The audit assurance service provides for the payment of our professional fees otherwise payable by you when incurred as a result of Lawson Accounting being required to respond, on your behalf, to an audit, enquiry, or review instigated by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) up to the prescribed amount.

You will have peace of mind that professional fees will be covered, and the accounting work undertaken, in relation to audit activity. Often these fees can be greater than those we may charge you for completing the return(s). It should also be noted that the ATO now has unprecedented access to data matching that makes it simpler and far more likely that they will perform activities on previously untargeted taxpayers, which includes completely compliant lodged returns. The ATO also released in the May 2024 budget an 89.6 million dollar audit program for the following 12 months.

Your costs (professional fees) which are directly related to Lawson Accounting attending to audit activity will ordinarily be covered (up to the prescribed amount). The cost of these additional fees can be considerable depending on the length of time involved to properly attend the matter. Standard fees associated with any typical work carried out throughout the year are excluded. Any extra income tax, penalties, interest or any other further costs payable as a result of an audit are also excluded. Audit Assurance covers prior year* audits if commenced during the 12 month period following your acceptance date (payment date). 

Audit Assurance covers you for 12 months following receipt of your payment. The policy will need to be renewed each year to keep the audit assurance cover. 

In the event that you are dissatisfied with this service please contact Lawson Accounting on Tel (07) 4613 1833 or in writing to Lawson Accounting, PO Box 6174, Toowoomba West, QLD, 4350.

Professional fees otherwise payable to us (Lawson Accounting), that have been incurred in responding to an audit until the completion of the matter, or until the cover limit prescribed is exhausted, will be covered under our Audit Assurance Service. Your cover begins from the next business day after our receipt of your participation fee. 

We have carefully selected our Audit Assurance Service to provide the widest possible coverage for us and our clients. However, we do remind our clients that such items or circumstances as listed below are not covered: 

• Activity where notification was given prior to the inception of cover or your confirmation of participation.
• If the ATO auditor imposes final culpability/shortfall penalties, and/or the return is deemed to have been fraudulently lodged.
• Actions in regard to letters from any authority that are educational or advisory in nature or merely suggest, invite or propose actions to be taken by you; or act as a warning to you that you may be selected for an audit at a future time; or do not compel you to take any further action
• Punitive costs (e.g. penalty tax, shortfall tax, costs, interest or fines).
• Costs for work incurred which should have been undertaken prior to the audit activity (e.g. outstanding lodgements).
• Any matter in relation to application, assessments or reviews of government benefits or entitlements.
• Income tax, GST, Payroll tax or actual tax related costs as a result of non-compliance or the audit result. 
• Other professional fees including legal & consultant fees incurred in relation to the audit. Only Lawson Accounting fees are included.
• * Tax Returns or lodgements that were not prepared by Lawson Accounting.

A tax deduction should ordinarily be claimable for your participation fees. 

By paying the invoice supplied you are acknowledging that you have been offered participation in the Lawson Accounting Audit Assurance and wish to participate. You acknowledge that you will be included in the coverage the service provides and will not be charged separately for any professional fees that may occur in the event of any audit activity by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). You accept participation in Lawson Accounting Audit Assurance through payment of the invoice. You understand that this service only covers what is outlined above and acknowledge and agree to the conditions of the service.