Hi there,
I have recently filed my tax return and found out I owe about 3k to the ATO. At present, I also owe around 3k to Centrelink from a previous debt with them. Is this the same debt? If I pay the 3k to the ATO, will they use it to pay my Centrelink debt, or is this ATO debt something different? I really hope I don't owe 6k in total to the government
thank you
Hi @NCA
It depends on how the $3k was paid.
If you've been making manual payments yourself towards your account, these count as voluntary contributions. They will not count towards any compulsory repayments.
Compulsory repayments are taken from your tax return only. This means if the $3k was withheld from your salary and wages, it included as PAYG Withholding, and not as a separate payment. This always tripped me up before I had it explained to me. Think of your compulsory repayments as an additional type of tax, like the way income tax, Medicare levy, and Medicare levy surcharge are all separated, but your PAYG Withholding credit is all one figure.
You can read more about compulsory repayments on our website.
Hi @NCA,
Generally the debt amount with us would be for something different, however I can't tell you what it's for without seeing your account. If your return has finalised you would have received your notice of assessment for the year. This should give you some more information on what the balance owing originated from. You can find your notice of assessment online through myGov. In the ATO section go to communication, then history and then you should be able to find your most recent notice of assessment for the year. Have a look there and let us know if you have any questions on that.
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