Our standard terms of engagement

How we charge for our work

Whenever possible, we charge flat rates instead of traditional time-based fees. so you can be confident budgeting for us to prepare your return.

Your return will be prepared by a registered tax agent and qualified accountant who is an owner of the business. We don’t outsource or offshore work. We are not a franchise.

Your income and expenses will be confidently reviewed to find tax saving opportunities. Your consultation with us will be educational and productive. You can request a full copy of your tax return with all the worksheets so you can understand how your return was prepared.

Payment of our fees

We accept payment by EFTPOS, Mastercard, Visa and AMEX. Upon completion of your tax return we’ll give you a tax invoice.

Immediate payment is required for most returns, normally at the end of a tax meeting.

  • If your tax return cannot be completed in the meeting – e.g. due to missing or incorrect information – we will require immediate payment for the meeting. This payment will be applied as a non-refundable deposit towards the total fee we charge for preparing your tax return.
  • When we complete your tax return by email we’ll send you the final invoice, with payment required for the balance of our fees.
  • Your documents will not be lodged with the ATO until payment is received unless by prior agreement.
  • Cancellations with less than 24 hours notice may incur a cancellation charge of $55 at our discretion.
  • Being well-organised for your tax meeting avoids delays and keeps our fees to a minimum, and we provide excellent online resources to help with this.
 
Business clients are normally given an estimate of costs following a complimentary initial interview. 
  • We need to get a good understanding of you and your business and what’s required – and you need to be comfortable with us and our approach – before we can let you know what to expect from us.
  • A partial upfront payment may be required before we commence work.
  • We can also offer an upfront monthly payment plan customised to your needs if you have ongoing accountancy requirements.

How we work

We work with you and add value whilst containing your costs. Our excellent resources and time-saving strategies can help you obtain the best outcome from our services. Discounts available for couples attending consultation together; and for preparation of several returns at the same time.

What to know before coming to a meeting

For the benefit of our clients and staff, Newtown Tax Services operates a healthy workplace policy. For all our health, we respectfully ask that if you are sick, please call to reschedule your meeting.

We like to be able to give you our full attention during your consultation to ensure the best outcome from your tax return. We ask that you use discretion over whether to bring children and be aware that if the meeting is disrupted it may need to be rescheduled. We have a professional duty to exercise due care and diligence and can’t do that with major noise or distractions.

What we will do

  • We will prepare your Income Tax Return and, for a business, an Annual Set of Accounts, based on the information you provide to us.
  • We will lodge your Income Tax Return with the Australian Taxation Office in time to satisfy regulatory requirements provided you give us your information in sufficient time.
  • We will provide general taxation advice and taxation based structuring advice, including business tax advice and any other advice we are qualified to provide, as requested by you.
  • We will liaise and communicate with the Australian Taxation Office as necessary on your behalf as your Tax Agent.

What we will not do

  • We will not audit your accounts and therefore will not be able to form any opinion of their accuracy
  • We will not be looking for irregularities or errors, including fraud and illegal acts. However we will notify you if we suspect something might not be quite right.

Period of engagement for a tax return preparation service:

  • The engagement will start as soon as you accept these terms of engagement.
  • The engagement will end as soon as we have been paid in full.
  • Failure to pay in accordance with our terms will void our engagement.

Your responsibilities

  • You are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of all the information you give us.
  • You agree to disclose all relevant information to us and arrange reasonable and timely access to relevant individuals and documents to allow us to do our job quickly and efficiently.
  • You are ultimately responsible for the resulting Annual Accounts and Income Tax Return we prepare on your behalf under this engagement.
  • You must advise us if you become aware of any conflict of interest or a change of circumstances which may result in a conflict, e.g., a matrimonial dispute, change in business relationships or structure, litigation.
  • You are responsible for paying our fees within the terms of credit.

Our responsibilities

  • We are responsible for keeping any information we get from you confidential.
  • Unless we have your consent, we will not disclose this information to any other party unless required by law. However our files may be subjected to quality control review by the professional accountancy body of which we are a member. If this occurs we will notify you in advance.
  • We are responsible for doing your work in accordance with Tax Agent Services Legislation and the professional and ethical standards issued by the Accounting and Ethics Standards Board (APESB).
  • Limitation of Liability: Our liability under this engagement is limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. Further details are available on request.

About our fees

  • Our fees are calculated on basis of time spent on your work by members of our staff.
  • The rate used is based on the degree of skill and responsibility involved.
  • We will charge you separately with any direct expenses we incur on your behalf.
  • We will issue a final invoice when we finish your work.
  • An additional fee is charged for our time if you later instruct us to re-prepare your tax return with new information.

Ownership of documents

  • All original documents remain your property. However we will make and retain copies for our records.
  • We will produce an Income Tax Return and, if a business, an Annual Set of Accounts as a result of this engagement.
  • These documents belong to us until you have paid our fees in full, then they will belong to you. All other documents we produce belong to us.