Three ways to lodge a nurse tax return online
Most nurses lodge online in one of three ways. Which one suits you depends on how confident you are with your deductions and how complicated your year was.
- Do it yourself in myTax through myGov. It is free, and pre-filling brings in your income statement and some other data. You are responsible for working out and supporting every deduction yourself.
- Upload your documents to a registered tax agent. You send your information online, and the agent prepares, reviews and lodges the return for you. This is what NursesTax Express Tax does.
- Book a phone or video appointment. Better when your return involves salary packaging, rental property, capital gains, business income or several years of outstanding returns.
How the NursesTax online process works
- Start Express Tax and enter your details through the secure upload form.
- Upload your income information and the records for your work-related expenses — receipts, registration and union statements, rosters, and any diaries you keep.
- A registered tax agent reviews your documents against the ATO rules for nurses and midwives, and contacts you if anything is missing or unclear.
- You review and sign your return electronically before anything is lodged.
- The return is lodged with the ATO and any refund is paid by the ATO directly into your nominated bank account.
Why nurses use an agent rather than lodging alone
Nurse returns tend to go wrong in the same few places: uniforms that are really ordinary clothing, laundry and phone claims without a basis for the figure, travel from home to the hospital, and overtime meals claimed without an allowance. A registered agent who prepares nurse returns every day checks each claim against those rules before it reaches the ATO.
Lodging through a registered tax agent also usually gives you a later due date than 31 October, provided you are on the agent's client list before then, and the agent's fee is itself deductible on next year's return.
What to have ready
- Your myGov login or your tax file number and bank account details for the refund.
- Income: your income statement, plus any second job, agency or locum income, bank interest and dividends.
- Private health insurance statement and any HELP or other study loan details.
- Work-related expense records: uniform, shoe and laundry records, AHPRA and union statements, CPD receipts, equipment receipts, phone-use diary and travel log.
- Salary packaging or reportable fringe benefits details, if you package.
Who the online service suits
Online lodgement suits registered and enrolled nurses, midwives, aged care workers and allied health employees with employment income and standard work-related deductions — including nurses working across several employers or agencies.
If your return involves rental property, capital gains, a business or sole-trader income, or you have fallen several years behind, an appointment is usually the better starting point.
Where to read up before you lodge
If you want to understand your deductions before uploading, the guides cover each claim in detail.
- Nurse tax deductions 2025–26
- Shift work, overtime and allowances
- Nurse salary packaging and tax explained
Online lodging questions
Can I do my nurse tax return fully online?
Yes. With Express Tax you upload your documents, review and sign the prepared return electronically, and never need to visit an office.
Is using a tax agent better than myTax for nurses?
myTax is free and works well if you are confident with the deduction rules. An agent checks each claim against the ATO rules, usually gives you a later lodgment date, and the fee is deductible next year.
How much does an online nurse tax return cost?
Express Tax Upload is a fixed fee shown on our pricing page, and the fee is not taken out of your refund.
Ready to lodge online?
Start Express Tax, upload your documents, and a registered tax agent will prepare your return.
Start Express Tax