From navigating dividend statements across registry platforms to manually calculating capital gains, there’s a lot to keep track of when preparing your ATO tax return.
At Stockspot, we take a different approach, one that’s automated, accurate, and easy for investors.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how CommSec investors can prepare their tax documents, step-by-step, and compare it with how Stockspot investors access these documents.
When do CommSec release their tax statements?
CommSec typically makes their end-of-financial-year statements, including tax statements, available from mid-July.
What tax documents do ETF investors need?
There’s a range of documents you (or your accountant) will need to complete your tax return:
- Annual investment reports
- Dividend statements (with franking credits if applicable)
- Capital gains/loss reports
- ETF distribution statements
- Brokerage or management fees
- Foreign income (if relevant)
These records need to be accurate and complete, especially if you’ve sold shares or received distributions from ETFs during the financial year.
How to prepare your CommSec tax statement and ETF income report
If you’re a CommSec investor, tax time typically involves gathering information from several places. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
Step 1: Log in to CommSec
- Visit commsec.com.au and sign in to your account.
- Navigate to Portfolio > Statements or Tax section.
- Download any available tax reports, including:
- Annual Statements
- ETF Capital Gains Tax Reports
Note: These reports may not include all ETF distributions or dividend data, especially if the shares are held under CHESS sponsorship
Step 2: Log in to Share Registries (Link Market Services and Computershare)
Many CommSec investors receive dividend and distribution statements through registries like:
To download your statements:
- Register or log in using your HIN (Holder Identification Number).
- Access and download dividend/distribution statements for each share or ETF.
- Repeat for each registry where your holdings are recorded.
This step is manual and can be time-consuming — especially if you’ve made several trades or held multiple ETFs.
Step 3: Compile income and ETF capital gains
Once you have the reports:
- Add up dividends (including franking credits and any foreign income).
- Calculate capital gains or losses from asset sales to assess your ETF capital gains tax.
- Include any management or brokerage fees paid throughout the year.
Tip: Be sure to accurately separate out income components for ETFs (like capital gains, interest, and foreign income), which can be complex.
Step 4: Report to the ATO
Once your data is ready:
- Upload your figures to your myGov account linked to the ATO, or
- Provide the documents to your tax agent or accountant
How Stockspot simplifies tax reporting
At Stockspot, we believe investing, and tax time, should be simple.
Here’s how we make tax reporting easy for our clients:
Step 1: Stockspot prepare your annual tax report for you
Each year after 30 June, we generate a consolidated Annual Investor Statement that includes:
- Capital gains and losses
- Dividend income
- ETF distribution breakdowns (including franking credits and foreign components)
- Management fees and portfolio expenses
All in an ATO-compliant format.
No logging into registries. No spreadsheets. No guesswork.
Step 2: Download your tax information directly from your Stockspot dashboard
- Log in to your Stockspot account
- Navigate to the ‘Documents’ section
- Your tax report will be ready for download (typically by early August)
You can either upload it to your myGov tax return, or forward it directly to your accountant.
Why this matters for investors: Getting your tax return wrong can lead to delays, amendments, or penalties.
With CommSec, you’re responsible for manually gathering and compiling all relevant data across platforms. With Stockspot, it’s all done for you, ready to use, in one place.
Key dates for Stockspot tax time annual investor statement
Stockspot makes tax time easier by combining the statements from all the ETFs you own within your Stockspot portfolio. It means that you or your accountant only need to use a single document to do your tax. A rough timeline for the statements is:
- Early August – ETF issuers provide tax information to Stockspot
- Mid August – Stockspot generates Annual Investor Statements
- Late August – Statements are available in the Stockspot dashboard
Find out everything you need to know about how Stockspot helps investors at tax time here.
Summary: CommSec vs Stockspot: tax reporting made easy
| Feature | CommSec | Stockspot |
| Annual Tax Statement | Partially provided | Fully consolidated in a tax report |
| ETF Distribution Breakdown | Manual via registries | Included in tax report |
| Capital Gains Tracking | Manual or spreadsheet | Included in tax report |
| Tax Return Ready | Manual input required | ATO-ready format |
We have also created some easy guides for investors at tax time, including
- How ETFs Are Taxed in Australia
- Understanding Franking Credits
- What to Expect in Your Stockspot Annual Tax Report
