The Melbourne Law School Tax Clinic is a supportive, inclusive, student-run clinic where you will receive free tax assistance from Melbourne Law School students. Our students are supervised by a dedicated clinic supervisor and experienced tax practitioners.
The Clinic is a registered Community Legal Centre that offers online or in-person appointments at Melbourne Law School. We are one of 19 tax clinics under the National Tax Clinic Program.
How we can assist
During its active season, the MLS Tax Clinic provides assistance to clients in need. The Clinic aims to educate and guide clients on their tax obligations - we are not a substitute for tax agent services. At times, matters may be beyond the scope of our expertise and resources. Whilst we will endeavour to assist you to the best of our abilities, there may be issues we are unable to assist you with.
Below are some of the areas we can assist with.
Correspondence from the Australian Taxation Office
If you have received correspondence from the Australian Taxation Office and you do not understand the correspondence or are unsure as to what you need to do in response, we can assist.
Disagreeing with your tax assessment
If you disagree with your tax assessment, we can help you understand your rights and options for what to do next.
Outstanding tax debts
If you have difficulty paying your outstanding tax debts, we can assist you to negotiate a payment plan with the Australian Taxation Office.
Penalties and interest
If you have been charged penalties or interest by the Australian Taxation Office, we can assist you to apply for a reduction or waiver of those charges.
Income and expenses
We can assist you to work out whether or not an amount is income (and subject to tax) and whether or not an expense could be tax-deductible (and therefore reduce your tax payable)
Residency for tax purposes
We can assist you in determining whether you are a resident for Australian tax purposes.
Representation in dealing with ATO
We can represent you in dealing with the Australian Taxation Office.
Registration for Goods and Services Tax (GST)
We can assist you in determining whether you need to register for Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Current and/or prior year tax returns
If you think you need assistance to lodge your current year tax return or you have outstanding tax returns from prior years.
Great experience with the MLS Tax Clinic. I was initially unsure whether they'd be able to help, considering my situation is a bit complicated as I am a dual citizen with tax obligations in two different countries. However, they were quick to identify my issues and provide me step-by-step instructions on how to find my tax residency, file my taxes, and more. I feel much more comforted after meeting with them. MLS Tax Clinic client
Tax Clinic resources
The Tax Clinic has produced a wide range of videos for general educational purposes.
Eligibility
If you fulfill all these requirements, you may be eligible for our service. The clinic uses a wide range of criteria to determine eligibility for an appointment.
- You are an individual, sole trader, independent contractor, gig economy worker or small business entity; and
- You do not have any tax or legal professional representation; and
- Your tax issues does NOT relate to a company or trust; and
- You are a vulnerable individual – factors considered include income, age, personal circumstances, disability and more; and
- You need assistance with lodging an outstanding tax return, corresponding with the ATO, an unpaid tax debt, or some other tax or ATO-related issue.
Applications
The MLS Tax Clinic will re-open in March for Semester 1, 2025. The clinic will be operating on Wednesdays.
Applications are now open.
Please note: Submitting an application does not guarantee that we will be able to accommodate your request for an appointment. However, we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.
If your tax matter is urgent, we advise you to seek assistance through the National Tax Clinic. A list of participating clinics is available on the National Tax Clinic program. You may also seek help through a number of other community legal centres and Victoria Legal Aid. Alternatively, if you have the means to do so, you may need to engage a professional advisor.
Please note that the information provided in these seminars is for general educational purposes only and should not be construed as legal or tax advice on any subject matter.
Individual/sole trader
Explore videos covering personal services income, work-related vehicle expenses, deductions for working from home, the Medicare levy, and the tax-free threshold.
Watch videos
Small businesses
Explore videos covering determination of 'business' versus 'hobby' for tax purpose and different types of guidance issued by the ATO.
Watch videosUseful resources
- Australian Taxation Office
- Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman
- Business Victoria
- Inspector-General of Taxation
- Money Smart by ASIC – Free Financial Guidance
- myGov – How to Create a myGov account and link to the ATO
- National Debt Helpline – Free Financial Counselling
- Victorian Small Business Commission
[The students] were very friendly and helpful. They gave me an overview of how capital gains tax and tax residency works in Australia and clarified several points that I didn’t understand, such as when do gains become taxable ... and what type of loss is deductible from capital gains. MLS Tax Clinic client
The Melbourne Law School Tax Clinic is available for contact during regular business hours, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday excluding public holidays and University holidays.
- mls-tax-clinic@unimelb.edu.au
- Phone
- +61 3 8344 6842
- Opening hours
- Semester 1, 2025: Wednesdays 11:30am-2:30pm
- Location
- GM01 Mezzanine Floor / Law Building (Building 106)
185 Pelham Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Our partners
The Melbourne Law School Tax Clinic is grateful to the following organisations for their generous support.
- Aptum Legal
- BDO Australia
- Hall and Wilcox
- Keypoint law
- KHQ Lawyers
- KPMG
- Pepperstone
- Perigee Advisers Pty Ltd
- Pitcher Partner
- PWC
- Sladen Legal
- Tradewise Solutions Chartered Accountants
- Victorian Bar
- Dr Steven Stern
- Piotr Klank
- Khai-Yin Lin
- Michael Wells
Volunteer as a Tax Clinic Practitioner
Our tax clinic relies on the valuable support of volunteer tax professionals. If you or your firm are interested in offering pro-bono assistance to the clinic, please email us (mls-tax-clinic@unimelb.edu.au) with your contact details.
Funding
The Melbourne Law School Tax Clinic gratefully acknowledges the funding received from the Australian Government under the National Tax Clinic Trial program. The Melbourne Law School Tax Clinic is totally free of government influence in making our day-to-day decisions in supporting taxpayers who require assistance. Our clients are our priority and we will be strong and forthright in our advice and representation services in assisting our clients.