THE Australian Taxation Office is reminding more than two-million taxpayers who are yet to lodge their income tax returns that a key deadline is fast approaching.

ATO Assistant Commissioner Rob Thomson warned taxpayers that regardless of how they lodge, 31 October is a key date to remember.

“If you’re lodging yourself, you need to have completed and submitted your return by 31 October. If you plan to lodge through a registered tax professional, you must be on their books by 31 October,” Mr Thomson said.

Lodging by the due date ensures taxpayers are not subject to late lodgement penalties, and the same due date for payment of a tax bill applies if you’ve self-lodged your tax return, regardless of when you do it.

“There’s a bit of a myth that delaying lodgement of your tax return will buy you more time to pay – that’s not true. If you have prepared your own tax return and incur a tax bill, it will be due on November 21.

“If you’re worried you won’t be able to lodge or pay by the due dates, contact your registered tax professional or visit the ATO website beforehand to find out what support options are available to you,” he said.

“More than 8.7 million taxpayers have already ticked lodging off their to-do list, with over 4.4 million having self-lodged and another 4.2 million lodged through a registered tax agent,” Mr Thomson said.

For those yet to lodge, don’t be tempted to inflate work-related expenses.

The ATO website has 40 occupational guides with information on what you can and can’t claim specific to your job.

“Remember, there are three golden rules for claiming a deduction for any work-related expense – you must have spent the money yourself and weren’t reimbursed, the expense must directly relate to earning your income and you must have a record of the purchase, usually in the form of a receipt, to prove it,” Mr Thomson said.

For those who have already lodged, the quickest and easiest way to check the progress of your tax return is with the ATO app or by logging into ATO online services.

“Most tax returns lodged online take about 2 weeks to be processed, and calling us cannot speed that process up,” Mr Thomson said.