Your Tax Return, Your Way: Email or Appointment

Most people know they should use an accountant at tax time. What fewer people realise is that there are two completely different ways to do it with us, and one of them never involves leaving your couch.

There is also a stubborn myth that the cheaper email option is a lighter version of the real thing. It is not, and this explains exactly why. Whether you are brand new, thinking about switching, or you have been coming into the office for years without knowing there was another way, here is how it actually works. You can hear the full conversation on episode 51 of The Aevum Accounting Podcast.

Option one, the email tax return

You book online, which takes about two minutes. The twist is that the date you pick is not a meeting. Nobody is going to ring you at half past eleven on a Friday. The date you book is the commencement date, the day the team officially starts work on your return, and the whole thing then runs by email across the following fortnight.

That means no waiting rooms, no taking a day off work, no finding parking. If you are a paramedic coming off night shift, you can do your part at two in the morning in your pyjamas and nobody will ever know.

Once you are booked, a secure checklist arrives by email. That is where you send everything through: your income statement, receipts, private health details and work-related expenses. The checklist prompts you for the things people forget, so nothing gets left behind.

If you are new to us there is a short new client form first. The team then handles the switch from your old accountant, including updating your details with the tax office, so you never have to have an awkward conversation.

From there the same qualified accountants who sit across the desk from clients every day get to work. They check your pre-fill data, look over your prior returns, and go hunting for the deductions specific to your occupation. If something looks off, or there is a deduction you might be missing, they email you a question, exactly as they would ask if you were sitting in the office.

When it is ready the draft return comes back to you digitally with your refund estimate. You review it, sign electronically from your phone, and the team lodges it. Start to finish without leaving home, from $330 including GST.

Option two, the appointment

This is a dedicated one-on-one session with your adviser. You can come into the Balcatta office, where there is free parking right at the door, or join by video from anywhere in Australia.

The difference is that you work through your position together in real time. You ask a question and you get the answer on the spot. It is tailored advice, not just a return.

There are options within it. You can book a session for yourself, one for you and your partner to knock over both returns together, or a longer session focused on your investments. The appointment really earns its keep when things are more complex: a first investment property, shares or crypto, a big life change like getting married or starting something on the side. Or simply if you think better out loud. From $440 including GST.

The myth, busted

Here is what is identical no matter which one you pick. The same qualified team prepares both. The checklists are the same. The review before anything is lodged is the same. And the deduction hunt for your occupation happens on every single return, email or not.

So the end product is the same: an expert-prepared, fully compliant return that claims everything you are legally entitled to. The difference in price is not a difference in quality. The extra $110 buys you dedicated appointment time and a live conversation with your adviser. That is it.

Think of your favourite restaurant. Same kitchen, same chef, same dish. You can dine in, or you can have it delivered. Delivery just costs a little less because nobody is topping up your water glass.

Fees, upfront

All our fees are listed before you book, so you can see exactly where you would land. The add-ons are the same on both paths. A rental property, a sole trader business schedule, or share and crypto trading each add $100, and they are all in the published fee schedule. If your situation sits outside the listed fees, the team contacts you before any work begins. No surprise bills.

Which one should you choose?

If your year was reasonably straightforward and you are short on time, the email return is excellent. If your situation is complex, if it is your first year with us, or if you would rather talk things through properly, book the appointment.

Plenty of clients mix it up. They come in the first year to get everything set up properly, then switch to email in the years after. You can change from one year to the next and there is no lock-in.

Booking either one takes about two minutes. Book a consultation with our team and both options are right there. Our Perth tax accountants work with individuals and small businesses right across Australia.

The information in this article is general in nature and does not take your personal circumstances into account. Tax laws are complex and change often. For advice tailored to your situation, speak to a qualified professional at Aevum Accounting.

Prefer to listen? We covered this in Your Tax Return, Your Way: Email or Appointment, episode 51 of the Aevum Accounting Podcast.