To mark the end of the financial year, I thought I’d resurrect the list of “weirdest things Aussies claimed at tax time” that the ATO published last year.

In case anyone needs reminding, the ATO says: “If your deductions don’t pass the ‘pub test’, it’s highly unlikely your claim would meet the ATO’s strict criteria”.

Happy New (financial) Year! It’s 1 July, which means there are some Government-mandated resolutions to ring in FY27.

Among them are changes to minimum wages, super, the fuel excise discount, tax deductions, and paid parental leave.

Here’s the ultimate guide to what you can expect in the new financial year.

Australia’s financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June, which is when many government policies, tax changes and workplace rules take effect.

The Federal Budget is usually handed down in May, with many of its measures beginning at the start of the new financial year.

While Australia follows a July-to-June cycle, other countries use different systems. The UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, while the U.S. federal government uses a financial year from 1 October to 30 September.

Payday super: Employers will be required to pay staff super within seven business days of their regular pay cycle, rather than once per quarter.

Fuel excise relief halved: The cut to the fuel excise announced in March will be halved in July. This means petrol and diesel will be 16 cents off per litre.

Minimum wage: The National Minimum Wage will increase from $24.95 to $26.44 per hour. The lowest award entry-level wage will also rise to $25.74 and hour.

Paid parental leave: Eligible families can now access 26 weeks (six months) of paid parental leave, up from 24 weeks last financial year.

Registered SMS sender ID: Businesses sending branded text messages must now register their sender ID through their ABN to help prevent scammers impersonating trusted organisations.

Instant tax deduction: Eligible workers can claim a new $1,000 instant tax deduction from 1 July, with claims available when lodging tax returns in the second half of 2027.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is urging workers who are due a pay rise to check their first pay slip of the new financial year to ensure they're being paid correctly.

"July is pay rise month for millions of Australian workers," ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said.

"It's not just those on award wages, but many collective agreements have pay rises that also kick in on 1 July."

As employers adjust wages from 1 July, workers are encouraged to check their pay closely.

If there is an issue, the Fair Work Ombudsman recommends raising it with your employer first. Concerns can also be escalated to the Ombudsman or, if you're a member, your union.

McManus said while "most employers do the right thing... there are always some who do not and hope their employees don't notice."

With tax return season officially underway, here's everything you need to know before you lodge yours – and how to avoid a nasty letter from the tax office.

A tax return is a form you file with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) outlining your total income and tax paid for the previous financial year.

The financial year in Australia runs from 1 July to 30 June each year.

Most employees have tax automatically withheld from each pay by their employer. Depending on how much tax you've paid throughout the year, you may be entitled to a refund — or you may have to pay more.

Filing a tax return tells the ATO exactly how much you earned and how much tax you've already paid, allowing it to work out whether you're owed a refund or have more tax to pay.

It's also worth waiting until your income statement is marked "tax ready" in myGov before lodging, as employers, banks and other organisations can still be finalising information in early July.

Occasionally, you can end up owing more tax once your return is lodged. For example, if not enough tax was withheld throughout the year, or if you earned additional income from investments or other sources.

You may also be able to claim tax deductions for some work-related expenses you paid for yourself. These reduce your taxable income, meaning you could pay less tax overall. From next year's tax return, you'll be able to claim up to $1,000 in work-related deductions without keeping receipts under a new law that starts on 1 July 2026. It doesn't apply to the return you're lodging this year.

If you're lodging your own return, you generally have until 31 October. If you're using a registered tax agent, you may be able to access a later deadline, provided you sign up with them before 31 October and don't have any overdue tax returns.

If you miss the deadline, you'll likely receive reminders from the ATO to lodge your return as soon as possible. If you continue not to lodge your return, you could be fined $330 for every 28-day period it remains overdue.

That can stack up to five times, meaning you could face a maximum fine of $1,650 for failing to lodge.

It's also important to declare income from investments, including shares and cryptocurrency, as this may affect your overall tax bill. There's little point trying to hide that income anyway. The ATO receives data from employers, banks, share registries and many investment and cryptocurrency platforms.

Luckily, the ATO makes lodging your tax return relatively easy, with much of your information automatically pre-filled through myGov.

Got a side hustle?

Things can get a little more complicated when a side hustle starts looking like a business.

Selling the odd item online usually isn't an issue. But if you're regularly making money through a side hustle, the ATO may consider it a business, meaning you'll need to declare that income. Rideshare or delivery drivers, or people who rent out their homes on Airbnb, also need to declare that income to the ATO, even if they're only doing it part time.

If you're unsure whether income you've earned needs to be declared, it's worth speaking to a registered tax agent or checking the ATO's guidance.

Claude, the AI for scientific discovery

Researchers at Australia's Garvan Institute are partnering with Claude to do what wasn't possible before: analyse genomic data at massive scale to understand how our genes cause rare diseases, and accelerate treatments to cure them. When science and AI come together, the future of human health gets a little brighter.

Do you have a spare $800 million to help a mate out?

Miranda Kerr and her billionaire husband, Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, did.

The pair donated $US550 million (around $AU800 million) to wipe out the medical debt of 250,000 Americans.

They said they only went public because they didn't want recipients thinking the letters telling them their debt had been erased were a scam.

The donation was made through U.S. non-profit Undue Medical Debt.