With an accountant, a simple tax return is usually prepared and lodged within a day or two of you handing over your documents, and often on the spot in a single appointment. The longer wait is the ATO, not the accountant. Once your return is lodged electronically, the ATO processes most returns within two weeks and pays the refund into your bank a few days after that. So from your appointment to money in your account, most people are looking at around two to three weeks, with the bulk of that being ATO processing rather than anything the accountant is doing.
The timeline has two separate parts
It helps to split the question in two, because people often blur the parts together. The first is how long your accountant takes to prepare and lodge the return. The second is how long the ATO takes to process it and pay any refund. Your accountant controls the first part, and it is usually quick. The ATO controls the second, and that is where most of the waiting happens. The table below shows the typical shape of it.
| Stage | Typical time |
| Your appointment with the accountant | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Accountant prepares and lodges the return | Same day to a few days |
| ATO processes the return | Usually within 2 weeks |
| Refund paid into your bank | A few days after processing finishes |
How long does the accountant take?
For a straightforward individual return, the appointment itself takes about 30 to 60 minutes, and many accountants prepare and lodge the return in that same sitting or within a day or two afterwards. If your situation is more involved, a business, a rental property, capital gains, or a year of untidy records, it takes longer, because there is more to work through and sometimes more information to chase up.
The single biggest factor is you. If you arrive with everything ready, your income statement, receipts, and the details of any investments, the accountant can move quickly. If documents are missing, the return simply waits until they turn up. A client who brings a tidy folder is often lodged the same day, while one who has to go home and find things adds a week to their own timeline.
How long does the ATO take after lodging?
Once the return is lodged, the clock is in the ATO’s hands. The ATO aims to process most returns lodged electronically within two weeks. Near the end of that window you may see your status move to balancing account, which means the result is being finalised and your refund is close. If your return is pulled for a manual review, it can take longer, up to about 30 days. Lodging through an accountant does not change these timeframes, because the ATO processes agent-lodged and self-lodged returns through the same system.
Does going through an accountant make it slower?
No, and it often makes it smoother. The two-week processing window is the same whether you lodge yourself or through an accountant. Where an accountant helps is in avoiding the things that cause delays. A return with errors, missing income, or claims that do not match the ATO’s data is more likely to be held for manual review, and that is exactly what a good accountant heads off before it happens. Lodging through a registered tax agent also gives you a later deadline, often into the following May, so you are not forced to rush in October just to be on time.
Does the time of year matter?
Yes, a little. The busiest period is July and August, right after the financial year ends, when millions of returns are lodged at once. The ATO still aims for the two-week window, but the very start of July is the worst time to lodge, because your income data is often not finalised yet, which leads to corrections and delays. Waiting until late July, once your income statement is marked tax ready, usually gives you a faster and cleaner result than being first in the queue. Accountants are also at their busiest then, so booking ahead saves you waiting for an appointment as well.
What can slow your tax return down?
A few things stretch the timeline out, and most are avoidable:
missing documents, so the accountant cannot finish the return
lodging too early in July, before your employer and banks have reported your income to the ATO
mistakes or claims that do not match the ATO’s pre-filled data
an ATO review or audit, which adds time while they check
a debt to the ATO or another agency, which is settled during processing
incorrect bank details, which holds up the refund landing
It is also common for a very first return, or a return after a long gap, to take a little longer while the ATO confirms your details.
How to get your refund faster
You cannot speed up the ATO, but you can avoid slowing it down. Turn up to your accountant with everything ready, so the return can be lodged in one go rather than in stops and starts. Wait until at least late July to lodge, once your income statement is tax ready and your bank interest and other details have pre-filled, because lodging on incomplete data invites a correction later. Double check your bank details are correct, since that is where the refund lands. And if your accountant asks you a question while preparing the return, answering quickly keeps everything moving. Our guide to tax return deadlines and documents covers exactly what to have ready.
