Common terms
Thread - A thread appears on the forum after a member of the community posts a question. A thread can include multiple posts.
Board - Boards are used on the forum to help organise information into topics.
Tag - A tag can be a single word or a phrase that describes your post and helps other users identify topics they are interested in.
Badge - A badge is an icon you receive as a reward for interacting with our Community.
Knowledge base - When we see a trend in similar questions on the forum we can create an article to help other people understand what to do. We also certify these articles to give you certainty in the information.
ATO certified post - When you see a post has been ATO certified it means that our moderators have checked the information and can confirm it’s correct.
Most helpful - The person who posted the question can mark an answer they find useful as 'Most helpful'. Moderators may also do this to close off an answered question.
Avatar - You can choose from a range of different characters that represents you on the forum and will appear as your profile picture.
Likes - When you like a post or article you are giving a thumbs-up to the author and letting other community members know you like the content.
House rules - how we want everyone to behave
We at ATO Community work hard to create a positive and helpful environment. Please help to keep the community safe, friendly and supportive by following these few simple rules:
Choose a username unique to you. We don't allow usernames that include profane or obscene language, third-party trademarks, email or web addresses, or the word "ATO"
Avoid politics. We are an apolitical organisation so we need your comments and posts to also be apolitical.
Keep it clean. Be conscious not to offend. Derogatory statements or profanity and inappropriate content (including photos) will be deleted. Never threaten or offend.
Don't fight. We welcome healthy discussion and encourage you to challenge the information and not the person.
Stay on topic. Don't hijack someone else's question with your own, unrelated issues. Start a new thread or contact the moderators with issues.
Make it clear. Keep the language simple so everyone can understand. Avoid unexplained acronyms and jargon.
Protect your identity and the identity of others. Your username, avatar and posts are accessible by the public. Don't use personal info or details that can identify yourself or others. Never include tax file numbers.
Don't advertise. No spam, advertising, solicitations, irrelevant links.
Don't use it as a soapbox. It's not the right place to push your personal issues or agenda. Keep the content relevant to the community.
Give credit. Don't infringe on copyright or intellectual property when posting on our Community. Give credit if you reference somebody else's work.
Don't post financial advice. Under Australian law you must be registered with a professional industry body to provide financial advice so keep advice general.
Report any issues. If you think something breaks our rules, let us know so we can look into it.
Let people be anonymous. Don't challenge the anonymity of others.
Know your stuff. ATO Community is not a binding advice service. It is largely the opinions and thoughts of others. Check out the information before relying on it. You can always check ato.gov.au.
Keep it accurate. Don’t provide others with information you know is incorrect that could cause potential harm. This includes providing answers you know are wrong.
Moderation guidelines - what we do to keep ATO Community a safe, positive space
We at ATO Community are here to provide a safe, confidential space for the community to anonymously discuss tax and super topics that matter to them. This might be asking questions, sharing knowledge or reading along with other conversations.
We value your privacy and keeping ATO Community a positive, safe space so we work hard in the background to moderate the site. We ask you to read through these moderation guidelines so you know what to expect from each other.
Why we don’t answer straight away
A community should be mostly driven by peer to peer conversation. It is not a channel intended for an instant response. We will always give the community an opportunity to talk amongst themselves before we get involved. This is best practice for any community.
We won't leave you hanging! If we notice a question has gone unanswered we will jump in and respond. Keep in mind for the complex questions, we might need to refer to the experts for an answer and this can take time.
Why do we ATO certify some answers?
We want to give the community some certainty to rely on answers we know are accurate. We will mark a response as an ATO certified response when we consider it is:
Technically correct
Clear and concise
Linking to further information
When do we step in?
We work hard in the background but strongly believe the topics and conversation on ATO Community should be driven by the community. However, if someone breaks our House Rules or we feel like we can contribute to the conversation, we will get involved.
To manage the site, we may edit or archive posts. We will get in touch to let you know if there are any big issues.
We respond to your feedback
We review and respond to all of your feedback you send us through all channels. We will keep in contact with you by email.
Not happy with our moderation?
We can always learn more and appreciate feedback. If you aren't happy with something we have done, let us know.
You can contact our moderation team by emailing us at atocommunity@ato.gov.au and let us know if you have any concerns (good feedback is gladly accepted too!).
We do ask that you keep the concerns off other people's conversations and avoid taking threads off track. Come to us directly as we are the ones that can help.
