How to Read Your ETF Tax Statement in Australia (2026)

After 30 June each year, every ETF you hold sends you a tax statement — and for most investors it looks like a wall of unfamiliar terms and numbers. This guide translates every line item on an Australian ETF tax statement, explains where each figure goes in your tax return, and shows you how to verify the ATO's prefill data matches what you received.

Quick answer: Your ETF tax statement (called a Managed Fund Tax Statement or AMIT Member Annual Statement) breaks your annual distribution into taxable components: franked dividends, unfranked dividends, franking credits, capital gains, and tax-deferred amounts. Most large ETFs prefill these figures directly into myTax. If using an accountant, just hand them the statement.

What Is an ETF Tax Statement?

Since 2016, most Australian ETFs have operated under the Attribution Managed Investment Trust (AMIT) regime — a special tax framework that allows managed investment trusts to attribute taxable income directly to investors, rather than distributing it.

Under AMIT, your annual statement is called an AMIT Member Annual (AMMA) Statement or Attribution Statement. Some providers still call it a Managed Fund Tax Statement — both names refer to essentially the same document.

When you receive it: Most ETF providers issue statements between 14 July and 31 August each year. If you hold units at any point during the financial year (1 July to 30 June), you will receive a statement even if you sold your units during the year.

Where to find it:

Your broker's platform (CommSec, Pearler, Selfwealth, Moomoo) — usually under Tax Documents or Statements
The ETF provider's registry:
- BetaShares ETFs → Boardroom (boardroomlimited.com.au)
- Vanguard ETFs → Link Market Services (linkmarketservices.com.au)
- iShares ETFs → Computershare
ATO myTax prefill — major ETFs submit data directly to the ATO, available from late July

The Statement Line by Line

Here is what each section means.

Section 1: Your Details

This confirms your name, TFN, and the number of units you held at the end of the distribution period. Check that the unit count matches your broker records.

Section 2: Cash Distribution Received

This is the actual cash amount deposited into your bank account or brokerage account (or the value of units received if you use DRIP). This is NOT your taxable amount — the taxable amount is almost always higher because of grossed-up franking credits.

Section 3: Assessable Income Components

This is the core of the statement. These are the amounts you include in your tax return.

Frankable distributions (franked amount) The portion of your distribution that comes from Australian company profits on which 30% corporate tax has already been paid. Enter this in the Dividends section of your tax return as "franked dividends."

Attached franking credits The tax offset attached to franked dividends — representing the 30% corporate tax already paid. This is NOT income; it is a tax offset that reduces your tax liability. For every $100 of franking credits, your tax bill is reduced by $100.

If the franking credits exceed your tax liability on the distribution, the ATO refunds the excess. This is particularly valuable for low-income investors and those in the 0% or 16% tax brackets.

Unfranked dividends Dividend income from Australian companies that have paid no corporate tax (or from international holdings). No franking credit is attached. Fully taxable at your marginal rate.

Other income / interest Interest income from cash or bond holdings within the fund. Taxable at your marginal rate.

Foreign income Income from international holdings — typically dividends from overseas companies. Taxable at your marginal rate. A separate "foreign income tax offset" line may appear if the overseas company paid withholding tax on the dividend before distributing it.

Foreign income tax offset A tax credit for foreign withholding tax paid on international dividends. Similar to franking credits but applies to foreign taxes rather than Australian corporate tax. Reduces your Australian tax liability.

Section 4: Capital Gains Components

Capital gains — discounted (50% discount applied) Gains realised within the fund from selling assets held more than 12 months. The 50% CGT discount has been applied at the fund level. The amount shown is the post-discount amount to include in your assessable income. Enter in the Capital Gains schedule in your tax return.

Capital gains — non-discounted (short-term) Gains from assets sold within 12 months — no discount applies. Fully included in assessable income.

Capital gains — small business concessions / other Rarely appears for standard equity ETFs. More common for property trust distributions.

Section 5: Non-Assessable Components

Tax-deferred amounts These are NOT included in your current year income — they are not taxable now. Instead, they reduce the cost base of your units. When you eventually sell, the lower cost base means a higher capital gain (and more tax at that point). Record this figure — you need it to calculate your cost base accurately when you sell.

Tax-free amounts A return of capital. Also reduces your cost base but is never taxable. Record for cost base tracking.

CGT concession component Related to small business CGT concessions from assets within the fund. Rare for standard ETFs.

Where Each Amount Goes in Your Tax Return

Tax statement line	Where it goes in myTax
Franked dividends	Income → Dividends → Franked amount
Franking credits	Income → Dividends → Franking credits
Unfranked dividends	Income → Dividends → Unfranked amount
Foreign income	Income → Foreign income
Foreign income tax offset	Offsets → Foreign income tax offset
Capital gains (discounted)	Capital gains schedule → CGT discount
Capital gains (non-discounted)	Capital gains schedule → Other capital gains
Tax-deferred amounts	Note for cost base reduction — NOT entered as income
Tax-free amounts	Note for cost base reduction — NOT entered as income

Using myTax Prefill

Most major Australian ETFs — BetaShares (DHHF, BGBL, VAS, NDQ, A200), Vanguard (VGS, VDHG, VDAL), and iShares (IVV) — submit investor data directly to the ATO. When you open myTax after mid-July, these amounts appear pre-filled in the relevant sections.

What to check:

Log into myGov → ATO → myTax
Look for "Income from trusts and managed funds" and "Dividends" sections
Compare prefilled amounts against your paper statement
The totals should match — discrepancies occasionally occur if the ATO data is submitted late or if your account details changed during the year

If amounts don't appear prefilled: The ETF may not participate in the prefill system (less common) or the data may not have been submitted yet (try again in August). You can enter the figures manually from your paper statement.

Multiple ETFs: Combining Statements

If you hold multiple ETFs, you receive a separate statement from each. In your tax return:

Add together all franked dividends from all ETFs and enter the total
Add together all franking credits and enter the total
Add together all unfranked dividends
List capital gains separately in the capital gains schedule — each gain/loss is a separate entry

myTax prefill aggregates these automatically if all ETFs participate in the system.

DRIP: Extra Complexity

If you use DRIP (Distribution Reinvestment Plan), each reinvestment creates a new parcel of units with its own cost base (the price of the units on acquisition date). You need to:

Track each DRIP acquisition separately (date, number of units, price per unit)
When you eventually sell, calculate CGT across potentially hundreds of small parcels acquired over years
Identify which parcels have been held > 12 months (eligible for 50% CGT discount) and which have not

Most broker platforms track this automatically. The ATO's myTax also pre-fills DRIP acquisitions for many ETFs. If you are managing this manually in a spreadsheet, the complexity grows with each year of DRIP participation.

Common Mistakes

Entering only the cash received, not the grossed-up amount If you received $700 cash but your statement shows $1,000 in franked dividends and $300 in franking credits, you enter $1,000 as franked dividends and $300 as franking credits — not $700. The ATO reconciles this. Entering only the cash means you underreport income and miss the franking credit offset.

Ignoring the statement because myTax is prefilled Always cross-check prefilled amounts against your paper statement. Prefill data is accurate for most investors most of the time, but errors occur. You are responsible for the accuracy of your tax return regardless of what the ATO prefills.

Confusing the distribution yield with the taxable amount If your ETF has a 4% distribution yield and you hold $100,000, you received approximately $4,000 in cash. Your taxable amount is likely higher — perhaps $5,714 after grossing up the franked portion. The paper statement shows the correct taxable amounts.

Not tracking cost base adjustments from tax-deferred amounts Tax-deferred amounts reduce your cost base silently each year. If you hold an ETF for 10 years and ignore tax-deferred amounts on each year's statement, your cost base calculation when you sell will be wrong — potentially understating your CGT liability.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does my ETF tax statement arrive?

Most ETF providers issue statements between 14 July and 31 August — around 6 weeks after the end of the financial year. BetaShares typically issues statements by late July; Vanguard by mid-August. Check your broker platform and the ETF provider's registry website.

Where can I find my ETF tax statement?

Check your broker's platform under tax documents or statements. You can also find statements at the ETF provider's registry: BetaShares uses Boardroom, Vanguard uses Link Market Services, iShares uses Computershare. Major ETFs also prefill data directly into ATO myTax from late July.

What is an AMIT statement?

AMIT stands for Attribution Managed Investment Trust. Under the AMIT tax regime (introduced in 2016), managed investment trusts including most ETFs attribute income directly to investors. An AMIT Member Annual Statement (AMMA statement) is the formal name for what is commonly called an ETF tax statement. It shows your attributed income for the financial year in each component category.

Do I need to enter ETF distributions in my tax return if myTax is prefilled?

Yes — you should still verify the prefilled amounts against your paper statement. If the prefilled data is correct, you can proceed. If there are discrepancies, enter the correct figures from your statement. You are responsible for the accuracy of your return regardless of prefill data.

What if I only held the ETF for part of the year?

You still receive a tax statement for the portion of the year you held units. If you sold your units mid-year, the statement covers from 1 July to your sale date (or the distribution dates within that period). Check the statement for the precise distribution dates and amounts attributable to your holding period.

General information only. Not financial advice. Tax rules change — always consult a registered tax agent for advice specific to your situation.