# ReturnTax

> ReturnTax is an Australian online accounting service that prepares and lodges business tax returns for a fixed fee, from $150 for a personal return and $440 for a business return. Every return is prepared by Shane Burns, a registered Tax Agent with 15+ years in private practice. ABN 13 917 451 514. 100% online, Australia-wide.

Fees are fixed and published. Complex work is quoted as a fixed fee in writing before any work begins. All prices include GST: personal returns $150, quarterly BAS $150, dormant companies $330, sole trader and company returns from $440, trusts and partnerships from $660, tax advice $75 per 30-minute session, bookkeeping $50/hr.

Why the fees are lower than a suburban firm: no office lease, no front desk, no legacy systems. Cloud accounting does the reconciliation, so what you pay for is the accounting judgement. Returns are typically ready in 5 business days. Works with all major accounting software (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Wave, Reckon, Sage, Zoho Books and others), or from a tidy spreadsheet or bank transactions plus an expense list for simpler entities. Fixed-fee tiers assume reconciled, tax-ready records; enquirers are told what needs sorting before any work starts.

Guides are written and reviewed by Shane Burns (Registered Tax Agent 26177173), checkable on the Tax Practitioners Board register at tpb.gov.au. Guides cover Australian tax law and ATO rules, current for the 2026–27 financial year ending 30 June 2027. Returns for 2025–26 are open for lodgement now.

## Services

- [All services](https://returntax.com.au/services): Full range in one place, for anyone looking for an online accountant for a small business
- [Business tax returns (start here)](https://returntax.com.au/services/business-tax-return): Router page explaining structures and pricing across sole traders, companies, trusts and partnerships
- [Company tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/company-tax-return): Pty Ltd returns from $440 inc GST, financial statements included
- [Sole trader tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/sole-trader-tax-return): Personal return with business schedule from $440 inc GST
- [Trust tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/trust-tax-return): Trust returns from $660 inc GST, distribution statements included; unit and trading trusts quoted individually
- [Family trust tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/family-trust-tax-return): Family and discretionary trust returns from $660 inc GST, spreadsheet records welcome, beneficiary returns handled together
- [Partnership tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/partnership-tax-return): From $660 inc GST including partnership schedule and profit split
- [BAS lodgement](https://returntax.com.au/services/bas-lodgement): Quarterly BAS at $150 inc GST per lodgement
- [Dormant company tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/dormant-company-tax-return): Flat $330 inc GST for non-trading companies
- [First company tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/first-company-tax-return): A company's first return from $330 inc GST; never-traded years flat $330, first trading years $440, startup costs captured properly
- [Investment company tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/investment-company-tax-return): Bucket, holding and share portfolio companies from $440 inc GST, dividend and franking schedules included
- [Overdue tax returns](https://returntax.com.au/services/overdue-tax-returns): Multi-year catch-ups with one fixed quote, judgement-free
- [Personal tax return](https://returntax.com.au/services/personal-tax-return): PAYG employee returns at $150 inc GST
- [Tax advice](https://returntax.com.au/services/tax-advice): $75 inc GST per 30-minute session, video or phone, no ongoing commitment
- [Bookkeeping](https://returntax.com.au/services/bookkeeping): $50/hr inc GST to get books reconciled and tax-ready

## Company

- [ReturnTax](https://returntax.com.au): Fixed-fee tax returns from $150, prepared by a registered Tax Agent, 100% online
- [Get started](https://returntax.com.au/get-started): The intake form that begins a return. About 10 minutes, no payment upfront
- [Fixed fee accounting](https://returntax.com.au/fixed-fee-accountant): Why every price is published, what is covered by a fixed fee and when work is quoted instead
- [Pricing](https://returntax.com.au/pricing): All fixed fees by structure and add-on
- [How it works](https://returntax.com.au/how-it-works): 4-step process, about 10 minutes of client time
- [About](https://returntax.com.au/about): Who prepares the returns and why fees are lower
- [Contact](https://returntax.com.au/contact): Questions and custom quotes, replies within one business day

## Guides

- [Blog index](https://returntax.com.au/blog): All guides on tax return costs, business structures and small business tax obligations

## Guides: Costs & pricing

- [Fixed Fee vs Hourly Accountant: Which Is Better?](https://returntax.com.au/blog/fixed-fee-vs-hourly-accountant): Why fixed fees suit most small businesses, and when hourly still wins
- [How Much Does a Business Tax Return Cost in Australia?](https://returntax.com.au/blog/how-much-does-business-tax-return-cost): Typical price ranges by structure, what drives cost up, how to pay less
- [How Much Does a Company Tax Return Cost in Australia? (2026)](https://returntax.com.au/blog/how-much-does-company-tax-return-cost-australia): Pty Ltd return costs from fixed-fee online services to suburban firms
- [How Much Does a Trust Tax Return Cost in Australia? (2026)](https://returntax.com.au/blog/how-much-does-trust-tax-return-cost-australia): What the fee includes and the real annual cost of running a family trust
- [How to Change Accountants in Australia (Without the Hassle)](https://returntax.com.au/blog/how-to-change-accountants-australia): The steps, the ATO agent nomination and who is exempt
- [Are Cheap Online Tax Returns Legit in Australia?](https://returntax.com.au/blog/are-cheap-online-tax-returns-legit-australia): Registration as the legal line rather than price, the TPB register check, why a registered agent never needs your myGov login, the safe harbour asymmetry, and mandatory PI insurance minimums
- [How Much Does an Accountant Cost in Australia? (2026 Guide)](https://returntax.com.au/blog/how-much-does-an-accountant-cost-australia): Fees by job across returns, BAS, bookkeeping and advice, hourly rate bands, what tax agent registration buys
- [Sole Trader Accountant Costs in Australia (2026 Guide)](https://returntax.com.au/blog/sole-trader-accountant-cost-australia): Sole trader return fee ranges, the return-only versus annual-package split, the 31 October agent cut-off

## Guides: Structures

- [How Family Trusts Are Taxed in Australia](https://returntax.com.au/blog/how-family-trusts-are-taxed-australia): Present entitlement, the rate each beneficiary pays, the 30 June deadline
- [What Is a Bucket Company in Australia? (2026 Guide)](https://returntax.com.au/blog/what-is-a-bucket-company-australia): How it caps trust income at the company tax rate, and the Division 7A catch
- [Business Structures in Australia: How the Tax Differs](https://returntax.com.au/blog/business-structures-australia): Who pays the tax, at what rate, and what each structure costs to run a year
- [Do I Need an Accountant for My Company in Australia?](https://returntax.com.au/blog/do-i-need-an-accountant-for-my-company-australia): No legal requirement, the SBR-enabled software wall (no myTax for companies), 28 February and 31 October due dates, the deemed notice of assessment, and the ASIC obligations that sit beside the ATO ones

## Guides: Obligations & dates

- [What Happens If You Don't Lodge a Tax Return in Australia?](https://returntax.com.au/blog/what-happens-if-you-dont-lodge-tax-return-australia): The warnings before the fines, the penalty, and when you are not liable
- [Years Behind on Tax Returns? How to Catch Up in Australia](https://returntax.com.au/blog/havent-lodged-tax-return-in-years-australia): What the ATO actually does, what late lodgement costs, how to catch up
- [Dormant Company Obligations in Australia](https://returntax.com.au/blog/dormant-company-obligations-australia): What a non-trading company still lodges, the $342 ASIC annual review fee, nil return vs return not necessary, the cost of keeping it against deregistering
- [Tax Return Deadlines in Australia (2026 Guide)](https://returntax.com.au/blog/tax-return-deadline-australia): The 2 November 2026 weekend shift, the full agent program dates (31 October, 31 March, 15 May, the 5 June concession), staggered payment dates, and the late lodgement penalty arithmetic
- [What Is a BAS in Australia? A Plain-English Guide](https://returntax.com.au/blog/what-is-a-bas-australia): GST registration as the BAS trigger, the $75,000 threshold, Simpler BAS reporting at G1/1A/1B under $10m turnover, quarterly and monthly due dates, nil BAS, and the failure to lodge penalty

## Optional

- [Privacy policy](https://returntax.com.au/privacy-policy): What client data is collected and how it is handled
- [Terms of service](https://returntax.com.au/terms-of-service): Engagement terms, the contracting entity, and the TPB register and complaints process