NZ Tax - Show notes / comments on Returns screen
Please can we have a column for a “Comment” so that we can easily see when we go to file a tax return, if there is a comment there or not.
MYOB has a symbol which is empty if there is no comment and coloured in if there is, and it’s really helpful. It is also possible to add multiple notes (which you would see after clicking on the symbol).
This means you can read the comment(s) before attempting to file the return – which could be important if it has to be held temporarily for some reason.
It would also be useful when preparing returns, as notes could be made such as “still waiting for *** information”.
We know there is a place to add notes in the Tax Statements screen, however this (from my point of view, anyway) is completely useless:
• You have to choose a year then click on the Notes tab to see it
• Not sure what the intended purpose is for having notes here (ie. I can’t think of any reason why you would actually use it?)
• You can’t see from the Returns screen that there is a note relating to the tax return you are about to work on or file
Please see attached too. Hope this improvement can be done soon.
Kathryn Pinkerton
shared this idea
Appreciate you sharing why seeing notes from the Returns screen would be helpful when reviewing returns before filing, Kathryn.
We'll start to get a sense of the wider interest in this here and I'll share if there's any progress.
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Kathryn Pinkerton
commented
Recent actual example:
We prepared tax returns for both 2025 & 2026 together for a new client, but had no way to add a note to the 2026 returns to make sure they weren't filed until after the 2025 returns had been filed and we had asked Inland Revenue to reinstate their EOT for the 2026 year.
Unfortunately the signed returns came in when I was away, and they were all filed together so their 2026 tax is due 7 Feb instead of 7 April next year.
If there were comments attached to the tax returns that were clearly visible when the other person came to file them, this situation would have been avoided.
Hoping for this improvement, which would be very useful!