What to do if your TFN is compromised

Posted on 22 April 2025 | by Allan Hall

Protecting Your Tax File Number: What to Do If It’s Compromised

Your Tax File Number (TFN) is an important piece of personal information, and if it becomes compromised, whether due to identity theft, a data breach or accidental exposure, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) takes steps to protect you.

How TFNs are Typically Compromised

Compromised TFNs often result from scammers attempting, sometimes successfully, to submit fraudulent tax returns and claim refunds. Another common cause is clients clicking on phishing links, which allows scammers to access their information, leading either the client or us to contact the ATO to lock their accounts for security.

What the ATO Does when a TFN is Compromised

If the ATO identifies that your TFN may be at risk, they will:

Monitor your tax records for any unusual activity
Work with you to ensure your tax affairs remain secure
Restrict certain online services to prevent unauthorised access.

These measures help protect your identity but may also limit Allan Hall’s ability as your tax agent to access and manage your tax details.

New ATO Security Measures to Prevent Annual Account Locks

The ATO has recently introduced a new procedure to help with compromised TFNs avoid ongoing account locks.

To reduce the need for annual security holds, you should:

Contact the ATO and increase your MyID security strength to Strong – this may require adding additional identity information
Implement additional security measures such as a unique password and security questions
Nominate Allan Hall as your tax agent so we can continue accessing prefill data and lodging your return smoothly.

Once these security enhancements are in place and, as long as we as your tax agents are the ones accessing the prefill and lodging the return, the ATO has indicated that there should be no additional security steps required annually.

How You Can Assist Us

To ensure we can continue assisting you while keeping your TFN secure, you can:

Confirm our access via MyGov or a phone call to the ATO if needed
Provide relevant documents if verification is required
Stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the ATO and to Allan Hall.

Your security is our priority and we are here to help. If you have any concerns about your TFN or need assistance, please reach out to us.

CONTACT ALLAN HALL BUSINESS ADVISORS

ATO, security, tax file number TFN, tax return

New requirements for CCS providers from 1 April

Posted on 8 April 2025 | by Allan Hall

What are the new STR requirements for CCS provider approval applicants starting 1 April 2025?

All new Child Care Subsidy (CCS) provider approval applicants will need to supply a statement of tax record (STR) to the Australian Government Department of Education.

Some existing providers may also be asked to provide an STR. The Department of Education will notify those existing providers who will require an STR.

The STR demonstrates your satisfactory engagement with the tax system and is required when applying to administer CCS.

To apply for an STR, use the ATO’s online services. After you submit your application, you’ll receive a receipt and your STR within 4 business days.

Important tips

Check your registration: Make sure you have an Australian business number (ABN), tax file number (TFN) and goods and service tax (GST) registration if your income is above the relevant limits
Review your tax lodgements: Ensure you’ve submitted at least 90% of your income tax returns, business activity statements (BAS), and fringe benefits tax (FBT) due in the past 4 years (or since your tax record started, if less than 4 years)
Address outstanding debts: If you owe $10,000 or more (not including disputed debts), either pay them off or set up a payment plan.

Taking these steps will help you resolve any tax issues with us before applying for your STR.

Claim Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) by 31 May

Confirm your income by lodging a tax return (or advising that you do not need to) NO LATER THAN 30 JUNE if you wish to submit a claim and receive CCS. Failure to do so can impact receiving FTB supplements and top-ups, and reduce your CCS to zero.

CONTACT ALLAN HALL BUSINESS ADVISORS

ABN, business activity statement BAS, childcare, family, fringe benefits tax FBT, GST, income, tax debt, tax file number TFN, tax return

Help for Directors to apply for a DIN

Posted on 16 November 2022 | by Allan Hall

The Australian Business Registry Services have started contacting directors who are required to apply now for a director identification number (director ID).

Our clients who are currently directors or who are planning to become a director will need to apply for a director ID. Directors appointed under the Corporations Act:

before 1 November 2021, must apply by 30 November 2022
between 1 November 2021 and 4 April 2022, must apply within 28 days of being appointed
from 5 April 2022, must apply before being appointed.

You can find more information about who needs to apply for a director ID at abrs.gov.au/deadlines.

Applying for a director ID online

Allan Hall cannot apply for a director ID on a client’s behalf. A director must apply for a director ID themselves. Apply for a director ID online at abrs.gov.au/directorIDapply.

Directors must set up their myGovID with a standard or strong identity strength before they apply for a director ID.

Applicants will need at least two of the following Australian identity documents to prove their identity:

Driver’s licence or learner’s permit
Passport
Birth certificate
Visa (using a foreign passport)
Citizenship certificate
ImmiCard
Medicare card

You can find a list of documents that you can use to prove your identity at www.mygovid.gov.au/verifying-your-identity.

Directors will need additional information that the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) knows about you when applying for a director ID online.

Tax file number (not essential, but recommended)
residential address as held by the ATO, and
information from two documents to prove your identity — applicants can use any two of these documents:

Bank account details held by the ATO
ATO notice of assessment
Super account details
Dividend statement
Centrelink payment summary
PAYG payment summary

You can find more information about which documents can be used to prove your identity at abrs.gov.au/verify.

Directors who don’t apply online

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) is responsible for enforcing director ID offences set out in the Corporations Act 2001. It is a criminal offence if directors do not apply on time, for more information about the penalties that may be applied, visit asic.gov.au/director-id.

Director Identification Numbers

Posted on 9 November 2021 | by Allan Hall

A new corporate requirement has been introduced in Australia

A Director Identification Number (‘Director ID’) is a unique identifier which must be obtained by all existing and prospective company directors.

It is aimed at preventing the use of false or fraudulent director identities, including illegal “phoenixing” activities and will increase director accountability and traceability.

The Director ID must be personally applied for and kept forever by a director.

You need a Director ID if you are an “eligible officer” of a company, a registered Australian body, a foreign registered company, or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation. An “eligible officer” is a person appointed as a director or alternative director who is acting in that capacity.

When to Apply

There is no cost to apply for a Director ID and you can apply on and from 1 November 2021.

For directors appointed under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth):

Date you become a director	Date you must apply
On or before 31 October 2021	By 30 November 2022
Between 1 November 2021 and 4 April 2022	Within 28 days of appointment
From 5 April 2022	Before appointment

How to Apply

The Director ID regime will be administered by Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS), a newly established function of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The quickest way to receive your Director ID is to apply online through ABRS.

Apply for your director ID | Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) »

Directors must apply themselves because it is necessary to identify their identity. For an online application, a director will need:

a standard or strong identity strength MyGov ID. If you are an eligible director and do not already have a MyGov ID, you can set up your MyGov ID on https://www.mygovid.gov.au/set-up
your Tax File Number
your residential address as held by the ATO, and
information from two documents to verify your identity.

The types of documents which can be used to verify your identity include:

bank account details
an ATO Notice of Assessment
Superannuation account details
a Dividend Statement
a Centrelink Payment Summary, and
a PAYG Payment Summary.

In addition, a director can apply for a Director ID by telephone and by post (for applicants within and outside Australia).

Director ID Obligations

A Director must:

apply for a Director ID within the relevant time frame, or when directed by the ABRS Registrar to do so;
not apply for more than one Director ID (unless directed by the Registrar to do so);
not misrepresent the Director ID to a Commonwealth body, company, registered Australian body or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation; and
not be involved in a breach of the above obligations.

Directors who do not comply with their obligations may face substantial civil or criminal penalties of 5,000 penalty units, which currently stands at $1.11 million dollars.

Privacy

The ABRS Registrar has advised, at the present time, that a Director ID will not be searchable by the public. Once your Director ID is obtained, it should be provided to your company secretary or other record-holder.

The ABRS will only disclose your Director ID to you or to:

someone the director gives permission to disclose
certain Commonwealth, State and Territory government bodies, and
Court and Tribunals.

What to do once you have received your Director ID?

Allan Hall will be sending reminders between now and the target dates advised in this communication to ensure that you have your Director ID Number by the due date. Once you have received your Director ID Number please email this through to [email protected] so that we can record this on our database.

Tag: tax file number TFN