EOFY 2026 Property Investor Checklist: Records for Your Tax Agent

The 2025-26 financial year has ended

The 2025-26 Australian financial year ended on 30 June 2026. This checklist now focuses on preparing records for that completed year. Paying an invoice today does not make it a payment made before 30 June. Keep the actual dates and ask a registered tax agent which period and treatment apply.

Start with one folder for each property and one transaction list for the year. A calculator can help explain a scenario, but it cannot decide which expenses belong in your return. The Negative Gearing Calculator shows an illustrative cash-flow and single-rate tax scenario, not a refund or deduction entitlement.

1. Reconcile rent before using the net bank deposits

Collect the managing agent's annual statement, rent ledger and your bank records. Record income and expenses separately. If the agent deducts fees before transferring rent, the deposit alone does not show the full movement of money.

For example, suppose a statement records $31,200 rent received, $2,000 management fees and $800 maintenance paid, with no other transactions or opening balance. The transfers to the owner total $28,400. That is an accounting illustration, not a taxable-income calculation. Keep the $31,200 receipt and both expense records rather than entering $28,400 as rent and then subtracting those same expenses again.

Add notes for money received directly, adjustments, arrears and any difference between the agent's statement and bank totals. Do not silently force the figures to balance.

2. Keep the loan's history with its annual statement

Save statements showing interest, repayments, fees and redraws. Record what borrowed funds were used for, particularly where a loan has funded both property and private spending. A loan's marketing label does not replace that transaction history.

Separate principal repayments from interest when preparing the cash-flow worksheet. Our mortgage statement reconciliation guide explains why a repayment and the reduction in the outstanding balance differ. Ask your tax agent to determine any tax allocation; do not apply a percentage simply because it matches the property's rental period.

3. Describe the work behind each invoice

Keep the invoice, payment evidence, date of work and a short description. For building work, save quotes, photographs and any breakdown between separate tasks. Flag work addressing damage that existed when you bought the property, replacements of whole assets and upgrades for review.

Avoid marking everything from a tradesperson as an immediately deductible repair. The ATO distinguishes repairs, initial repairs and capital expenditure. This checklist does not classify your invoice or specify a depreciation rate.

Keep an existing depreciation schedule with purchase and construction records, and tell the preparer about assets replaced or disposed of. The property depreciation guide introduces the categories; a schedule still needs to match the property and relevant rules.

4. Record ownership and changes of use

Make a dated list of ownership changes, tenancy periods, private use and periods the property was advertised for rent. Save leases and advertising evidence. Provide purchase and sale contracts, settlement statements and improvement records when relevant.

Do not discard purchase documents just because they relate to an older year. They may be needed when the property is sold. Check the ATO's retention requirements for the particular records and any ongoing dispute or loss, rather than applying one disposal date to the whole folder.

Questions to take to the preparer

• Which entries need more evidence or a different classification?
• Does any expense need allocation for ownership, private use or loan purpose?
• Are borrowing costs, prepayments or capital items spread across periods?
• Do any sale, ownership or use changes require a separate capital gains review?
• What records should be retained, and until when?

Keep unresolved items in a separate list with their dollar amounts. A missing receipt is an evidence question, not a reason to invent an amount. A quote for proposed work is not evidence that it was completed or paid.

Related calculators and guides

Use the Investment Property Yield Calculator to distinguish rent from operating cash flow, and Negative Gearing Explained to understand why a cash shortfall and a tax loss can differ. The Capital Gains Tax Calculator is a simplified scenario tool and does not determine exemptions or the return treatment of a sale.

Sources and review scope

• ATO: Records for rental properties and holiday homes.
• ATO: Repairs ruling TR 97/23.

The records and repairs principles were cross-checked against available ATO search extracts on 7 October 2026. Direct ATO page retrieval was unavailable during this review. No 2026-27 tax rates, deduction entitlements or proposed policy outcomes are verified by this checklist.

General information only. This is a records preparation checklist, not personal financial, tax, legal or credit advice. Check current ATO guidance and speak with a registered tax agent about your circumstances. Calculator outputs are estimates, not rulings or recommendations.

Last updated: 7 October 2026.