Tax Investigations Support

As a Self-Employed Australia Protected Member you can access a range of specialist professional services. As a member you can access:

30 minutes of free consultation with a lawyer on any issue with the objective of the lawyer indicating the options available to you on your issue.
1 hour of free accountant’s advice on any issue.
100 hours of free accountant and legal expertise related to an ATO audit.*
50 hours of free assistance in managing an unfair contract issue.*

(*subject to conditions below)

Below is a summary of the tax investigations support. This summary is not the actual policy. The full terms and conditions of the policy are here. To become a Protected Member you must agree to these terms and conditions.

Summary of your Protected Member Tax Investigations Benefits:

You receive up to 100 hours of Professional Services related to investigations of your lodged:

Income Tax
Personal Service Income (PSI) Tax
GST liabilities
Company Tax

These benefits are

Accessed as a Protected Member benefit by Self-Employed Australia.
Delivered by Self-Employed Australia’s small business tax specialist accounting partner, Fresh Numbers and Self-Employed Australia’s tax partner lawyers.
Reinforced and backed by Self-Employed Australia’s proven public policy advocacy capacities.

Main Conditions. (See full list of conditions in the policy here.)

Covers:

Tax investigations initiated after and while you are a Self-Employed Australia Protected Member.

Does not cover:

Tax and associated costs you are ordered or agree to pay.
Litigation before a court or Tribunal.
False, fraudulent or tax avoidance scheme involvement.

Full terms and conditions are here.

Important: Maintain your membership

The Tax Investigation Support has no grace period. It is only available after you have become a Protected Member of Self-Employed Australia. That is, if you have a tax audit that commences before becoming a member, that audit is not covered. Once your Self-Employed Australia membership renewal date has passed, cover under the Tax Investigation Support will cease. If you then renew your membership, you will not be covered for any investigations that commenced during the interim period.

How it works

Tax Investigation Support is a core component of Self-Employed Australia Protected Member benefits.

A particularly common implication for self-employed people is the risk of being caught under the Personal Service Income (PSI) legislation that resulted in one IT contractor being ordered to pay $540,000 in back taxes, despite only billing a daily rate in the $800 range (see the story here).

Whilst PSI investigation support is a core element of Self-Employed Australia Protected Member cover, support provided covers most common investigations that a self-employed person may have to endure. In the event of the ATO commencing any of the enquiries listed above, we will provide you, at no additional cost to you, with an expert representative from the accounting firm Fresh Numbers who will act as your appointed accountant during the ATO enquiry/audit process. Fresh Numbers specialise in small business recovery and tax enquiry work.

The Fresh Numbers representative will work with you and your existing accountant where required, handling communications from the ATO to maximise your chances of a successful outcome.

As Gavin Waring from Fresh Numbers, one of Self-Employed Australia’s professional advisers, points out:

“When the ATO finds out we’re on a case, they sit up and take note. It definitely helps that we understand the inner mechanics of the system. ATO case officers know they have to play it by the book.”

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Be Protected!

You can become a Protected Member

Only $40 a month (plus GST)

You receive:
• Tax Investigation Support
• Unfair Contract help

Member benefits info here
Join as a Protected Member here