UPDATE: The ATO has announced in July 2010 that many taxpayers’ refunds will take up to 30 days from the date of electronic lodgement.
We regret the inconvenience this has caused for many of our customers, and we are sorry to say that we are unable to influence the ATO to provide your refunds more promptly. Unfortunately, while some taxpayers are still receiving timely refunds, these ATO delays may affect any particular tax return and we are unable to reliably predict whether any individual’s refund will be delayed.
Are you experiencing financial hardship, and need a quicker refund?
You should fill out the financial hardship income tax refund request form on the ATO’s website.
The Australian Taxation Office’s new computer systems, first used this January, have caused a number of problems with tax return processing and the issuing of tax refunds, from missing refund cheques in April to four-month delays in some taxpayers’ refunds being issued. We all hoped that as the 2008-2009 tax year ends and the new 2009-2010 tax return lodgement season begins, these wrinkles would be smoothed out and everything would proceed as quickly as in past years.
However, the ATO’s problems appear to be persisting. Despite stating that their target for electronically lodged return processing was 14 days or less, the ATO is taking longer to release most taxpayers’ refunds than the quick turnaround times that some of us enjoyed in previous years. Part of the reason is a two-day delay caused by screening returns for possible fraud, and part of this may be due to the problems with the new computer systems that first became so prominent in April.
While we at ELodge.com.au have promoted a fast 8-10 working day refund, we are sorry to announce that with the ATO’s current difficulties, we must caution all our customers to expect delays in the processing of their tax return and overall a longer time from lodgment to refund than you’ve become accustomed to in past years. We try to provide our customers with the quickest and easiest tax return preparation possible, but unfortunately we have no remedy for delays on the ATO side of things.
Refer to the following sources for more detail on these issues:
- Tax Commissioner hints at possible delays with tax returns – SmartCompany – 29 June 2010
- Where’s my refund? – How long can you expect to wait? – Australian Taxation Office – 20 May 2010
- ATO defends system despite refund ‘debacle’ – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – 22 April 2010
- Tax bungle: refunds sent without cheques – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – 16 April 2010
- Computer glitches leave taxpayers on struggle street – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – 15 April 2010
Tags: 2010 taxes, ATO, refunds
