Study Move - Study in Australia Guide

Taxation and Superannuation

Taxation

If you decide to work in Australia during your studies, unfortunately, you will have to pay taxes. Taxation is a serious matter so we highly recommend you to contact the Australian Tax Office (ATO), a financial adviser or a registered accountant if you have questions.

In our experience, we have seen that there are two main topics that international students need to know to have a better understanding of taxation in Australia.

a) Tax File Number (TFN)

You must obtain a Tax File Number (TFN) in Australia if you wish to work during your studies. A tax file number (TFN) is a unique number issued by the Tax Office to individuals and organisations for identification and record keeping purposes. Generally, if you intend to earn money in Australia you need to apply for a TFN.

As soon as you are granted with a permission to work from the Australian Government and obtain a new label in your passport you can apply for a TFN.

TFN applications are available from the Tax Office or from Centrelink offices. You will need to provide original documents proving your identity. You can also apply for your TFN online.

b) Tax returns

If you worked during your program you will have to present a tax return form at the end of every financial year. You must submit a tax return between July and October where you need to present a declaration of your income, tax withheld, deductions and/or tax offsets for an income year.

Many people find this process complicated and prefer to use an accountant to complete the tax returns. You can find some accounting firms (also known as Tax Agents or Tax Consultants) that provide this service and do not charge a lot of money. If you think that organizing your own tax returns could be complicated we suggest you to make use of these firms.

If you prefer to do this process on your own, we recommend using the online system provided by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) which is called  ‘e-Tax’ . This system is very easy to use and you can get phone assistance from staff at the ATO.

For more information we recommend you to contact the ATO, a financial adviser or a registered accountant.

The next page provides importan information about retirement fund (superannuation) .