A myGov account linked to the ATO
myTax lives inside the ATO service in myGov.
Lodging your own return
How to lodge a tax return in myTax
Lodging yourself is free and takes about an hour. The slow part is deductions: knowing which ones you can claim and which myTax field each one belongs in.
What you need before you start
An income statement marked tax ready
Check it in myGov before you lodge, not after.
Records for every deduction
Receipts, a kilometre diary, or an hours record.
How to lodge your tax return, step by step
- 1
Wait for your income statement to say tax ready
Your employer finalises it in myGov, usually by mid-July. Lodging before then means amending later.
- 2
Work out each deduction and keep the record
Every amount you enter needs a record behind it. Deductit calculates each one with its ATO method and keeps the source link.
- 3
Open the return in myTax
Sign in to myGov, open the ATO service, then Manage tax returns, choose the year and select Prepare.
- 4
Check the pre-filled income
Salary, bank interest, dividends, government payments and private health cover. Add anything the ATO has not pre-filled.
- 5
Personalise the return for deductions
Tick that you had deductions to claim, then choose the expense types that apply so myTax shows those fields.
- 6
Enter each deduction at its own field
Car to D1, travel to D2, clothing and laundry to D3, self-education to D4, everything else work-related to D5.
- 7
Review the estimate and lodge
Read the declaration before you lodge, then keep your records for five years from the lodgment date.
Where each deduction goes in myTax
myTax splits work expenses across five fields. Putting an amount in the wrong one is the most common self-lodger mistake.
FieldWhat it coversTypical claims
D1Work-related car expensesDriving between jobs or to a client, in a car you own or lease.
D2Work-related travel expensesFlights, accommodation and meals on work trips away.
D3Clothing, laundry and dry-cleaningUniforms, protective clothing and washing them.
D4Self-education expensesCourses and study connected to your current job.
D5Other work-related expensesWorking from home, phone and internet, tools, union fees, licences.
Example report
What a Deductit myTax transfer report looks like
Save your deductions in Deductit and it produces a report that names the myTax field for each one, the value to enter and the record behind it. You copy the values across yourself.
Example: Sam, retail supervisor2025-26 income year, myTax 2026 return
Deductions in the report$2,172.00
Work-related car expenses
Work-related car expenses- Description (make/model)
- 2019 Toyota Corolla
- Calculation method
- Cents per kilometre
- Work-related kilometres
- 1,200
Prepare return > Deductions > Work-related car expenses > Add
Working from home: fixed-rate method
Other work-related expenses- Your description
- Fixed rate - Working from home: fixed-rate method
- Amount
- $504.00
Prepare return > Deductions > Other work-related expenses > Add
Union fees and workplace representation
Other work-related expenses- Your description
- Union fees and workplace representation
- Amount
- $612.00
Prepare return > Deductions > Other work-related expenses > Add
See the full example report
DEDUCTIT MYTAX TRANSFER REPORT Report ID: mytax-2026-20260714233000-754e52e9 Report version: 2026.07.30.6 Generated: 15 July 2026 at 9:30 am Workspace: Example: Sam, retail supervisor Income year: 2025-26 myTax return: 2026 Deductit reformats information and choices you enter into a myTax transfer report. It does not decide whether an amount is taxable or deductible. If you need personal tax advice, use a registered tax agent. Deductit does not send this report to the ATO. You decide what to enter and lodge through myTax. The FIELDS TO COPY section contains only the deduction fields you matched and confirmed. A separate omissions list identifies saved items that are not included as fields to copy. START IN MYTAX 1. Sign in to myGov and open the linked ATO service. 2. Open Manage tax returns, choose 2026, then select Prepare. 3. Use only the myTax fields you selected and confirmed in this report. 4. Match every label to the live myTax screen before copying the value. Amounts saved in Deductit: $2,172.00 Fields ready to copy: 3 Records still needed: 0 Items with information missing: 0 FIELDS TO COPY D1 - Work-related car expenses CONFIRMED BY USER: Work-related car expenses - myTax field matched by user: D1 - Work-related car expenses - Personalise return: You had deductions you want to claim > Work-related expenses - Path: Prepare return > Deductions > Work-related car expenses > Add - Description (make/model): 2019 Toyota Corolla - Calculation method: Cents per kilometre - Work-related kilometres: 1,200 myTax calculates the deduction from the kilometres. - Deductit calculation: 1,200 km x $0.88 per km - Supporting records: User marked records ready - Check: After myTax calculates the claim, check that its result is $1,056.00. - Latest published ATO guide: ATO myTax 2025 work-related car expenses - https://www.ato.gov.au/myTax25WorkRelatedCarExpenses - Guide version: Public myTax 2025 instructions, accessed 30 July 2026; user must match each field to the live 2026 myTax screen D5 - Other work-related expenses CONFIRMED BY USER: Working from home: fixed-rate method - myTax field matched by user: D5 - Other work-related expenses - Personalise return: You had deductions you want to claim > Work-related expenses - Path: Prepare return > Deductions > Other work-related expenses > Add - Your description: Fixed rate - Working from home: fixed-rate method - Amount: $504.00 - Deductit calculation: 720 hours x $0.70 per hour - Supporting records: User marked records ready - Check: The ATO instructs you to include “Fixed rate” in the description. - Latest published ATO guide: Latest published ATO myTax deduction guide - https://www.ato.gov.au/myTax25Deductions - Guide version: Public myTax 2025 instructions, accessed 30 July 2026; user must match each field to the live 2026 myTax screen D5 - Other work-related expenses CONFIRMED BY USER: Union fees and workplace representation - myTax field matched by user: D5 - Other work-related expenses - Personalise return: You had deductions you want to claim > Work-related expenses - Path: Prepare return > Deductions > Other work-related expenses > Add - Your description: Union fees and workplace representation - Amount: $612.00 - Deductit calculation: Annual union membership - Supporting records: User marked records ready - Latest published ATO guide: Latest published ATO myTax deduction guide - https://www.ato.gov.au/myTax25Deductions - Guide version: Public myTax 2025 instructions, accessed 30 July 2026; user must match each field to the live 2026 myTax screen CHECK THE REST OF YOUR RETURN - Check every pre-filled amount and add any missing income. Wait until each income statement says Tax ready. - Check bank interest, dividends, managed funds, rental income, capital gains, foreign income and business income. A deduction saved in Deductit does not confirm that all related income has been entered. - Review the Medicare, private health insurance, spouse, dependant, offset, study-loan and bank-account questions using your records and the current ATO instructions. Deductit has not checked them. - Do not copy a Deductit pay estimate into an income statement field. Use the tax-ready income statement in myTax or your final payment summary. - Review the full declaration before lodging and keep the records supporting every claim. USER DECLARATION - Accepted: I reviewed every item in this report. - Accepted: I matched each confirmed field to my current myTax screen. - Accepted: I reviewed and confirm the myTax sections, fields and calculation methods shown are correct and appropriate for my return. - Accepted: I understand Deductit is a software tool, not a registered tax agent. It does not decide whether I am entitled to a deduction and does not lodge my return. - Accepted: I understand this report covers only the items listed. I must check myTax pre-fill and the rest of my return before lodging. User-verified transfer report: 2026-07-14T23:30:00.000Z This is not an ATO lodgment receipt.
What this report does and does not do
Deductit turns your saved deductions into step-by-step myTax instructions. It does not decide whether an amount is deductible, does not check the rest of your return, and does not send anything to the ATO. If you need personal tax advice, use a registered tax agent.
Field instructions follow the latest published myTax guidance. Match every suggested field to your live myTax screen before you confirm it.
Lodging your own tax return: common questions
Can I lodge my own tax return without an accountant?
Yes. Most individuals can lodge free through myTax in myGov. A registered tax agent is worth it when your affairs are complex or you want personal tax advice.
When can I lodge my tax return?
From 1 July, but wait until your employer marks your income statement Tax ready in myGov. Most do that by mid-July.
What is the deadline for lodging my own tax return?
31 October if you lodge it yourself. Tax agents can lodge later, but you usually need to be on their client list before 31 October.
Where do work-related deductions go in myTax?
Car expenses go to D1, work-related travel to D2, clothing, laundry and dry-cleaning to D3, self-education to D4, and other work-related expenses including working from home to D5.
Do I need receipts to claim a deduction?
You need a record showing you spent the money and that it relates to earning your income. Some methods take other records, such as a kilometre diary for cents per kilometre or an hours record for the working from home fixed rate.
Work out your deductions first
Deductit checks 109 ATO-sourced rules against your circumstances, calculates each amount and tells you which myTax field it belongs in.