This article walks you through the complete Tax Plan workflow in ChangeGPS — from setting up your client group and entering financial data through to generating and delivering the final tax advice report. Tax Plan uses a four-step wizard that guides you through client setup, workspace data entry, strategy selection, and document generation.
Before you begin
Before starting a Tax Plan, make sure you have the following information available:
The names and entity types for all entities in the client group (individuals, companies, trusts, partnerships, SMSFs)
The tax year for the plan (e.g., 2026)
Income figures per entity for the current year (salary, business income, investment income, trust distributions received)
Deduction figures per entity (work-related expenses, interest, depreciation)
Distribution decisions for any trusts or partnerships in the group
PAYG withholding and instalment amounts paid to date (if including PAYG projections)
Any tax planning strategies already discussed with the client
If the client group already exists in the Client Import Manager (CIM), you can import all entities in Step 1 with a single search.
Step-by-step guide
Step 1 — Client Setup
Navigate to the Tax Plan app. Please go to Access > Apps > ChangeGPS Tax Plan. Select + New Tax Plan.
Select the Tax Year for the plan (e.g., 2026 for the financial year ending 30 June 2026).
Enter the client's name or select Import Client to search for an existing client group. Import Client pre-fills all entities, entity types, and relationships automatically.
To add entities manually, select Add Entity and enter the entity name and type (Individual, Company, Trust, Partnership, or SMSF).
For clients with individuals subject to the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS), configure MLS Family Groups to group related individuals for accurate MLS calculations.
Review the entity list and select Next to proceed to Step 2.
Step 2 — Workspace
The Workspace is where you enter all financial data and model scenarios. Each entity appears as a column. Use the Scenario tabs at the top to switch between scenarios or add new ones.
Setting up scenarios:
The Base Scenario is created automatically. To add a comparison scenario, select + Add Scenario in the scenario tabs. You can create up to 6 scenarios in total.
Give each scenario a descriptive name (for example, "Trust Distribution Option A" or "Max Super Contributions").
Mark your preferred scenario as Recommended using the star icon — this determines which scenario appears as the primary recommendation in the generated report.
Entering financial data (use the jump navigation on the left to move between sections):
Income — Enter each income item per entity. Common income types include salary and wages, business income, dividends, interest, and rent. Each row shows the total across the group.
Deductions — Enter deductible expenses per entity, including work-related expenses, interest on investment loans, and depreciation.
Adjustments — Enter tax adjustments including prior year losses, small business entity concessions, and other adjustments that affect taxable income without appearing in the income or deductions sections.
Tax Planning Strategies — Add strategies from the library to model the tax saving from specific actions (see Step 3 for full strategy detail).
Distributions — For trusts and partnerships, enter the distribution amounts per beneficiary or partner. Select Dollar mode to enter fixed amounts or Percentage mode to enter percentage splits. Franking credits are calculated automatically.
Tax Calculation — View the calculated income tax, Medicare Levy, and total tax payable per entity and for the group. This section updates in real time as you enter data.
PAYG Instalments — Enter PAYG withholding and instalment amounts paid to date to generate an 18-month cash flow projection of the client's tax obligations.
Select Next when all data has been entered and scenarios are configured.
Step 3 — Strategies
Browse the Strategy Library, which contains 56 tax planning strategies organised into four categories:
Income — Timing strategies such as deferring capital gains or bringing forward income (8 strategies)
Expenses — Deduction strategies such as prepaying expenses, writing off bad debts, or accelerating depreciation (35 strategies)
Superannuation — Contributions strategies including concessional contributions, spouse contributions, and government co-contributions (5 strategies)
Other — Miscellaneous strategies including Division 7A loan repayments and franking credit optimisation (8 strategies)
Select a strategy to expand it and view the description and estimated tax saving.
Use the entity checkboxes to assign the strategy to the relevant entities in the group.
Selected strategies appear in the Tax Planning Strategies section of the Workspace (Step 2) and their values are included in the tax calculation.
Switch to the Year-End Reminders tab to add action items for your client. Each reminder can be linked to a specific entity and describes the action they need to take before 30 June.
Select Next to proceed to Step 4.
Step 4 — Preview & Send
Select the Report Type to determine what is included in the generated document:
Full Tax Plan — Complete advice document including all scenarios, strategies, and PAYG projections
Tax Flow — Condensed summary showing the tax flow from income to tax payable
Comparison — Side-by-side scenario comparison table only
Excel — Raw data export in spreadsheet format for further analysis
Review the document preview in the left panel.
Use the Letter Customisation section to personalise the opening letter for your client.
Use the actions sidebar to deliver the document:
Export PDF — Download as a PDF
Export Word — Download as a Word document (.docx)
Add Pages — Merge additional documents into the Word file before downloading
Send for Signing — Send via FuseSign for digital signature
Send Email — Email directly to your client from within Tax Plan
Tips and best practices
Name scenarios descriptively. Use names like "Base" and "Max Superannuation" rather than "Scenario 1" and "Scenario 2" — these names appear in the generated report and are read by your client.
Mark one scenario as Recommended. The recommended scenario drives the opening letter and the primary recommendation in the report. If no scenario is marked as recommended, Tax Plan will use the Base Scenario.
Use PAYG projections for cash flow conversations. The 18-month PAYG projection is one of the most valuable parts of the Tax Plan for clients who want to avoid surprise tax bills. Fill in the amounts paid to date to make the projection accurate.
Model distributions before finalising strategies. Distribution decisions in trusts and partnerships can significantly change which strategies are applicable. Get distributions right first, then select strategies.
Use Year-End Reminders to drive client action. Each reminder becomes an action item the client must complete before 30 June. Be specific about amounts and deadlines.
Common issues
The tax calculation is not updating when I change a distribution amount. The Tax Calculation section updates in real time, but complex group structures with multiple entities can take a moment to recalculate. If the calculation appears stuck, select Recalculate (the refresh icon in the Tax Calculation section header) to trigger a manual recalculation.
I cannot see the distribution section in the workspace. The Distributions section only appears when at least one Trust or Partnership entity has been added to the Tax Plan in Step 1. If you do not see it, check the entity list in Step 1 and confirm that a trust or partnership entity has been added.
The Send for Signing button is not appearing in Step 4. The FuseSign integration must be configured for your firm before the digital signing option becomes available. Contact your account manager or support team to enable FuseSign for your organisation.
Need help?
If you are stuck or have questions about a specific client scenario, reach out through the chat widget or contact your account manager.