No appointment needed. Send your details and documents securely from anywhere in Australia, and a registered tax agent prepares, checks and lodges your return — then calls you to talk through the result.
Both options are handled by the same team and include preparation, review by a registered tax agent and lodgement. The difference is how much of your situation needs discussing.
Most members finish the upload in one sitting. You do not need every document in front of you to begin.
Complete the online form with your income, work-related expenses and contact details.
Attach payment summaries, receipts and any other records through the secure upload.
A registered tax agent prepares your return and reviews the Defence deductions you are entitled to claim.
We talk through the result with you, answer questions and lodge to the ATO once you are happy.
Gather what you can — if something is missing we will tell you what is still needed.
Your tax records are sensitive, and they are treated that way.
Yes. Express Tax Upload lets you send your details and documents securely online, without booking an appointment. A registered tax agent prepares your return, checks it and contacts you before it is lodged.
Express Tax Upload is $165. An appointment, which suits more complex circumstances, is $230. The fee covers preparation, review by a registered tax agent and lodgement.
Express Tax Upload suits a straightforward salary return with work-related deductions. Choose an appointment if you have rental property, capital gains, shares or crypto, business income, deployment or allowance questions, or overdue returns.
Processing time is determined by the ATO, not by us. Most electronically lodged returns are processed within about two weeks, but the ATO may take longer if it reviews a return or offsets a debt.
No. DefenceTax supports Australian Defence Force members, veterans, reservists and defence families Australia-wide by phone and secure online services, wherever you are posted.
Yes. Everything you send through the secure upload travels over an encrypted connection straight to our office, not to a third-party service, and it is the safest way to get your tax file number and identity documents to us.
General information only, current for the 2026 tax year. What you can claim depends on your role, records and how each expense relates to earning your income. Not sure what applies to you? Read our Defence tax deductions guide or get in touch.
Start online in minutes, or talk to us first if you would rather ask a few questions before you begin.