The ATO has said it may report your tax debt. The notice gives you 28 days.
- Funds can land within 2 business days with some non-bank lenders, once valuation and documents are in
- Borrowing from $100K to $5M to pay the overdue balance named in the notice
- For businesses and company directors who have received a notice of intent to disclose
- Pays the overdue ATO balance, with the cost of a payment plan set out beside it first
- Full-doc (tax returns), low-doc or alt-doc (BAS, bank statements or an accountant's letter instead) and no-doc lenders on a 90+ panel
A letter from the ATO says your business tax debt may be reported to credit reporting bureaus. It is called a notice of intent to disclose, and the business has 28 days from receiving it to act. Once reported, the overdue amount sits on the business credit file that lenders and many suppliers check. Paying the debt in full stops the report. So does engaging with the ATO, for example through a payment plan you keep to. Intent to disclose finance is a loan, usually secured over property, that pays the ATO balance inside that window. A plan can be the cheaper path, and we will show you when it is. Joseph Farhat and his team can set the two options against your dates and tell you quickly what is achievable.
Who we can help access finance
- ✓Businesses holding a notice of intent to disclose, with $100,000 or more of tax debt that has been overdue for longer than 90 days.
- ✓Company directors who opened the notice late and now have only part of the 28 days left.
- ✓Owners whose request for a payment plan was not accepted, or whose plan has fallen behind.
- ✓Businesses about to renew a facility, apply for a trade account or tender for a contract, where a credit check on the business is expected.
- ✓Owners with equity in a home, an investment property or business premises who would prefer to pay the ATO in a single sum.
- ✓Directors already holding a director penalty notice (DPN) or a garnishee notice alongside the disclosure notice.
How ATO Intent to Disclose Finance Works
The ATO may report a business tax debt to credit reporting bureaus when every one of these applies: the business has an ABN and is not an excluded entity, at least $100,000 has been overdue for more than 90 days, the business is not engaging with the ATO to manage the debt, and there is no active Tax Ombudsman complaint about the planned report. Before reporting, the ATO sends a notice of intent to disclose, and the business has 28 days from receiving it to act. A report passes on the ABN, names, entity type and overdue amount to registered bureaus, including Equifax, Experian and CreditorWatch.
Two things stop a report. One is paying the debt in full. The other is effectively engaging with the ATO, which covers a payment plan you are keeping to, a release application, an active objection, review or appeal, or a complaint with the Tax Ombudsman. The ATO may hold off in exceptional circumstances such as a family tragedy, serious illness or natural disaster. It says cash flow problems and hardship are not generally treated as exceptional. Where a debt has already been reported, the ATO removes the record once the business no longer meets the criteria, by paying in full or effectively engaging. The ATO gives no timeframe for that removal, and the timing is its decision.
A loan pays the debt. The lender advances funds, generally against property, the money goes to the ATO, and the business repays the lender over an agreed term. A payment plan keeps adding the general interest charge (GIC), currently about 11.5% a year (October to December 2026), compounding daily. A property-secured loan may cost less than that, while an unsecured or very short loan may cost more. Joseph Farhat and his team set the plan and the loan side by side, fees included. If you then go ahead, they place the file with a suitable lender from a panel of 90+ bank, non-bank, and specialist lenders. Settled With Joe arranges finance only: we are not accountants, tax agents or lawyers, and we do not deal with the ATO for you. Your accountant or tax agent confirms the balance, speaks with the ATO about the notice and handles any objection. If the business may not be able to pay its debts as they fall due, see an accountant or a registered insolvency practitioner before any new borrowing.
What Lenders Assess for ATO Intent to Disclose Finance
The date you received the notice
lenders ask, because the funds need to reach the ATO within the 28 days.
The overdue balance
a current ATO account statement showing the full amount and how long each part has been overdue.
Property security
its value and any existing mortgage set the loan size, rate and term, measured as the loan-to-value ratio (LVR), the loan as a share of the property's value.
Trading today
recent business bank statements showing the business can meet a new repayment.
Why the debt built up
a lost contract, a slow-paying customer or time off for illness reads differently to several years of returns left unlodged.
Lodgements
BAS and income tax returns lodged, or a timetable from your accountant to bring them up to date.
Other ATO action
any DPN or garnishee notice already issued, and whether a payment plan has been tried.
The ATO Intent to Disclose Finance Process: What to Expect
- 1Send Joseph Farhat and his team the date the notice arrived, the overdue balance, and details of any property that could be offered as security.
- 2Ask your accountant for a current ATO account statement, and pull the last six months of business statements from your bank.
- 3We set the GIC a plan would add beside an indicative loan cost, fees included, and show you which costs less on those figures.
- 4If you decide to proceed, the file goes to panel lenders able to fund inside the days remaining, and a written approval sets out rate, fees, term and security.
- 5At settlement the lender pays the ATO. Your accountant confirms receipt with the ATO, which decides what happens to the planned report.
Indicative Finance Options
| Lender Type | Indicative Rate | Max LVR | Typical Loan Range | Loan Term | Speed to Funding |
|---|
| Bank | Rarely offered just to pay an overdue tax balance. Possible inside a broader refinance where the file is fully documented and the 28 days allow it. |
| Non-Bank Lenders | From ~9.5% p.a. | Up to 75% | $100K to $2M | 3 to 24 months | Within 2 business days |
| Private Finance | From ~1.2% per month | Up to 75% | $250K to $5M | 1 to 24 months | Available for unique scenarios |
Indicative figures only. Actual rates and terms depend on your project, financial position, property location, and lender assessment at the time of application. Rates are subject to change.
Why borrowers choose Settled With Joe for ATO intent to disclose finance
Worked to the 28 days
we ask when the notice arrived and choose lenders that can fund inside the time left.
The plan is costed too
if a payment plan you can keep to works out cheaper, we show you that before any application.
We represent you, not the lender
Joseph Farhat and his team act for you from the first call until the ATO has been paid.
Clear about who decides
a loan pays the debt. Whether it is reported, or when a record comes off, is for the ATO, and we say so.
Careful with your file
the ATO may soon report the debt to credit bureaus, and each credit enquiry is recorded on your file, so the scenario goes to the lender most likely to fund it.
A broad panel
90+ bank, non-bank, and specialist lenders, compared on your property, your trading and the days you have.
Private finance for unique scenarios
where the file sits outside bank and non-bank policy, we can introduce you to private finance options.
Usually no direct cost to you
as a broker we are typically paid by the lender on settlement.
An honest answer early
if the 28 days are already running, call before you apply anywhere and you will hear plainly what can be done in the time.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ATO notice of intent to disclose?
It is the notice the ATO sends before it reports a business tax debt to credit reporting bureaus. It goes to businesses with an ABN that have at least $100,000 overdue by more than 90 days and are not engaging with the ATO to manage it. The business has 28 days from receiving the notice to pay or engage. Intent to disclose finance is a loan, generally secured over property, that pays the overdue balance within that time.
Will paying it stop it being reported?
According to the ATO, yes. A business that pays its debt in full no longer meets the reporting criteria. Engaging effectively with the ATO, such as through a payment plan you keep to, has the same effect. The 28 days run from when you received the notice, so a loan needs to settle and the funds need to reach the ATO in that period. We cannot say how the ATO will treat a payment that arrives close to the deadline.
Is a reported debt removed once it is paid?
The ATO says it removes the record from the credit report once the business no longer meets the criteria. Paying the debt in full, or effectively engaging with the ATO, both qualify. It gives no timeframe for removal, and when the record comes off is a decision for the ATO. A loan can pay the debt. It cannot set the date the record is removed.
Can I still borrow with a disclosed tax debt?
Often, yes. A reported debt shows on the business credit report, so lenders who check it will see it. Several lenders on our panel fund tax debts against property, and some will lend to pay a debt that has already been reported. They look at the ATO balance, the security, current trading and how the debt built up. Expect higher pricing and a lower maximum LVR than on a clean file. Joseph Farhat and his team will tell you early which lenders will consider it.
Is a payment plan enough to stop disclosure?
It can be. The ATO treats a payment plan you are keeping to as effectively engaging, and that stops the report. The plan has to be kept, because a business that stops engaging may meet the criteria again. A plan also keeps adding GIC, compounding daily. For a smaller balance, or one that can be cleared in a few months, a plan is often cheaper than a loan. If you want a comparison, Joseph Farhat and his team can cost a loan against it.
Can I get intent to disclose finance with low-doc or no-doc?
Often, yes, where property equity sits behind the loan. Some lenders accept BAS, bank statements or an accountant's letter in place of tax returns, and some no-doc commercial options exist. Less paperwork usually means a higher rate and a lower maximum LVR.
Do you work with borrowers with bad credit?
Yes, we do. A default, arrears or a court judgment does not rule you out, and you will not be made to feel uncomfortable about it. A listing usually traces back to the same difficult period as the tax debt, and it tells a lender little about the property you hold or how the business trades now. Several lenders on our panel weigh security and current trading more heavily than credit history, and price for the risk rather than decline it. Raise it at the start, so the file reaches a suitable lender first and your report does not pick up extra enquiries. Joseph Farhat and his team will give you a straight view of what is achievable before anything is lodged.
Why work with Settled With Joe to arrange your ATO intent to disclose finance?
Because one conversation covers the plan comparison and the lending while the 28 days are running. The self-employed owners and company directors who call us with this notice tend to face several pressures together: a deadline printed on the letter, a facility review or trade account where a credit check is due, a payment plan request that has stalled, or another ATO notice on top. We see these files regularly, and there is no judgement in the conversation. Lenders look at the overdue balance, the equity in the property and whether the business can meet a set repayment. The panel spans 90+ bank, non-bank, and specialist lenders, so a well-documented file can still go to a bank at a sharper rate, and a short window or a complex position still has options. We are based in Sydney and arrange this funding for businesses Australia-wide. Joseph Farhat and his team will tell you honestly and early whether we can help and what can be done before the notice period ends.
Do you give financial advice?
No. We do not guide you on your finances, nor give financial advice. We focus on outcomes and solutions of presenting your unique scenario to the right lender so you can access funding in a timely and compliant manner.
Do you help with ATO intent to disclose finance outside Sydney?
Yes. Settled With Joe is based in Sydney and arranges ATO intent to disclose finance Australia-wide, across metro and regional areas. We act for businesses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra, and in regional centres including Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Toowoomba. Where the property security sits can change which lenders will fund, so Joseph Farhat and his team narrow the panel to those active in your area.
