'You have a new message from the ATO' in myGov: the common messages and what each one means

Reminder to lodge. A prompt that a return or activity statement the ATO expects has not been lodged. It is not a penalty. Lodging resolves it. See 'your tax return is overdue' and, if the wording is stronger, final notice to lodge.

Notice of assessment. The outcome of a lodged return: what your income was assessed at, and whether a refund or an amount payable results. If it relates to a year you never lodged, it may be a default assessment, which is a different matter.

Statement of account. A transaction list for one of your ATO accounts, showing assessments, payments, interest and penalties with a running balance. See how to read your statement of account.

Payment plan confirmation. Confirmation of an arrangement, including the instalment amount and schedule. Worth keeping, because missing instalments can end a plan.

Request for information. The ATO asking for something specific, usually with a date by which it wants a response. These are the messages where the timing genuinely matters.

Messages appear in two places. Your myGov inbox holds the notification and the document. In ATO online services, you will find them under Communication, along with a history of what has been sent to you.

It is worth looking at the history rather than only the newest message. People often find earlier reminders they never read, which explains why a current letter sounds more urgent than expected.

If a message arrived as an SMS or email pointing you somewhere, check inside myGov instead of following the link. The ATO never asks for payment by gift card or cryptocurrency, and does not ask you to pay through a link in an SMS.

It depends on the message, which is the reason to open it. A statement of account or a payment plan confirmation is information. A reminder to lodge, a request for information or a notice with a response date is not.

Unread reminders are how people end up with failure to lodge penalties and default assessments. The ATO escalates on the basis that it has written to you, whether or not the message was opened.

Unread requests for information can also close off options, because some responses are only available within a limited window.

Open it, then check your lodgment status. In ATO online services, Tax then Lodgments shows which years and periods are actually outstanding. That is a more reliable picture than any single message.

Lodge first. If anything is outstanding, lodging is the step that resolves reminders and stops escalation. Missing records are usually not the obstacle people expect, because the ATO already holds the reported income data for each year.

Then deal with penalties and debt. Once lodgements are current, remission can be requested for penalties and interest, and any balance can go onto a payment plan. If you would rather not work out which message matters, a free assessment reviews your position from the ATO's records and tells you what needs doing, with a fixed fee before any work starts.