FNSACC502 Prepare Tax Documentation For Individuals: Assessment Task 3

Assessment Task 3: Prepare an individual tax return

Task summary 

This assessment task requires you, in the role of a professional Accountant, to meet with a client, Janice Delaney, and prepare an individual tax return for her. 

This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.

Required

• Access to textbooks/other learning materials
• Computer with Microsoft Office and internet access
• Calculator
• Tax Return for Individuals

Timing

Your assessor will advise you of the due date of these submissions.

Submit

• Email to organise meeting with client
• Email with individual tax return attached.
• Hard copy of client’s tax return.
• Email with advice on the ATO auditing process
• Email about receipts for uniforms.

Assessment criteria

For your performance to be deemed satisfactory in this assessment task, you must satisfactorily address all of the assessment criteria. If part of this task is not satisfactorily completed, you will be asked to complete further assessment to demonstrate competence.

Assessment Task 3 Instructions

Carefully read the following: 

Dear Accountant

My name is Janice Anne Delaney. I am a single, 28-year-old Australian with no dependents. I work as a maintenance supervisor at Central Hotel. I have begun to fill my own tax return, but I realise that I will need some professional help to do this. Your services have been recommended to me by a friend, and I would like to meet with you to start the process. So that I can prepare for our meeting properly, please tell me what documents I should bring with me. I also have a few questions about requirements for the lodging of an individual tax return. Like, what is the latest date of lodgement for an individual tax return? By what date must any tax payments due be paid? And where would I go to find out how to calculate low income offset details? Please let me know if you have time to meet me this week to meet.

Regards Janice Delaney

Complete the following activities:

1. Write an email to Janice (your assessor).

The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

The purpose of the email to arrange a meeting, leaving the timing of the meeting up to her. The meeting should take no longer than 15 minutes.

Include your answers to the above questions and a list of what documents she should bring to the meeting, and answer her questions about the lodging of an individual tax return.

At the meeting, you will be required to explain the process for developing and lodging a tax return with the ATO. 

You should also make sure that Janice knows what your fee is for preparing the tax return.

1. Attend the meeting with Janice (your assessor).

At the meeting, you will need to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively, including: 

• Speaking clearly and concisely 
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding 
• Asking questions to identify required information 
• Responding to questions as required 
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding

Janice will ask you a number of questions, which you will need to answer. 

At the meeting, Janice provides you with the documents and receipts as requested, and you take down the following information. 

• Australian citizen, single and has neither children nor any other dependants.
• Janice’s tax file number is 000 111 222.
• Bank details: BSB 111 111 Account Number 111 222 333
• Her date of birth is: 12-12-1989
• Janice’s contact details are:

Address: 4 Walkaway Close, Jacana NSW 2282

Landline: NA

Mobile: 0400 000 000

Email: janiceadel@gmail.com 

Income information:

• Wages $59,230
• Interest from long-term deposit account $730.00
• She has already paid $18,520 in PAYG tax. 

Receipts

Advise Janice that you will review all of her details and get back to her shortly.

Establish the date and time that Janice can expect your response.

1. Calculate Janice’s income and deductions.

Conduct research to find out: 

• which of the above deductions can be claimed, and which cannot.
• whether a low-income tax offset (LITO) is applicable.
• how to calculate the Medicare Levy.

Use your research to assist in calculating Janice’s taxable income and whether tax is payable or refundable.

Use the following template to document your calculations. 

You have received a further email from Janice as follows:

Dear Accountant

I have heard that the government is introducing new superannuation laws and that I might be eligible for a low-income tax offset. 

Can you please advise?

Thanks Janice

1. Write an answer to Janice’s question.

The answer should be at least a paragraph long.

Assume that you need to seek specialist advice on Janice’s question. 

Identify the appropriate source of information and respond to Janice with your decision, and give her the source of information you used to come to your decision. Give a short interpretation of the relevant information so Janice can easily understand it.

1. Complete Janice’s tax return.

To complete the tax return process, you are required to enter all of the information from Janice’s tax return into the latest version of the Tax return for individual web site which can be found on the ATO web site. 

For example, for the tax year 2015 to 2016, the form can be found at https://www.ato.gov.au/uploadedFiles/Content/MEI/downloads/Tax-return-for-individuals-2016.pdf). 

1. Email Janice (your assessor), attaching a scan of the completed tax return form. 

The text of your email should include:

• The amount of tax payable or refundable and the table that you filled out in activity 3. 
• Your response to activity 4

Ask Janice to advise you by return email that the record is true and accurate, and that she gives you permission to lodge the return. 

Ensure that this email is sent within the time frame given to you by Janice at the meeting.

1. Lodge the tax return with the ATO (your assessor).

Hand the hard copy of the tax return to your assessor within the time frame given in the email. Assume that it is some months later and, as Janice’s accountant, you receive a communication from the ATO advising that Janice will be subject to an ATO review and audit.  Specifically, the ATO has also asked you to provide receipts prior to the review and audit regarding the amount spent on Janice’s uniform, which is unusually high as uniform costs are generally $100. 

Janice also calls you to discuss the communication from the ATO which she has also received. She is quite stressed and wants to know more about the audit and review process. Janice also explains to you that the uniform costs were high because she purchased three uniforms at the same time, as she likes to be able to have a clean uniform at least once every 2 days. 

1. Email Janice (your assessor).

The letter must advise Janice about the ATO auditing process. 

Research the ATO web site and find out about:

• What is involved in a review or audit
• The difference between a review and an audit 
• ATO expectation of tax payers in relation to reviews and audits 
• Overview of the process for a review and audit
• Penalties, interest charges and offences

1. Write to the ATO on Janice’s behalf. 

Explain the issue to mitigate any concerns and potentially to avoid a review or audit.

Assume that you are attaching the receipt for the uniforms to the email.