The ATO have told us there are $850 Million dodgy GST refund claims made every year.  

Now I know what you’re thinking. 

You’re not a dodgy GST refund claimer. And the ATO know that most cases,medical professionals are not dodgy GST claimers. But that is not going to stop them paying your refund. 

Most medical professionals are registered for GST and because healthcare is GST free most have a GST refund every quarter. 

Here’s the issue. 

The ATO are about to put in place extra validation steps meaning many medical professionals who have done nothing wrong could be hit by lengthy delays in getting their refunds. 

Tighter controls around ABN and GST registration were announced earlier this month by the ATO as it pursues $850 million in fraudulent claims. The ATO is now looking at many GST returns where refunds are claimed. 

And as a result, legitimate GST claims will need to wait longer for returns as claims are scrutinised to ensure fraudulent returns are picked up. But that does not help you. 

So far the new system has stopped $770 million in payments from being issued and the ATO has confirmed that delays are likely. 

The ATO has been working with digital platforms and confirmed that legitimate businesses, including medical professionals may face extra steps to receive their refunds. 

It is likely to mean that accountants will have to more vigilant and help medical professionals navigate the compliance to ensure returns are not clogged up in the ATO red tape. We at Medisuccess already have in place a system to deal with medical professional GST refund, but not all accountants have the resources to do that. 

If you would like to talk to a Medisuccess expert, please call us.