Tax Help is a free ATO program running July to October, offering trained volunteers who help Australians earning $70,000 or less with simple tax affairs lodge their return via myTax. It suits Age Pension recipients and self-funded retirees with straightforward income — pension payments, bank interest, dividends, and standard deductions. It doesn't cover business income, capital gains, trust distributions, or complex foreign income.
Every year from July to October, the ATO runs a program that provides free tax return assistance to Australians earning $70,000 or less who have simple tax affairs. Trained and accredited volunteers help eligible people lodge their return online through myTax — at libraries, community centres, neighbourhood houses, by phone, or via video. For many Age Pension recipients and self-funded retirees with modest, straightforward income, this program is a direct fit. Most of them have never heard of it.
The program is called Tax Help, and it has been running for decades. Volunteers are trained by the ATO each year and must complete accreditation before assisting clients. The quality is consistently adequate for the types of returns involved — simple pension income, modest investment income, bank interest, standard deductions, and super withdrawals. The ATO supervises the program and sets the scope of what volunteers can assist with. For retirees whose annual tax task amounts to reporting a Centrelink pension, super pension payments, some bank interest, and a few standard deductions, Tax Help is a capable and genuinely free alternative to paying an accountant.
Eligibility has two components: an income test and a complexity test. For the 2025 tax year (lodged in the 2025-26 tax season), the income threshold is $70,000 or less (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/your-tax-return/help-and-support-to-lodge-your-tax-return/tax-help-program-training/tax-help-topics-you-can-help-with). For a single Age Pension recipient with modest investment income, combined assessable income is likely to be comfortably under this threshold. For a self-funded retiree drawing a tax-free account-based pension and receiving some investment income, the position depends on total assessable income — noting that tax-free super pension payments for those aged 60 or over are generally not assessed as taxable income, which keeps assessable income lower than gross cash flow might suggest.
The complexity test means Tax Help cannot assist with returns that include business income or losses, capital gains or losses on direct assets (though distributions from managed funds may be in scope), complex foreign income, trust distributions, or other technical matters. For most Age Pension and modest account-based pension retirees whose affairs are genuinely simple, these exclusions are not relevant. Retirees who sold shares or an investment property during the year, who have business income, or who have foreign pension or investment income should use a registered tax agent instead.
What Tax Help volunteers assist with in a typical retiree return includes: Age Pension and supplementary payments from Centrelink, account-based pension income from super funds (typically tax-free for those over 60 but still reported), bank interest income, dividend income including franking credits, standard deductions, and the Seniors and Pensioners Tax Offset (SAPTO) calculation. For most retirees in the program, the outcome is a correctly completed return lodged electronically on the day of the appointment, with any refund deposited to the nominated bank account within days.
Accessing Tax Help is straightforward once you know it exists. From July each year, the ATO publishes locations of community Tax Help sites searchable by postcode at ato.gov.au. Appointments book out early in the tax season, so booking promptly after 1 July is advisable. For retirees who cannot easily travel to a community site, phone and video appointments are available, booked through the ATO website or by calling 13 28 61. For retirees in regional and remote communities, phone and video access removes the distance barrier entirely.
For a Tax Help appointment, the documentation to bring includes: tax file number; bank account details for any refund; the Centrelink payment summary for the year (available through myGov); any superannuation fund payment summary or annual statement showing pension payments received; bank interest statements; dividend and distribution statements; receipts for any claimable deductions; and the previous year's return as a reference if available. Volunteers cannot proceed without the tax file number and payment summaries — gathering these before the appointment makes it significantly more efficient.
The question of when Tax Help is sufficient versus when a paid accountant is worthwhile comes down to complexity. For the significant proportion of retirees whose annual tax position is genuinely simple — Centrelink pension, account-based pension, modest interest and dividends — Tax Help is entirely adequate. For retirees who sold a capital asset, who have business income, who receive trust distributions, or who have any international element, a registered tax agent is the appropriate choice.
Retirees who already lodge their own return comfortably via myGov and myTax may find Tax Help less necessary — the ATO's pre-filling function now imports most income data automatically from Centrelink, super funds, banks, and share registries, making self-lodgment of simple returns quite manageable. Tax Help is most valuable for retirees who are not confident doing their own return but whose affairs are not complex enough to justify the cost of an accountant.
For the many eligible retirees paying a few hundred dollars annually for an accountant to complete a straightforward return, Tax Help is worth investigating. The service is accredited, the volunteers are trained, the outcome is the same lodged return — and the cost is nothing.
Sources
Key takeaways
- Tax Help is a free ATO program running July to October, staffed by ATO-trained and accredited volunteers who help eligible people lodge simple tax returns via myTax, at community sites, by phone, or by video.
- Eligibility requires income of $70,000 or less for the relevant tax year and genuinely simple tax affairs — most Age Pension recipients and self-funded retirees with modest pension, interest, and dividend income comfortably meet both tests.
- Tax Help cannot assist with business income, capital gains or losses on direct assets, complex foreign income, or trust distributions — retirees with any of these should use a registered tax agent instead.
- Volunteers can help with Age Pension income, account-based pension payments, bank interest, franked dividends, standard deductions, and the SAPTO calculation — a return can typically be completed and lodged electronically on the day of the appointment.
- Appointments book out quickly after Tax Help sites open for the season on 1 July, so booking early and bringing all documentation — tax file number, Centrelink payment summary, super fund statements, bank interest statements — makes the appointment far more efficient.
Frequently asked questions
Who is eligible for the ATO's free Tax Help program?
Eligibility has two components: an income test and a complexity test. For the 2025 tax year, the income threshold is $70,000 or less. Tax affairs must also be genuinely simple — pension income, modest investment income, bank interest, and standard deductions are within scope, but business income, capital gains on direct assets, trust distributions, and complex foreign income are not. Most Age Pension recipients and self-funded retirees with straightforward income comfortably meet both tests.
What can Tax Help volunteers help retirees with?
In a typical retiree return, volunteers can assist with Age Pension and supplementary Centrelink payments, account-based pension income from super funds, bank interest, dividend income including franking credits, standard deductions, and the Seniors and Pensioners Tax Offset (SAPTO) calculation. For most eligible retirees, this covers their entire tax return, resulting in a correctly completed and electronically lodged return on the day of the appointment.
How do I book a Tax Help appointment?
From 1 July each year, the ATO publishes a list of community Tax Help sites searchable by postcode at ato.gov.au. Appointments book out quickly early in the tax season, so it's worth booking soon after sites open. Phone and video appointments are also available for retirees who can't easily travel to a community site, bookable through the ATO website or by calling 13 28 61 — useful for regional and remote retirees.
Should I use Tax Help or a paid accountant?
It comes down to complexity. If your annual tax position is genuinely simple — Centrelink pension, account-based pension, modest interest and dividends — Tax Help is entirely adequate and free. If you sold a capital asset, have business income, receive trust distributions, or have any international income element, a registered tax agent is the more appropriate choice, since these fall outside what Tax Help volunteers are permitted to assist with.