From 1 October, the regulator that oversees tax agents and BAS agents gets a much bigger stick to carry. The Tax Practitioners Board published guidance on 17 September explaining how its enhanced sanctions regime will work once it takes effect, and while most of the coverage has been aimed at the profession, there is a practical angle for anyone who pays someone else to do their tax or BAS work.

What is changing

The new powers come from the Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Accountability for Tax Adviser Misconduct and Other Measures) Bill 2026, which has now received Royal Assent. From 1 October the TPB can impose new criminal penalties on unregistered entities who provide tax agent services, and new civil penalties on registered practitioners who breach the Code of Professional Conduct, along with penalties for false or misleading statements by unregistered preparers. It also gains infringement notices, enforceable undertakings, contingent and interim suspension powers, and a longer maximum banning period after deregistration, up from five years to ten.

Why this matters to you, not just accountants

TPB chair Peter de Cure has said the framework gives the board "greater flexibility to take action that reflects the seriousness of the conduct and the level of risk it presents", and that compliant practitioners have nothing to worry about. That is the point: the extra firepower is aimed at the minority who cut corners, including people who prepare tax returns or BAS for a fee without being registered at all. Using an unregistered preparer is not just risky, it means you have no access to the TPB's complaint process, and from October it becomes a bigger legal problem for the preparer, not you.

What to do

  • Ask your accountant or bookkeeper for their tax agent or BAS agent registration number if you do not already have it on file.
  • Be wary of anyone offering to lodge your return or BAS for a fee through social media or word of mouth without being upfront about their registration.
  • If something about an adviser's conduct has bothered you, this is a reasonable time to raise it, given the TPB now has more proportionate tools short of full deregistration.
  • Genuine, registered practitioners are not affected by any of this, so there is no need to second guess a relationship that has always been straightforward.

None of this changes what you need to lodge or when. It is simply a reminder that the profession looking after your tax affairs is getting more oversight, which is generally good news for anyone relying on it.