Lodgeit

A Tax Agent account lets a registered tax practice prepare and lodge returns for its clients in Lodgeit. This guide follows the checklist on the Getting started page, from creating your account to lodging your first client return.

In this article

• Before you start
• Create your account
• Complete your organisation details
• Nominate Lodgeit as your SBR software provider
• Add your colleagues
• Add clients
• Add relationships
• Import financials
• Lodge your first tax return
• Common questions
• Related articles

Before you start

• You have your tax agent number and your practice's ABN.
• You have a myID linked to the practice in Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM), so you can sign in to ATO Access Manager. If you don't have one, you can connect to the ATO by phone instead.
• You have an authenticator app on your phone, such as Google Authenticator, or a mobile number for SMS codes.
• To bring your client list across, you have an export from your current tax software.

Create your account

Not a tax agent?

BAS agents choose BAS Agent as the practice type and follow the BAS agent guide. A business that lodges its own returns chooses Business Entity and follows the business guide.

1. Go to go.lodgeit.net.au/signup, enter your name, email and a password, then select Sign up. You can also select Sign up with Intuit or Sign up with Xero.
2. Set up two-factor authentication. Scan the QR code with your authenticator app, enter the 6-digit code, then select Confirm. To use SMS instead, select Setup SMS authentication.
3. On the Setup new organisation page, select Connect to Xero or Connect to QuickBooks to copy your practice's details from your accounting software, or fill in the form yourself.
4. Under Practice Type, select Tax Agent, then enter your number in Tax/BAS Agent Number.
5. Choose the Entity Type your practice operates as, such as individual or company, and enter the ABN, TFN and name. If your practice is a company, see Practice type as a company.
6. Select Create.

Lodgeit opens the Getting started page. Select Start next to a step to open the screen for it. To come back later, select the help icon (?) in the top bar, then Getting Started.

Complete your organisation details

These are your practice's details. Lodgeit uses them on the forms you lodge for clients.

1. On the Getting started page, select Start next to Complete your organisation details.
2. Enter the Primary email, Primary phone, business address and postal address.
3. In Primary Contact/Signatory, choose the person who signs forms for the practice. If they aren't in the list, add them.
4. Check that the name and ABN match the ATO's records, then save.

To change these details later, select the gear icon, then Profile.

For every field on these settings pages, see Organisation details.

Nominate Lodgeit as your SBR software provider

Lodgeit can't prefill, validate or lodge until the ATO knows it's your software provider. You nominate it once, for your practice's ABN, in ATO Access Manager. You don't need to repeat this for each client.

1. On the Getting started page, select Start next to Nominate LodgeiT as your SBR software provider. Lodgeit opens the ATO Software ID page.
2. Copy Your software ID.
3. Select the ATO Access Manager link, sign in with your myID and choose your practice.
4. Open My hosted software services and select Notify the ATO of your hosted service.
5. Search for Lodge iT (with a space) or Lodgeit's ABN, 98 146 732 569, and select the ABN in the results.
6. Paste your software ID, select Next, then select Save.
7. Back in Lodgeit, select Test Software ID. When the nomination has worked, Lodgeit shows Successfully connected to ATO.

For screenshots of each Access Manager screen, see Connect Lodgeit to ATO.

Add your colleagues

Every Lodgeit plan includes unlimited users. Each colleague signs in with their own account, and you choose what they can do.

1. On the Getting started page, select Start next to Add your colleagues. Lodgeit opens the Team page.
2. Select Invite member.
3. Enter their Email and tick the permissions they need, such as Sign forms or Lodge forms.
4. Select Invite Member. Lodgeit emails them an invitation.

To group colleagues into teams and limit who sees which clients, see Teams, access levels and client access. It includes a video.

Add clients

You can add clients one at a time or import your whole client list.

Add one client

1. On the Getting started page, select Start next to Add clients. Lodgeit opens the Clients page.
2. Select Add client.
3. To copy the client's details, select Connect to Xero or Connect to QuickBooks. To copy them from the ATO, select Import from ATO, enter the client's ABN or TFN, then select Import client.
4. Otherwise, enter the details yourself, then select Create.

Import your client list

1. On the Clients page, select Import, then New import.
2. Choose where the list comes from: Xero Tax, Software Assistant, HandiTax or CSV.
3. Follow the steps for that source.

For each import source, see Direct client import. To import from other software, contact support.

Add relationships

Relationships record who is a director, shareholder, beneficiary or partner of each client. Lodgeit uses them to fill in those sections of the client's return. Add the clients first, because a relationship links two entities that are already in Lodgeit.

The Start button next to Add relationships opens your practice's own relationships. To add a client's relationships:

1. On the Clients page, select the client's name, then select Relationships.
2. Select Add relationship.
3. Choose the related client and the type of relationship, such as director or shareholder, then save.
4. Repeat for each relationship.

For examples, see Define client relationships.

Import financials

Lodgeit fills in the profit and loss and balance sheet sections of a client's return from the client's accounts. The Start button next to Import financials opens your practice's own financials. To import a client's financials:

1. On the Clients page, select the client's name, then select Financials.
2. Connect the client's accounting software, such as Xero, QuickBooks or MYOB. If it isn't listed, import from Excel.
3. Select the financial year and import.
4. Check how the accounts are mapped. Each account feeds a line in the return, so move any account that lands in the wrong place.

For each accounting package, see Importing financials. For mapping, see Chart of accounts and mapping.

Lodge your first tax return

You can set up Lodgeit and prepare forms without paying. To lodge, you need an annual plan: select the gear icon, then Billing, choose a plan and select Subscribe. E-signature credits are bought separately on the same page once the plan is active. See Package subscription for tax agents.

Choose a plan that covers the whole year

Unused lodgments and e-signature credits don't carry over when you change plan or when the subscription year ends. Check how many returns you expect to lodge before you subscribe.

1. On the Clients page, select the client's name.
2. Select Add form, then choose the form, such as the individual tax return, and the year.
3. Review the amounts Lodgeit has filled in and add any sections the return needs.
4. Select Validate and fix any errors it lists.
5. When there are no errors left, select Complete.
6. Get the client's declaration. Select Request e-signature to send the form to the client to sign online, or Out to sign if they will sign a printed copy.
7. When the client has signed, select Sign to sign the tax agent's declaration.
8. Select Lodge.

For each step of the form workflow, see Form workflow and e-signature.

Common questions

Related articles

• Package subscription for tax agents
• Teams, access levels and client access
• Forms overview
• Form workflow and e-signature
• Set up two-factor authentication