Expert Personal Tax Accountants
Bristax minimises your tax like no one else. The difference between Bristax and many other tax accountants and tax agents in Australia is our expertise. Other tax return preparers employed by firms such as H&R Block, ITP, Etax.com.au, etc, are often very inexperienced. Some agents have less than 1 year of full-time tax experience but our senior tax accountants have a minimum of 20+ years each!
Our tax accountants can often increase your tax refund – legally and without risk of audit.
Why Is Expertise
Important?
Our founder, Stephen Blake, ensures the tax services Bristax provides are of the highest quality. Stephen is a Chartered Tax Adviser, a Certified Practising Accountant, holds a Master of Taxation and is accredited as a lawyer.
Why is tax expertise so important? There are two crucial issues with tax return preparation. Read on to find out.
If a tax return preparer is not highly skilled in tax return preparation, he or she may not be aware of all the possible tax deductions in a given situation. Some situations are more complex than others and require a greater level of knowledge.
With income tax law books as dense as Gutenberg’s bible and more complex, it’s simply not possible for an individual to know all the rules off-hand.
That’s why our tax accountants carefully ask questions to really know your situation. Plus, that’s how we can claim correct deductions.
Why settle for a lower tax refund by having a ‘quickie’ tax return prepared inexpertly when you can easily afford an expert?
Over claiming of tax deductions can result from either ignorance or deliberate tax avoidance. It is possible to over-claim tax deductions and not get audited by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for a number of years. Beware however, as if the over claimed amounts are substantial, the risk of an ATO audit increases.
If the ATO audits and finds you are over-claiming, not only will you have to pay the shortfall tax back, there is the potential for penalties ranging from 25% to 75% of the shortfall tax! Most of the time it doesn’t matter whether you prepared your return or a tax firm did, you the taxpayer are liable. Don’t run the risk of incorrect deductions on your tax return that may result in an audit from the ATO!
Expertise Means Value
Given our expertise, you might expect our prices to be significantly higher than other tax return preparation firms. But our prices are often not higher after the amount of tax saved is taken into account.
We keep our costs low to pass the savings to you. We use the latest technology and streamlined systems to eliminate unnecessary costs. For example, we operated a paperless office essentially since 2010, before paperless offices were common. We don’t pay expensive rent for offices, so we don’t pass on these overheads in our fees.
Our fee is claimable as a tax deduction on your next tax return. So, the after-tax cost of the return is usually around 34% lower than the rate charged. What’s more, clients usually recoup our fee with the extra tax deductions they wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.
Which would you prefer, a slightly cheaper price and smaller tax refund, or a slightly higher price but an even larger tax refund? We offer the best value tax return preparation in Australia for the highest level of expertise –
check out our pricing for proof.
Late or Overdue Tax Returns? No Worries
Bristax is often regarded as Australia’s #1 late tax return specialist for overdue, late, and multiple year tax return lodgements.
Despite the fears of the typical late tax returner, only a small penalty or no penalty at all is often the result. Indeed, we have lodged thousands of overdue tax returns without any penalties.
See our Late Tax Return page for more detailed information.
Tax By Phone Or Video Call
Tax by phone or video call is simple. Book an appointment and one of our tax experts will call you at your nominated time. For video calls, we use Google Meet. It has high security and is easy to use. Access via computer simply requires an internet web browser and doesn’t require you to download software or set up an account. Access via phone or tablet requires you to download the Google Meet app. We email or text you a meeting link before the appointment.
The same tax experts that do our in-person office appointments and online tax service also do our Bristax phone and video call appointments, so you can be assured your tax return will be prepared to the highest standards.
We’ll take the time to understand your situation and provide the most relevant tax advice for you. We’ll maximise your tax refund safely, by making sure you claim the maximum deductions that you’re entitled to. Your tax return is usually lodged the same day and last but not least, our fee is tax deductible! You can book your Phone or Video Call Tax appointment online at our Contact page.
Online Tax Return
Most people now prefer to do their tax return online, simply because it is so convenient.
It’s easy to do your tax return online. Our process is streamlined and easy. Your tax return is usually lodged the same day or the next day.
We’ll review the information you provide and clarify any questions we might have with a reply email. Be assured your online tax return will be prepared to the highest standards. The same expert tax accountants that do our in person and Tax by Phone appointments also provide our online tax return service.
We have been providing online tax services for many years via email, phone and video call. We were among the first tax firms in Australia to operate a paperless office e.g. storage of all documents in digital format, the use of digital signatures for signing tax documents etc.
A significant difference between us and many other online tax return preparation firms is that the processes of many online tax firms is usually almost as difficult as doing it yourself. For example, they usually ask you a lot of questions you don’t need to answer. This is because they often employ tax return agents who are not very experienced.
At Bristax, we keep the tax process as simple as possible. We know exactly what questions to ask about your occupation and situation.
Looking For The Best Tax
Accountants In Australia?
You’ve come to the right place.
Our expert tax agents obsessively reduce tax in legal & creative ways.
Bristax has been providing tax return and tax accounting services since 2009. We are dedicated to being the #1 Tax Accountants in Australia.
You can check availability and book an appointment via our Contact page.
Once you’ve booked your appointment, you can email us your information and it will help to streamline the appointment, but it’s not essential.
If you have a business with a Pty Ltd Company or Trust structure, please see our Small Business Accounting Service.
FAQ
What information do I need to give you to get my tax return done?
If you are a new client, please see our New Client Tax Return Checklist
If you are a past client, please see our Past Client Tax Return Checklist
Why are appointment bookings limited to 4 weeks in advance?
We limit forward bookings as many times clients end up rescheduling if bookings are made too far in advance. For example, they haven’t received employer income statements, private health insurance statements, investment income details etc. Or unexpected personal or work situations arise since the original booking.
There’s no need to book more than 4 weeks in advance as due to our efficient system you will usually be able to find an available appointment anywhere from the next day to within a couple of weeks at the latest.
If you have the necessary documents, you can check our appointment availability and book now on our Appointment Booking Page.
How long do appointments take?
Our appointments usually take half an hour for most standard tax returns. If you have a non-standard return, then it will usually take an hour or longer.
However, you can streamline the process to some extent by emailing your information to us before your appointment.
You can book a schedule on our Appointment Booking Page.
Do you do appointments outside normal business hours?
Normally we don’t, but we can where necessary. During the peak tax return season (July to October) we have extended operating hours, and we usually do appointments on Saturdays. We never do appointments on Sundays.
You can check our appointment availability on our Appointment Booking Page.
What are the differences between Phone/Videocall Appointments and Online Tax Returns?
The same expert tax accountants do our Phone/Videocall Appointments and also our Online Tax Returns, so rest assured your tax return will be prepared to the highest standards.
Most people find that our Online Tax Return service is the most convenient, as you can submit your info to us anytime, without needing to book an appointment. We usually complete your tax return within 24 to 48 hours of receiving all your information.
Can you deduct your fee from my tax refund?
In many situations we can automatically deduct our fee from your tax refund for a surcharge of $40. Not only that, our fee is tax deductible!
If I owe too much tax, will you turn me away?
If you are willing to take our advice and pay our fees we are happy to help you. The ATO is actually more lenient than most people realise. They won’t throw you in jail just because you can’t pay your tax. They are happy to organise a payment plan for outstanding tax.
How soon do I get my tax refund?
Your refund usually takes 7 to 14 days to reach your bank account. However, it can take longer if the ATO needs to investigate any information declared on your tax return.
Do you offer a Free Consultation?
We offer a free initial consultation if you are a potential new business, investment or SMSF client. The purpose of the consultation is to discuss your situation and explain how we can help you.
If you are seeking tax or accounting advice, we suggest you book a half hour consultation. Our consultation fee is tax deductible.
We assist existing clients with minor tax questions at no charge, as part of our service.
Do you advise on International Tax issues?
Unlike many of our competitors, we have the expertise to advise on the Australian aspects of international tax issues. Australian tax is complicated. International tax is another level of complexity on top of Australian tax. Few accountants are able to expertly advise on international tax issues.
Please note that we do not prepare foreign tax returns e.g. USA tax returns. We have a referral relationship with a USA tax accounting firm so we can organise USA tax return preparation if needed.
We do advise on the Australian tax ramifications of foreign income & expenses, and various business structures.
Do you do instant/same day tax refunds?
No. There is no such thing as a “same day” or “instant” tax refund from the ATO. Any firm who offers such a service makes a loan to you upfront, then they get paid when your refund comes through from the ATO.
While that may sound attractive, be aware that the fees charged by firms for providing that type of service are quite high.
What qualifications/expertise do Bristax accountants have?
BrisTax is registered with the Tax Practitioners Board as a Tax Agent (Registration number 79488000). Bristax is a member of CPA Australia, Australia’s largest professional accountants membership organisation.
Stephen Blake, the Director of Bristax, is a member of the Tax Institute. The Tax Institute is Australia’s #1 Tax Professional Association.
Unlike most of our competitors, all of our senior tax accountants each have 20+ years of tax experience. This level of expertise sets us apart from the vast majority of Australian tax accounting firms.
The benefit for Bristax clients is they get highly experienced tax accountants minimising their tax to the maximum extent, and without incurring penalties from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
To learn more about our key team members, please check our About page.
Do I need to lodge a tax return?
Essentially, if you earn more than $18,200 in taxable income it’s likely that you will need to lodge a tax return. However, there are exceptions, so please contact us if you’re unsure.
Do you do late/overdue/multiple year tax returns?
Absolutely. That is one of our specialties. See our Late Tax Return page for more info.
