Protecting clients and their SMSFs

In pursuit of protecting clients from identity theft and fraud related issues, the ATO and Tax Practitioner's Board have implemented a number of measures to help protect Heffron, our clients and their SMSFs.

New administration clients are now required to nominate Heffron as tax agent for their SMSF via client-to-agent linking. Additionally, any new or existing clients of Heffron's tax agent services will need to verify their identity when they join Heffron or if their SMSF arrangements change.

Nominating Heffron as Tax Agent for your SMSF

Clients who are looking to engage Heffron for SMSF Administration will need to nominate Heffron as a tax agent following the client-to-agent linking method. This is not something Heffron can do on their behalf. Clients must nominate Heffron using Online Services for Business before Heffron can provide tax agent services. 

How does a client nominate Heffron?

Follow the steps below to set up myGovID, link myGovID to your ABN and nominate Heffron as tax agent. If you have already set up Online services for business, skip to step 3 and login using your myGovID.

For further information about client-to-agent linking, visit the ATO.

Identity Verification

New and existing clients of Heffron’s administration service will be required to complete an identity check when they join Heffron or in the event they change their arrangements such as when requesting a change of trustee or change to fund associates for the SMSF. Clients will be identified by verifying details of their identification documents against government databases through our third-party partner Cloudcheck.

Cloudcheck

Heffron has partnered with registered Gateway Service Provider of the Document Verification Service (DVS), Cloudcheck, to undertake identification checks. Based in New Zealand, Cloudcheck uses information from key identification documents such as Australian passport, driver’s licence, birth certificate, etc. and checks them against Australian government databases to perform a verified ID check.

Cloudcheck complies with all strict data security requirements imposed upon them by the Australian Government and purges all data within 7 days of receiving it. More information about Cloudcheck and their data retention policy can be found here.

If clients are required to complete an identity check to engage Heffron’s services, they will receive an email link with instructions to provide identification data which will automatically be verified against government databases and a result will be sent to Heffron.

For more information about client verification, visit the ATO or read the TPB Guidelines.