary
Yes
See also:
Tax Agent Portal – Reports
■■ ELS – Reports
■■ PLS – Reports
■■
Tax agent online services guide5
Tax law and advice
Tax law and advice
Luxury car tax (LCT)
ATO advice and guidance
New legislation – business and personal
Capital gains tax – business
Non-commercial losses
Capital gains tax – personal
Non-profit organisations
Cash economy
Other languages
Complex issue resolution
PAYG instalments
Consolidation
PAYG withholding
Correct a mistake or amend a return
Register of Private Binding Rulings
Dispute or object to an ATO decision
Research and development concession
Private company benefits – Division 7A dividends
Self-managed super funds (SMSF) – including eSAT
Employee share schemes
Small business benchmarks
Excise and excise equivalent goods
Small business entity concessions
Fringe benefits tax
Super surcharge
Fuel tax credits
Super guarantee
GST
Super enquiries – other (not accounts)
Higher education loan program
Wine equalisation tax
Imputation
Income tax – business
If your query is not available to be completed online, use the
Tax agent phone services (Fast Key Code) guide to find the
right phone number for the topic you need to phone us about.
Income tax – personal or pre-filling
International tax issues
Losses
© Australian Taxation Office for the
Commonwealth of Australia, 2016
You are free to copy, adapt, modify, transmit and distribute this material as
you wish (but not in any way that suggests the ATO or the Commonwealth
endorses you or any of your services or products).
6
Published by
Australian Taxation Office
Canberra
October 2016
JS 37960
Tax agent online services guide