To our ATO Community,

There is no doubt these are difficult times. As a community and for all of us individually, COVID-19 has impacted not just our health but our employment, our businesses, and our way of life. I know many of you will be feeling the effects as you balance looking after yourselves and your loved ones with financial concerns.

I want to let you know that the ATO is here to help.

Our first priority right now is supporting the community – including all of you – to get through this. If you, your business or your clients are suffering financially as a result of COVID-19, we can help.

The Government has introduced a range of assistance options, and you can access many of them through the ATO. Some of them include:

getting early access to your super

reducing superannuation minimum drawdown rates

getting help with your business’ cash flow

being able to claim a greater amount for the instant-asset write-off, and

faster processing times for depreciation deductions to help your business investments.

At the ATO we’re also providing some of our own support measures, which we’ll tailor to your situation. This could mean deferring payments, quicker access to GST refunds, or offering you a low-interest payment plan, depending on your circumstances.

Above all we want to make sure that you get the right support for what you need. That’s why I strongly encourage anyone feeling the financial impacts of COVID-19 to reach out, especially here on ATO Community. By asking questions on ATO Community and reading the information on our website, you can find out what you may be eligible for and keep up to date about our response.

As Australia bands together to face the challenges of COVID-19, we at the ATO are committed to playing our part. Thank you for your contributions to ATO Community, and for continuing to look out for each other. We’ll get through this difficult time together.

Take care

Chris Jordan

Commissioner of Taxation