Tax question
Can I pay for my tax return from my refund?
Short answer
Yes. With Night Tax AI you can choose 'Fee From Refund' — our $79 individual or $99 sole trader fee is deducted from your ATO refund before it hits your bank, so you pay nothing upfront.
Not everyone has spare cash sitting around at tax time. Paying your tax agent fee from your refund is a popular option in Australia — here's how it works with Night Tax AI and what to watch for.
How 'Fee From Refund' works
When you lodge with a registered tax agent, the ATO can direct your refund to the agent's trust account instead of your personal bank account. The agent deducts their fee, then transfers the balance to you.
With Night Tax AI, you tick 'Pay from refund' during checkout. Our tax agent lodges the return, the ATO processes it (usually 5-10 business days), the refund lands in our trust account, and we release the balance to you the next business day.
What it costs
The tax return itself is $79 for a simple individual or $99 for a sole trader. Fee-from-refund adds a small processing fee (fully disclosed before you sign) that covers the trust account handling — significantly less than most traditional accountants charge for the same convenience.
If your refund is smaller than the fee, we invoice the shortfall by card. If there's no refund at all, we bill the fee directly.
Who it suits
Fee-from-refund is popular with employees, casuals, students, apprentices and anyone who'd rather not put $79-$150 on their card before tax time. It's also handy if you want to lodge tonight and sort out payment later — the ATO does the work for you.
Related questions
- How does fee-from-refund actually work?
- Your refund is paid by the ATO into our trust account. We deduct the tax return fee and send the balance to your nominated bank account, usually within 1-2 business days of the ATO releasing the refund.
- Is there a surcharge for paying from my refund?
- Night Tax AI charges a small processing fee for fee-from-refund (disclosed before you sign) to cover the trust account handling. It's typically a fraction of what traditional accountants charge for the same option.
- What if I owe the ATO instead of getting a refund?
- Fee-from-refund only works when there's a refund to deduct from. If you owe the ATO, you'll pay our fee by card at lodgement.
Start your return with Night Tax AI
AI-guided intake, registered tax agent review, lodged with the ATO within 48 hours. Individuals from $79, sole traders from $99.