Lodge a complaint

Step 1 | Contact ATO / TPB

First attempt to have your concern addressed by your ATO or TPB contact, or their manager.

We encourage you to raise your concerns with the ATO or TPB officer that you have been dealing with, or their manager. They may be able to assist you in resolving your concerns directly and at the earliest possible opportunity.

Step 2 | Formal ATO / TPB Complaint

If you remain unsatisfied, you should lodge a formal complaint with the ATO or TPB for review.

Lodge a formal complaint with the ATO

• Lodge a complaint online with the ATO
• Phone 1800 199 010 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday
• Write to:
            Australian Taxation Office
            PO Box 1271
            ALBURY  NSW  2640

Lodge a formal complaint with the TPB

Tips for lodging a complaint with the ATO or TPB

• Be sure to clearly explain your concern and the outcome you want to achieve
• The ATO or TPB should contact you and provide you with a complaint reference number (e.g., the ATO’s complaint reference format is 1-XXXXXXXXXXX). If you do not hear from them within a couple of weeks, you should contact them and follow up.
• Be prepared that the ATO or TPB may ask for further information to help assess your complaint.
• If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint or the way its been handled, you should discuss this with the agency.

If you remain unsatisfied, you can lodge a tax dispute with us under Step 3

Step 3 | Taxation Ombudsman

If you continue to remain unsatisfied, you may lodge a taxation complaint with us for independent review. If you have not completed step 2, we will redirect your complaint to the relevant agency (ATO or TPB) for formal complaint review unless we consider that there are special reasons why we should conduct a review in the first instance.

If you have completed step 2, and you are ready to lodge your complaint with the Taxation Ombudsman you will be required to have the following information:

• your complaint reference number from your formal ATO or TPB complaint (e.g. the ATO’s complaint reference format is 1-XXXXXXXXXXX)
• your Tax File Number (TFN);
• your personal details (for example – your name and contact details);
• an explanation of which ATO or TPB actions have caused you concern and how those actions have impacted you;
• the main facts, relevant dates, and any supporting documents, such as the ATO’s notice of intent to disclose your tax debts to a credit reporting bureau (example ATO credit reporting letter);
• where you are at now – the result to date; and
• the outcome you want to achieve.

Lodging your complaint online is the quickest way to raise your concerns with the IGTO, and you will receive an immediate confirmation. You may also lodge your complaint via phone or post. Please see below for our contact details.

Online

Lodge your complaint

• This form must be completed in one sitting.
• All fields which are marked with a red asterisk (*) are mandatory.
• You should have on hand electronic copies of any relevant documents you may want to attach.
• If you are lodging this dispute on behalf of another person, we will need to confirm that you are authorised by that other person to discuss their affairs. We have prepared a standard authorisation form which may be accessed through the Complaint Form.
• The form is located on a secured external website.

If you are experiencing difficulties using the online form, you may contact us with the alternative methods below.

Telephone

If you are unable to lodge your complaint online, you may call us on 1300 44 88 29 (1300 IGT TAX) to leave us a voicemail message. Your complaint will be triaged based on the information you provide in your voicemail message.

Please note that you will not be able to speak directly with a Complaint Officer unless you are calling about an existing complaint you have lodged with us.

Post

Send mail to:

Inspector-General of Taxation & Taxation Ombudsman
GPO Box 551
Sydney NSW 2001

Please see how can we help for what we can and cannot do as well as what outcomes you may achieve by lodging a dispute with us.

Due to a high demand for our services, we are operating on a triage system. We will assess whether your dispute is urgent based on the information you provide us when you lodge your dispute.

Lodging a dispute on someone else’s behalf

If you are lodging this dispute on behalf of another person, we will need to confirm that you are authorised by that other person to discuss their affairs. We have prepared a standard authorisation form which may be accessed through the Secure Portal. You don’t need to be a registered tax agent to be a representative – provided you are authorised by that other person to assist them.

If you have a question, please look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Language other than English

If you speak a language other than English and require assistance to lodge a dispute with us, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450 and ask them to leave a voicemail message for us on 1300 44 88 29 to arrange a time and date for a phone call.

We have information in languages other than English which may help you understand the services we provide.

Hearing or speech impaired

If you are hearing or speech impaired, please call the National Relay Service on 133 677 and ask them to leave a voicemail message for us on 1300 44 88 29 to arrange a time and date for a phone call.

Service and Conduct Expectations

We expect our team to be professional, courteous and respectful at all times and we ask that taxpayers and tax professionals who engage with our office to afford them the same courtesy. Our Service and conduct expectations guidelines outline our service commitments and what we expect from you.

Complaints about the IGTO

The IGTO welcomes opportunities to improve the service we deliver to the community and are committed to investigating complaints about us fairly and effectively.

A complaint about the IGTO may be a complaint about our investigation findings on your dispute about the ATO or TPB. A complaint about the IGTO may also be a complaint about our service or conduct in dealing with you..

Complaints about our investigation

Complaints about our service or conduct