ATO Alerts for changes made to SMSF information

Anthony Poole

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March 3, 2021

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It’s that time of year again – some Self-Managed Superannuation Funds are lodging their income tax returns for the 2020 financial year, and in some instances, this triggers an email and/or text message alert from the ATO.

Since February 2020, the ATO has started contacting SMSF trustees directly where certain changes are made to the details of their SMSF including:

  • Financial institution account details
  • Electronic service address (ESA)
  • Authorised contact
  • Members

These messages are legitimate, and generally don’t require any action on your part.

Remember that the ATO will NEVER ask you to reply by text or email, or to provide personal information such as your tax file number or bank account details. If the message you receive contains any of the red flags, please phone the ATO on 1800 008 540 to verify or report a scam. You can also forward an email to ReportEmailFraud@ato.gov.au or if you have received a text message, take a screenshot of the text and email it to ReportEmailFraud@ato.gov.au and then delete the email or text message.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about correspondence received by the ATO:

  • Do not click on any links;
  • Do not open any attachments;
  • Please contact us via phone or email – we can generally verify any ATO communication via our access to the Tax Agent Online Portal or by phoning the ATO with details of the correspondence.

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