Don't rip yourself off at Tax Time
Story sponsored by Heufel Partners.
Tax Time can be tough, especially if you're a low income earner.
The taxation system is designed to ensure we have recourse for any employment-related out-of-pocket expenses we incur. It shouldn't cost us money to go to work.
However, all too often the individuals and companies with the highest incomes are able exploit every loop hole known to man while the rest of us are left scratching our heads.
That's why Heufel Partners are offering the community professional tax returns - completed by a chartered accountant - from just $60.
It's their way of giving something back to the community, accountant Beau Bernhorster explained, so average people can get what they're entitled.
"As tax agents we know what questions to ask..." Mrs Bernhorster said.
"For your average person we can help find an extra couple of hundred dollars worth of deductions."
While doing your tax online may seem more convenient to some - especially time poor people on lower incomes - it can have it's disadvantages.
That why it pays, she says, get some help if you need it instead of staring blankly at a self-serve portal wondering what you can legitimately claim.
"Doing your taxes yourself can be quite complicated because one question can turn into 10 and quite often people don't have the information they require to get past that next step," Mrs Bernhorster explained.
"I also have a lot of clients who come to me and say: 'Oh, I have a friend who claimed x,y and z, can I do the same?'..." she continued.
"People don't always know what deductions they can claim whereas we can look at them and say, 'Alright, we know you're in this field, do you do this or this or this?' and we can help them figure it out...
"When you do it yourself, the computer just asks you for the information. For example, it will say: how many kms have you done in your car? It won't sit there and help work it out for you."
Mrs Bernhorster has been helping the local community maximise their deductions for almost two decades now.
Heufel Partners began offering the three month reduced rate service in 2001 and she has been assisting people ever since.
Over the years, she's developed a close bond with some of her clients. They've swapped stories and watched each other's families grow before their very eyes.
In fact, she now has clients that were small children when she first met them all those years ago. That's why Mrs Bernhorster, unlike most Australians, loves Tax Time.
"It's really nice to see my clients. It's like once a year we get the chance to have a little catch up," she said.
"It's really nice... (For them) I'm kind of like Santa Clause. They come and see me once a year and I bring them a present," she laughed.
From $60 tax returns is a strictly limited time only offer, which expires on September 30. For more information or an over the phone quote, call (02) 4955 4000. Alternatively, click here.
Story sponsored by Heufel Partners.
