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Tax

Link a spouse and use family income on a return

Link a client's spouse or partner, pull their income onto the return, and see which family-income tests it changes.

  1. Link the partner
  2. Their return
  3. Pull spouse income
  4. Check the working

Some parts of a person's return depend on their family's income, not just their own. Billbook gets the spouse's figures from the spouse's own return, by following a link you set on the client's file.

  1. Open the client and go to ClientDetails.
  2. Under Spouse or partner, choose Link partner.
  3. Pick the person. They need their own client file, so add them as a client first if they aren't one.
  4. Pick the Relationship: Married or De facto.
  5. Add the Since date if you know it, then choose Save.

It only shows for clients who are people.

What if they separate or re-partner?

Choose the cross next to the partner and then End it. They stop being partners from today. Earlier years keep using the old link, and it shows under the box as a former partner. Linking someone new starts a fresh link.

Links are never deleted, so an earlier year's return always picks up whoever was the partner at the end of that year.

How do I get the spouse's income onto the return?

  1. Prepare the spouse's own return for the same year first.
  2. Open the client's TaxIncome tax and pick the year.
  3. Open the ⋯ menu and choose Pull spouse income.

No spouse linked? Billbook says so. Link one on the client's ClientDetails, under Spouse or partner. The pull is only there while the return can be changed, so recall a return that's been sent for signing first.

Billbook finds whoever was the partner at the end of that financial year, reads their return, and fills Spouse's income for MLS purposes, Spouse's taxable income and ticks Had a spouse (for family thresholds).

The figures are copied once. If the spouse's return changes, choose Pull spouse income again. If the spouse has no return for that year, their income is taken as nil.

What does the family income change?

  • Medicare levy surcharge: the surcharge test uses the couple's combined income against the family thresholds. Dependent children count too.
  • Private health insurance rebate: the family thresholds set which rebate tier applies.
  • Medicare levy family reduction: works out on the couple's combined taxable income.
  • Seniors and pensioners tax offset: couples use the couple thresholds. Tick Living apart from spouse because of illness if that applies. Moving a spouse's unused offset across isn't worked out yet, so check that yourself.
  • Spouse super contributions offset: fill in Super contributions paid for your spouse. If Spouse's income for the spouse super offset is left empty, the spouse's taxable income is used.

Open How we worked this out on the return to see each test with the figures it used.

Prefer to type the spouse's figures yourself, say for a spouse who isn't your client? Leave the link off and fill the spouse labels by hand.

Does a client group do this?

No. Groups only gather related clients on one screen. The family-income tests follow the spouse link, not the group.

Next

Prepare an income tax return

Start a client's return for the year, fill in the labels and schedules, check the working and get it ready to sign.

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Which return each client gets, and what's different about each one in Billbook.

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Send a client their yearly tax checklist, review their answers and put the deductions they logged onto the return.

On this page

How do I link a spouse or partner?What if they separate or re-partner?How do I get the spouse's income onto the return?What does the family income change?Does a client group do this?Next