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My BAS was rejected by the ATO — what now?

If the ATO doesn't accept a submission, the statement's status changes to Rejected — you'll see the red Rejected badge in the statements list and on the statement itself. Nothing was lodged: the ATO still doesn't have this statement, so once you've fixed the problem you simply submit it again.

Where the rejection reasons appear

  • At submit time — a notification shows the ATO's first error message as soon as the submission is refused.
  • On the statement — open it and a red notice titled "ATO rejected this lodgement" appears under the summary card with the rejection details.
  • In the Activity history — the section at the bottom of the statement page keeps a permanent record of every ATO interaction, including the full response for the rejected submission.

Common causes

  • The form doesn't match the ATO's record. The statement is sending sections or figures the ATO doesn't expect for this period — for example a full BAS when the ATO's obligation is PAYG withholding only. Click Prefill from ATO to realign the form with the ATO, then check the figures again.
  • A figure must match the ATO's amount. Some amounts (such as an ATO-calculated instalment) must be lodged exactly as the ATO issued them. Prefill from ATO loads the ATO's own figures.
  • It's already been lodged. If the statement was lodged elsewhere (for example through a tax agent or the ATO portal), you'll see a message like "This statement can't be lodged again". Click Sync from ATO on the statements list to refresh its real status.
  • A figure fails the ATO's checks. The same kinds of issues Validate catches — see My BAS validation failed — what do I do? for the common ones in plain language.

Fixing and resubmitting

Step 1. Open the rejected statement and read the rejection notice (and the Activity history entry if you need more detail).

Step 2. Fix the figures: click Edit on the relevant section's card, update the amounts, and click Save. If the rejection was about the form itself, click Prefill from ATO first.

Step 3. Click Validate to check the corrected statement with the ATO before trying again.

Step 4. Click Submit, complete the declaration (Signatory name + the declaration checkbox) and click Submit to ATO. When the ATO accepts it the status changes to Lodged.

Rejected revision? If it was a revision of an already-lodged statement that the ATO refused, the statement keeps its Lodged (or Revised) status — your original lodgement still stands. Your revision edits are kept, so fix the figures and click Submit revision again. See How do I revise a lodged BAS?

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