Spry Roughley Insights

2026-27 Federal Budget - Tax Administration

Written by Spry Roughley | May 13, 2026 12:45:46 AM
Access to monthly business tax payments and dynamic calculations for small and medium businesses

Small and medium businesses will be able to choose to report and make business tax payments monthly from 1 July 2027. These businesses will also be able to use an ATO-approved calculation embedded in accounting software to dynamically calculate and vary their PAYG instalments on a monthly basis.  

Interest charges levied on businesses that accidentally get their instalment variation incorrect when using ATO-approved calculators will be removed by the ATO. 

Monthly reporting and payment of PAYG instalments will be mandatory for taxpayers with a demonstrated history of non-compliance. 

The ATO will be provided funding by the government to allow for expansion of the dynamic instalment calculation pilot.

Source: Budget Paper No 2, p 20; Prime Minister, Treasurer and Minister for Finance, Tax reform for workers, businesses and future generations, [joint press release], 12 May 2026; Factsheet: Backing small business to grow, compete and build resilience.

Protecting and strengthening the tax system against fraud

The government will provide funding of $86.3 million over 4 years from 1 July 2026 and $9.7 million per year ongoing from 2030–31 to deliver Phase 2 of the Counter Fraud Strategy to modernise the prevention and detection of fraud in the tax and superannuation systems.

The proposal will enhance the ATO’s ability to detect and prevent fraud in real time, provide additional fraud protections for individuals and expand live monitoring of fraudulent account access to tax agents, business and for high‑risk superannuation changes.

The ATO’s ability to combat fraud by tax agents and other intermediaries will also be strengthened. The ATO will be given powers to pause the recovery of tax debts of taxpayers who are victims of fraud by tax intermediaries, and waive those debts in appropriate circumstances, and to recover the debts from the tax intermediaries. Existing garnishee powers will also be expanded to include jointly held assets in circumstances where such arrangements are being used to frustrate recovery actions.

Further targeted exceptions to tax secrecy and enhancements to tax regulators’ information‑gathering powers to support integrity, compliance and effective administration of the tax system will also be progressed.

The ATO will also undertake additional targeted compliance activities over the 2 years from 2026–27 to further address fraud in the system, including in relation to the R&D Tax Incentive.

Source: Budget Paper No 2, p 14.

Governance of managed investment schemes to be strengthened

Funding will be provided from 2026–27 to strengthen governance requirements, supervision and enforcement in relation to managed investment schemes. 

In particular: 

  • $10.3 million will be provided in 2026–27 for ASIC to enhance its ability to utilise data in its supervision of the managed investment scheme (MIS) sector

  • $7.6 million will be provided over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $1.4 million per year ongoing) for ASIC, the Office of the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board and the Treasury to strengthen governance requirements for MIS sector. 

The government will also consult publicly on new data collection powers in relation to MIS sector.

Source: Budget Paper No 2, pp 143–144.

Maintaining government’s Digital ID system

Funding will be provided to the ATO and other government organisations from 2026–27 to meet the government’s commitments under the Digital ID Act 2024 and maintain the security and reliability of the government’s Digital ID System. 

In particular, $357.4 million will be provided to the ATO over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $92.0 million per year ongoing) to maintain operation of myID and the Relationship Authorisation Manager, including implementation of additional security controls and functionality. 

Other funding initiatives include: 

  • $8.0 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $2.0 million per year ongoing) to the Department of the Treasury to continue to support the Digital ID Data Standards Chair to develop and maintain data standards

  • $135.2 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $35.2 million per year ongoing) to Services Australia to continue its role as the Australian Government Digital ID System Administrator and maintain the operation of the Digital ID Exchange and myGov LinkID
  • $98.0 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $25.5 million per year ongoing) to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to continue Digital ID regulatory functions
  • $30.8 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $5.7 million per year ongoing) to the Department of Finance to continue policy leadership and governance of the Digital ID program
  • $22.2 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $5.7 million per year ongoing) to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to continue to provide privacy oversight under the Digital ID legislation and Identity Verification Service programs
  • $2.7 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $0.7 million per year ongoing) to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to provide security assessments of entities seeking accreditation or participation in the Australian Government Digital ID System.  

This measure builds on the 2024–25 Budget measure titled Digital ID.

Source: Budget Paper No 2, pp 86–87.

Streamlining regulatory systems

Funding will be provided over 2 years from 2026–27 to streamline regulatory systems and secure access to data. Legislation will also be introduced to improve regulation in the financial sector. 

Funding initiatives will be provided to streamline regulator systems and secure access to data. These include: 

  • $136.1 million over 2 years from 2026–27 to complete the second tranche of stabilisation and uplift of Australia’s business registers, including synchronising director information with the Australian Charities and Not‑for Profits Commission’s Charities Register, linking Director IDs to the Companies Register, uplifting Australian Business Number (ABN) authentication and completing the transition of ABN and superannuation lookup functions to the ATO

  • $62.0 million over 2 years from 2026–27 to extend the operation and participation in the Consumer Data Right to continue supporting Australian consumers and businesses and to explore the potential to enable taxpayers to share certain ATO‑held data through the Consumer Data Right.

Legislation will also be introduced to modernise, simplify and improve regulation in the financial sector to reduce unnecessary reporting and disclosure requirements and simplify financial system frameworks.

For superannuation, ASIC instruments will be legislated to address unnecessary disclosure requirements and to align portfolio holdings disclosure obligations for internally managed private debt with externally managed private debt. 

The government’s modernising business communications agenda will be strengthened. This includes updating laws that may prevent businesses from keeping records electronically, allowing ASIC to update forms to streamline communication with businesses and individuals, and allowing the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman to better use technology to communicate with the public. This will give businesses greater flexibility in meeting their record-keeping obligations under the superannuation and corporations laws. 

In addition, administrative burden from the financial accountability regime will be reduced. Routine and low-value notifications by regulated entities will be reduced by not requiring reporting of accountability statements and maps, removing the need to report low-value breaches, providing more time to register accountable persons, and aligning terminology and timing. 

This measure builds on the 2025–26 Budget measure titled Treasury Portfolio – additional resourcing.

Source: Budget Paper No 2, pp 139–140; Budget Factsheet — Whole-of-Government Regulatory Reform Agenda.

Addressing systems abuse in child support scheme

Funding will be provided from 2026–27 to address systems abuse in the child support scheme. This includes improving the accuracy of child support assessments by strengthening tax lodgment enforcement, extending Single Touch Payroll data sharing and expanding the use of employer withholding to ensure more child support is paid in full and on time. 

Relevant funding initiatives include: 

  • $39.6 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and a $2.1 million per year save ongoing) to ensure more child support is paid in full and on time by expanding the use of employer withholding and enabling faster disbursements of payments to child support recipients through legislative and system changes

  • $22.0 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $0.6 million per year ongoing) to improve the accuracy of child support assessments by strengthening tax lodgment enforcement, extending Single Touch Payroll data sharing arrangements, and improving Australia’s international child support arrangements; and 
  • $18.4 million over 4 years from 2026–27 (and $2.6 million per year ongoing) to increase the use of Departure Prohibition Orders to recover child support debts from payer parents with large arrears. 

This measure supports the government’s 2025 election commitment to address financial abuse in Commonwealth systems and supports implementation of Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality.

Source: Budget Paper No 2, p 136.

Options to harmonise payroll tax administration

Reforms to harmonise state payroll tax administration frameworks will be explored as part of the government’s national competition policy (NCP), in its efforts to boost productivity and reduce red tape.

Source: Budget Factsheet — Whole-of-Government Regulatory Reform Agenda, p 5; Budget Factsheet — Productivity Package, p 2.