Spouse details and your tax return

When you lodge your tax return, you may need to provide spouse details, even if your spouse doesn't work or you have separate finances. We use this info to work out your eligibility for certain tax offsets, Medicare levy reductions, and the medicare levy surcharge.

A spouse is anyone you've lived with in a genuine domestic relationship at any point during the year. This includes de facto and same-gender couples. Even if you're not married, you may have a spouse for tax purposes.

Do I have to include my spouse's income in my tax return?

Yes, even if you keep your tax affairs separate from your spouse, you'll still need to provide us with their income information. We need this information to work out whether:

• need to pay the full Medicare levy this opens in a new window  or the Medicare levy surcharge this opens in a new window 

• are entitled to tax offsets such as the seniors and pensioners tax offset this opens in a new window , super contributions on behalf of your spouse tax offset this opens in a new window , zone and overseas forces tax offsets this opens in a new window , invalid and invalid carer offsets this opens in a new window 

• are entitled to a private health insurance rebate. this opens in a new window 

What spouse income information do I include?

You'll need to include your spouse's taxable income. Check through the spouse income labels on your tax return to see if there are other fields that apply to your spouse's income.

What if my spouse is a foreign resident for tax purposes?

Even if your spouse is a foreign resident for tax purposes, you need to declare that you have a spouse. You also need to include their global income in the spouse income disclosures on your tax return. 

What if I don't know my partner's income details?

If you can't access your partner’s income details, you can make a reasonable estimate of these amounts.  You can use information like:

• your spouse's payment summaries from their employment

• documents that outline any taxable government payments they received from Centrelink

• bank or dividend statements.

What if I separated from my spouse or started a new relationship?

Relationship breakdowns, while unfortunate, are a reality we’ve accounted for when it comes to lodging your return.

If you’ve separated from your spouse during the financial year and no longer live together, here’s what to do:

• Select ‘yes’ to the question asking if you had a spouse at any time in the financial year,

• In the next section, select ‘add/edit’ spouse details,

• Select ‘no’ to the question asking if you had a spouse for the full year

• Enter the dates you were still living together during the financial year.

If you had more than one spouse during the financial year, complete this section with the details of your latest spouse. For example, the spouse you were in a relationship with on 30 June.