myTax vs a tax agent: which should you use in 2026?
myTax is the ATO’s free do-it-yourself lodgement tool inside myGov. A registered tax agent, like Accountants Direct, is a paid professional who prepares and lodges the return for you and is accountable to the Tax Practitioners Board for the result.
The honest answer up front: if your return is one salary and no deductions, myTax is free and perfectly good. A tax agent earns the fee when there is anything more to claim, when your affairs have moving parts, or when you want someone accountable doing the work with you.
How we compared
This page is published by Accountants Direct, a registered tax agent, so read it knowing that. The myTax facts below come from the ATO’s own published guidance, checked on 14 July 2026, and we say plainly where myTax is the right choice.
Last updated: 14 July 2026
myTax vs a tax agent at a glance
| Feature | myTax (via myGov) | Accountants Direct (registered tax agent) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From $99, and the fee is tax deductible next year |
| Who does the work | You, on your own | An accountant prepares it with you on a live call |
| Checking before lodgement | No one reviews it | A registered tax agent prepares and reviews it |
| Lodgement deadline | 31 October 2026 | Registered agent clients can generally lodge as late as 15 May 2027, if you are on the agent’s books by 31 October |
| ATO prefill | Yes | Yes, the agent uses the same ATO prefill plus what you tell them in the appointment |
| Finding deductions | You need to know what you can claim | The accountant asks about your work and claims what you are entitled to |
| Support | ATO help line and web guidance | Phone or video appointment, after hours and weekends, in 10+ languages |
| ATO letters and amendments | You handle them yourself | Your agent handles ATO correspondence for you |
| Pay from your refund | Not applicable | Available, $0 upfront |
| Refund advance | No | $500 of your refund instantly for $50, for approved applicants |
| Best for | One salary, no deductions, and you are confident lodging alone | Anyone with deductions, side income, rentals or crypto, or who wants an accountable professional on the return |
What a tax agent adds
- Someone who knows what your job can claim. The accountant asks about your work, your travel, your tools and your working-from-home setup, then claims what you are legally entitled to. Self-lodgers routinely miss deductions they never knew existed.
- More time. Self-lodgers must lodge by 31 October. Clients of a registered agent can generally lodge as late as 15 May the following year, as long as they are on the agent’s books by 31 October.
- The ATO talks to your agent, not you. Letters, follow-ups and amendments are handled for you.
- Help on your terms. Accountants Direct runs phone and video appointments after hours and on weekends, in more than 10 languages.
- A deductible fee and flexible payment. The fee (from $99) is deductible in next year’s return, can be taken from your refund with nothing upfront, and a $500 refund advance is available to approved applicants for a flat $50.
Where myTax remains the right choice
- It is free. No agent fee can beat free for a return with nothing to claim.
- It is quick for simple returns. With prefill, a single-employer return with no deductions takes well under an hour.
- It is the same data. myTax uses the ATO’s prefill, the same starting point an agent sees.
- No one will upsell you. It is a government tool, not a business.
Who each option suits
Use myTax if you have one employer, no deductions worth claiming, and you are comfortable following the prompts on your own.
Use a tax agent if you have work-related deductions, more than one income source, an ABN, a rental, crypto, or a year with big changes (first job, redundancy, moving states, new business).
If you are a sole trader or have side income
Business schedules are where self-lodging goes wrong most often. An accountant doing your sole trader return live on a call (from $399) sorts income, expenses and PAYG instalments in one sitting.
If you have a rental property or crypto
Depreciation, interest apportionment and capital gains on crypto are easy to get wrong in myTax and expensive to amend later. These returns are where agent fees pay for themselves.
If it is your first tax return
A live appointment means someone explains each step. Once you have seen it done properly, you can decide whether to self-lodge in future years.
If English is not your first language
myTax is English-only. Accountants Direct holds the actual appointment in your language, bookable in advance in more than 10 languages.
Trust and registration
Accountants Direct has been a registered tax agent since 2012 (Tax Practitioners Board registration 2243 3005, ABN 16 155 811 448), is a member of the Institute of Public Accountants, and holds a 4.9-star Google rating from more than 1,200 reviews. Anyone charging a fee to prepare tax returns in Australia must be TPB-registered; you can check any agent on the TPB public register.
Common questions
Is myTax really free?
Yes. myTax is the ATO’s own tool and costs nothing. A registered tax agent charges a fee (Accountants Direct from $99), and that fee is tax deductible in the following year’s return.
Is a tax agent worth it for a simple return?
Often not. If you have one salary and nothing to claim, myTax is free and does the job. An agent becomes worth it when you have deductions, extra income, or you want the extended agent lodgement deadline and someone handling the ATO for you.
Do tax agents get you a bigger refund?
No one can honestly promise a bigger refund. What an agent does is ask about your specific work and claim everything you are legally entitled to, which self-lodgers often miss, while keeping the claims defensible if the ATO asks questions.
What is the deadline difference between myTax and a tax agent?
Self-lodgers must lodge by 31 October. Clients of a registered tax agent generally have until 15 May the following year, provided they are on the agent’s client list by 31 October.
Is Etax the same as myTax?
No, and the names confuse many people. myTax is the ATO’s free government tool inside myGov. Etax is a private company and registered tax agent that charges a fee. Accountants Direct is also a private registered tax agent; the difference is that Accountants Direct does the return with you over the phone rather than through a web form.
Can I switch from myTax to a tax agent?
Yes, at any time. The agent can see your lodgement history through the ATO portal, including past myTax returns, and pick up from there.
Sources
myTax and deadline facts checked 14 July 2026 from the ATO’s published guidance at ato.gov.au (myTax lodgement, due dates and the registered agent lodgement program) and the Tax Practitioners Board register. If any detail here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Want it done with you, not by you?
Book a phone or video appointment and have this year’s return finished by the end of the call. Book online or call 1300 829 746.