New Tax Agent Obligations from 1 July 2025

From 1 July 2025, “small” firms of tax practitioners (with 100 or less employees) must ensure they are complying with the eight new Code of Professional Conduct obligations from the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB).

These new Code obligations were introduced by the Government under the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024.

The new Code obligations have already commenced for large tax practitioners (with over 100 employees) from 1 January 2025.

As tax agents, Lowe Lippmann Chartered Accountants are committed to upholding our professional and regulatory obligations, including with the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 which includes the Code of Professional Conduct as regulated by the TPB.

Our obligations

Lowe Lippmann Chartered Accountants is required to advise current and prospective tax clients of various prescribed matters.

TPB Public Register

The TPB maintains a searchable register of tax agents and BAS agents: search here.

This Register also includes details of past breaches of the Tax Agent Code of Professional Conduct and specific sanctions imposed on tax agents. The TPB has provided guidance on how to use and search the TPB Register: see TPB guidance here.

Making a Complaint

Where you have a complaint that concerns a tax agent service or BAS agent service that we have provided, you have the right to make a complaint to the Tax Practitioners Board in accordance with their complaints process described here: https://www.tpb.gov.au/complaints.

Our responsibilities

As tax agents, we must comply with the Tax Agents Code of Professional Conduct along with other legislative and professional standard obligations to our clients as well as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and TPB.

Our clients also have obligations to comply with taxation laws, as well as being truthful with information provided, keeping complete records, and if required, providing them on a timely basis, being co-operative with requests and meeting due dates as requested by tax agents.

Further information about tax agent and client obligations is available on the TPB website: see TPB factsheet “Information for Clients”.

Events affecting our Tax Agents

Tax practitioners are required to disclose and provide details of any of serious prescribed events that have occurred involving the practitioner since 1 July 2022.

Serious prescribed events for a tax agent include (but is not limited to):

• having their registration suspended or terminated by the TPB;
• being an undischarged bankrupt or went into external administration;
• being convicted of a serious taxation offence;
• being convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty;
• serving, or sentenced to, a term of imprisonment in Australia for 6 months or more; and
• penalised for being a promoter of a tax exploitation scheme.

We are not aware of any such matters relevant to Lowe Lippmann Agent entities.

If a serious prescribed events occurs after 1 July 2025, we will be required to disclose the matter within 30 days of any such event.