As tax time approaches, so does the annual spike in scam calls pretending to be from the ATO. These calls are becoming increasingly convincing — and increasingly costly for those who get caught by them. The ATO has now launched a simple, powerful solution: the ‘verify call’ feature in the free ATO app. Rolled out in early April 2026, it allows you to confirm — instantly and in real time — whether the person calling you is genuinely from the ATO. No guesswork. No pressure. No risk.
How the new feature works
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from the ATO, you can verify it in under 30 seconds:
- Open the ATO app and log in.
- Tap ‘Verify Call’ on the main screen.
- Within moments, you’ll receive a clear notification confirming whether the call is genuine.
If you don’t receive a confirmation, hang up immediately — it’s almost certainly a scam.
This tool gives taxpayers a practical, real-time defence against impersonation scams, which are now one of the most common fraud attempts in Australia. In July 2025 alone, the ATO received nearly 7,500 impersonation scam reports, and numbers always surge between April and July.
Scammers don’t just waste your time — they can redirect refunds, access your superannuation, or steal personal information that takes months (and sometimes thousands of dollars) to fix. That’s why this new feature is such welcome relief.
Why this matters for individuals and businesses
Most scam calls succeed because they create urgency — “pay now”, “confirm your identity”, “your tax file number is compromised”. The verify call tool eliminates that pressure entirely. It lets you check the caller before you share any information.
Better still, it requires no special technology. If you have a smartphone and the ATO app installed, you’re ready to go. Setting it up takes just a couple of minutes.
Add one more layer of protection: Strengthen your myID
For maximum security, we strongly recommend ensuring your myID (digital identity) is set to the highest identity-strength level, known as ‘Strong’. This makes it significantly harder for anyone else to access your tax or super information online.
What you should do now
To get the benefits straight away:
- Download or update the ATO app (available on Apple and Android).
- Register your device within the app.
- Check your myID settings in myGov and upgrade to ‘Strong’ if you haven’t already.
- Practise using the verify call feature once, so you’re confident before tax time arrives.
These are simple steps that can prevent major financial and administrative headaches.
We’re here to help
This is one of the most practical security upgrades the ATO has delivered in years — and it genuinely makes life easier for taxpayers. Now is the perfect time to get set up, stay protected, and make this tax season as stress-free as possible.
If you ever have doubts about a call, email or message claiming to be from the ATO, contact us first. We can quickly check its validity through official channels.
Got questions or need help with the ATO app? Just reach out to us. We’re here to support you — securely, efficiently, and always in your best interests.
Superannuation contribution caps to increase from 1 July 2026
Following the recent release of the December 2025 quarter average weekly ordinary times earnings (AWOTE) the annual concessional contribution (CC) cap will increase from $30,000 to $32,500 from 1 July 2026. The annual non-concessional contribution (NCC) cap will also increase to $130,000.
When considering contribution opportunities some individuals may have higher caps due to the carry forward CC rules or the NCC bring forward rules, while others with higher super balances may have a reduced or nil NCC cap. This will depend on your total superannuation balance (TSB) at the prior 30 June.
Concessional contributions
Concessional contributions are pre-tax contributions and can include compulsory superannuation guarantee (SG), voluntary salary sacrifice contributions and personal deductible contributions.
If your SG contributions are below your cap, you may be able to reduce your annual tax bill by making either salary sacrifice or personal deductible contributions. You may also have access to any unused concessional cap from the prior 5 years if your TSB was below $500,000 on the prior 30 June.
Non-concessional contributions
Non-concessional contributions are post-tax contributions. Although there typically isn’t an immediate tax saving on NCCs the superannuation accumulation (pre-retirement) tax rate of 15% is typically lower than many people’s marginal tax rate and the tax rate on superannuation earnings and drawdowns may be tax-free in retirement (subject to a pension transfer balance cap of $2,100,000 from 1 July 2026).
It can also be possible to bring forward 2 years of your NCC contribution cap and contribute 3 years at one time ($390,000 from 1 July 2026). However, the rules are complex and your TSB and any prior NCC contributions in the current and prior two financial years need to be considered.
There may be NCC opportunities this financial year if your TSB was below $2,000,000 on 30 June 2025.
If you would like to understand how superannuation contributions may reduce your current and future tax bill, please reach out to your tax or financial adviser.
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