FAQs: MYOB Practice tax

MYOB Practice is a smart set of collaboration tools that help you work closely with your clients.

Benefits of moving online include:

• browser-based, so you can access your tax software anywhere at any time.

• all our upgrades are online which means less downtime for your practice.

There are a few Getting started steps you'll need to do before starting to use MYOB Practice tax. This includes steps in both MYOB AE/AO and MYOB Practice tax. This is to make sure that you have a smooth experience when moving your first tax return to MYOB Practice tax.

Completing tax returns is similar to what you're already doing in MYOB AE/AO tax, but we've reimagined some workflows such as adding more statuses to tax returns, integrating with the client portal so you can collaborate with your client online.

For example:

• There are more statuses for a tax return, for example, the review and approval process is now visible, so you can track the progress of tax returns.

• Client portal is integrated into MYOB Practice tax, so you can send tax returns via the portal, get them digitally signed by your client.

• You also get access to our new online Documents store feature. This means you can store all your documents for your client in one place without losing them.

There is no additional cost to your maintenance. We'll send you a supply order to confirm and add MYOB Practice as a product to your account.

We have different training resources to help you with onboarding, and learning about Practice Tax.

Onboarding guide

This guide helps you to get set up with MYOB Practice Tax https://www.myob.com/au/resources/guides/onboarding/tax-onboarding#set-up-myob-practice-tax

MYOB Academy

Learn how to prepare and lodge tax returns in MYOB Practice Tax complete our learning path in MYOB Academy:
https://academy.myob.com/blocks/kineo_coursesearch/index.php?sort=popular&lightbox=576

Youtube videos

Check out our Youtube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyNexh_9F_-M9JKoFh1W2tqAUxy5wEB_R

Help pages

If you're looking for detailed step-by-step instructions, you can read through our help pages as needed.

MYOB Consultant training

If you want a training experience tailored for you and your team, we have consultant-led training services at a cost.

We recommend completing the training courses in MYOB Academy first to identify the content and training you'd like our consultants to focus on. To know more about the training options, talk to the sales specialist. Costs will be established depending on the depth of training you and your practice require.

You can organise consulting services (for an additional cost) via your Sales Specialist. Or you can contact our support team to help you with any issues during the upgrade.

Yes, currently don't have an end date for MYOB AE/AO. MYOB Practice is the future for tax and until we fully develop all the features in MYOB Practice, you'll still need to use MYOB AE/AO to do certain tasks.

You can start using MYOB Practice Tax straight away however depending on the return type there are some features still being built for different return types. You can switch back to AE/AO if a feature is not available in Practice Tax.

Practice Tax is an evolving product and as we are building features we will keep you updated regularly. You can check the what's new page to see what is available now.

Yes, you can log in to Practice tax on different devices at the same time and the data is updated in real-time.

You can work on a tax return that has been moved online on an Apple Mac. The steps to create a return still requires MYOB AO, which is compatible with Microsoft Windows only.

Our data storage & privacy procedures for MYOB Practice, conform with the current AU Privacy Act. We are compliant with  APES 305 Terms of Engagement. See APES 305 Terms of Engagement disclosure requirement (from 1 July 2021).

We're ISO 27001 certified, which is an internationally recognised standard on how to manage information security. We've undergone an independent audit to achieve this certification to ensure the security of our customers' data.

All the servers that store the data are located in Australia.

We're working on moving the General ledger online. We'll let you know when it is available.

As an alternative to signing returns online via the portal, you can get your client to manually sign a return by downloading a copy and sending it via email, post, or other means. You can then mark it as signed and approved in MYOB Practice.

If you move to MYOB Practice from MYOB AE/AO, you'll still have access to AE/AO where you can access prior year returns. We'll also list the tax return that has been moved online (with a little cloud icon in the column beside each tax return) so you can access all your clients' returns in one place.

After you've fully moved to MYOB Practice, your prior year's data in AE/AO will not be available online. You'll need to upload a PDF document of the prior year's tax return into MYOB Practice Documents if you need access.

If you still have tax returns in AO Classic, you'll need to use it on the desktop as they won't be moved online.

The following return types (from 2020 onwards) are available:

• Individual

• Company

• Trust

• Partnership

• SMSF (almost ready but we'll need your assistance to lodge these returns and then we can enable access to all users)

• FBT returns

Activity statements

• BAS/IAS

There are a few getting started steps, create the return in MYOB AE/AO, and then you'll be able to move the return online.

Most of the taxpayers' contact details will roll over, such as the TFN, name, addresses, phone numbers. Depending on the return type, there are other fields that will roll over. For example, in an individual tax return, the following details will roll over:

• TFN

• Name

• Date of birth

• Home address

• Postal address

• Tax agent details

• Contact name

• Phone numbers (daytime phone & mobile) and email address

• EFT bank details

• Occupation

• Tax offset and veteran code

Assets

You'll be able to rollover the assets as a CSV file into assets online.

Once you've moved the return online, you'll see a little cloud icon next to the tax year. You'll be able to open the return from AE/AO, and the status of the return in MYOB Practice, like Approved, Lodged will write back into AE/AO.

And if you need to delete the return, you must do it in MYOB Practice Tax, and recreate it in AE/AO.

Yes, you can. You'll be able to delete the tax return in Practice, any data entered will be lost and you'll need to create it again in MYOB AE/AO.

Yes. Right now you can import the depreciation schedule for an individual return to Assets online and manually enter it into the return. Assets integration into other returns is coming soon!

Yes, the ATO prefill is available for an individual tax return from 2020 onwards. We're working in phases to get the ATO pre-fill data into the tax return. We will update our Coming soon page with the pre-fill data that is coming soon.

At this stage, you'll not be able to view the ATO prefill report in Practice Tax but we are working on it. You'll be able to get the prefill report from the ATO online services.

Yes, the ATO has approved all the Practice tax forms.

Not yet! We're building tax efficiency features, and then we'll be adding more features like printing invoices, mail-merge letters, and customising the substantiation declarations.

When you move a return online, the status of the return is Not started. Once you start working on it, then the status will change to In progress.

You still need to use MYOB AE/AO to maintain your client's details, such as adding a new client, editing their details. If you've closed a client in MYOB AE/AO, their details will not show in MYOB Practice. 

Yes, you can add multiple agents in MYOB Practice.

You can use the Documents in MYOB Practice to version the documents.

As an alternative to signing an activity statement online via the portal, you can get your client to manually sign an activity statement by downloading a copy and sending it via email, post, or other means. You can then mark it as signed and approved in MYOB Practice.

Yes, you can create activity statements that are outstanding and lodge them in MYOB Practice.

Yes. The Assets online will be available when you move a tax return to MYOB Practice. You can import your depreciation assets from your tax return into Assets. For now, you'll need to manually enter the assets depreciation details manually in the tax return.

Yes, you can use Documents in MYOB Practice to upload documents, send to your clients using the portal, and request for digital signature.

Your client needs to sign up using their email address for the first time. It is a very easy process. If you need help, contact your Sales Specialist to organise a demonstration.

Your client can access the portal on any device. They will need to log in using their email address and password to view the documents.

Yes! Documents sent via the client portal can be digitally signed by clients without having to print them.

When the client approves the document, it then comes back into MYOB Practice as the signed version. If you are running MYOB Document Manager, the signed/approved version is uploaded into Document Manager automatically.

Yes, the digital signatures in MYOB Practice meet the ATO requirements.

Yes! There are multiple ways to do this.

For example, if you want to send financial statements with the tax return when you send the tax return via the portal, you would need to download, then drag and drop into the portal pop up (that already has the Tax return attached).

Yes, your clients can upload documents to the portal.