Tax Help
Tax Help is available at the Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre from July to October. Appointments are made by telephoning the Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre on 02 6684 1286.
Tax Help is a network of community volunteers who provide a free and confidential service to help people complete their tax returns at tax time. These volunteers are people from within the community who give up their time each year. They are not Tax Office staff, but they receive training and support from the Tax Office.
Tax Help is for people on low incomes including, but not restricted to, those who are also seniors, students, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, people with a disability, Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islander people. Since tax can be complex, volunteers are only able to help with fairly straightforward tax returns. They can help identify and record income received through: pensions, Australian government benefits and allowances, such as unemployment and sickness benefits, salary and wages, dividends, managed funds, and interes
If your taxable income is $35,000 or less (pus $2,500 for each child), then, you are eligible for Tax Help if none of the following situations applied to you in the previous income year: you were employed as a contractor (for example a contract cleaner or taxi driver); you were in business, including being a sole trader; you sold shares; you sold an investment property; you owned a rental property; you received royalties; you received distributions from a trust other than a managed fund; you received foreign income other than a foreign pension or annuity.
If you need to fill out a tax return a volunteer can help you do this. In some cases people on low incomes do not need to lodge tax returns. Tax Help volunteers can work out if a tax return is necessary in your case. If it is not necessary, and you lodged a tax return last year, it is important that the Tax Office knows this. Tax Help volunteers can help you to fill out a Non-lodgment advice if this is necessary. Tax Help volunteers will also be able to assist you with claims for family tax benefit, refund of imputation credits and baby bonus.
Tax Help volunteers cannot assist clients with: business tax returns; partnership and trust matters; capital gains tax (CGT) and rental property.
Further information about the Tax Help program may be obtained from the Australian Tax Office on telephone number 13 28 61.
