Australian Tax FAQs

For Foreign Students in Oz

Tax is probably the last thing on your mind when you're working hard on your studies (and your tan) in Australia, so at taxback.com we make it as stress-free as possible for you to get your Australian tax back fast.

We can sort out your income tax and superannuation refunds. Taxback.com offers upfront Australia tax refunds. Our customers get average tax refunds of AU$2500 and superannuation refunds of between AU$600 and $5000 from Australia.

Our tax agent John Comino and his team in Sydney ensure all our returns are 100% compliant with Australian tax law and that we apply for the maximum legal refund possible.

To find out how much money you could claim try our FREE online refund calculator.

How do I know if I'm a resident or non-resident for tax purposes?

If you go to Australia on a student visa, you may be given a non-resident Tax File Number (TFN) to start with. Having a non-resident TFN assigned to you at the start of your Australian stay does not mean you're a non-resident for tax purposes. Your work and living behaviour are the main criteria in your tax residency designation.

You can still be considered a resident for tax purposes if you're on a student visa and are enrolled in a course of study longer than six months.

If your course is less than six months you can be considered a resident for tax purposes if you've lived in Oz continuously for at least 6 months (183 days) and have been in one job and lived in one single place for that whole time.

Am I allowed to work on my student visa?

Student visas for Australia are initially granted with a "No Work" condition but you can apply for permission to work once your course has started. To do so you'll need evidence from your education provider that you've commenced study or training in Australia. With a work permit you can work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time and unlimited hours when your course isn't in session.

How much money will I get back?

Taxback.com gets you back as much overpaid Australian tax as legally possible. That amount depends on factors like:

• Your visa
• Your earnings
• How long you worked for
• Any study-related expenses you incurred
• The type of work
• Whether you set up your life in Australia or ‘jobbed' around Australia
• How much time you spent sunbathing instead of working

The average income tax refund we get for our clients is AU$2500.

Try our FREE online tax refund calculator to see how much cash you could get back.

Do I have to file a tax return?

Yes. Australian tax law requires all non-residents who earn any income from Australian sources to file a tax return - even if you were just working there temporarily.

When you accepted a visa to work in Oz you agreed to follow the country's tax regulations and therefore must file a tax return. You might want to return to Australia and it's a good idea to have your tax affairs in order. Let us sort your tax return out now and save you any hassles in the future.

All Australian citizens and residents who earn above the $6000 tax-free threshold are also required by law to file a tax return. Failure to do so can lead to penalties and fines.

The Australian tax year is from July 1st to June 30th of the following year and you have until October 31st to file your tax return. After this date, you could incur penalties and late fines. Apply for your Australian income tax return now – better late than never.

What am I entitled to get back from working in Australia?

We can claim back two different types of refund for you from your time in Australia. If you overpaid tax, or were taxed under the wrong designation, you are probably entitled to an income tax refund so try our FREE online refund estimator to see how much you're owed.

Also, if you were earning more than AU$450 a month, your employer would have been contributing to a superannuation fund on your behalf. If you leave the country permanently you can reclaim that fund. Chat Online with our tax experts to find out how much Australian superannuation you could get back.

I paid into a superannuation fund - can I claim my contributions back?

Even if you're on a student visa, if you earn more than AU$450 per month, your employer is obliged by law to pay 9% of your wages into a superannuation fund nominated by you. If you didn't nominate a fund, your employer will pay it into a fund nominated by their company or the tax office.

The good news is that you don't actually have to wait for your retirement to get this money. You can apply for a superannuation tax refund if you leave the country permanently and your visa expires. We can cancel your visa for you to speed this process up.

The average Australian superannuation refund we get for our clients is between AU$600 and $5000. Chat Live with one of our tax experts about applying for yours today or email us on australia@taxback.com

Can I claim back my course fees or course-related expenses?

Yes! If your studies in Australia relate to the job you're working in, we can claim back some of your course-related costs. For example, if you're a barman studying hospitality, we can claim back on some of your expenses. However if you're a barman studying psychology, that doesn't count.

We can claim back study-related expenses such as:

• Your course fees
• Your stationary and text books
• Your student union fees
• Repairs to education equipment such as computers
• Car expenses

To claim your course-related costs we'll need any receipts or proof of payments you have for those expenses. Make sure you send it all in to us with your other forms and documents. Any questions? - contact us on Australia@taxback.com

How long will it take to receive my Australian tax refund? Where's my refund?

For Express Upfront Australia Tax Refunds you'll get your refund as soon as we receive your completed documents and estimate your refund amount.

For Standard Tax Refunds - as soon as we have it, you'll have it because we contact you immediately when we receive your cheque from the tax office to organise the easiest way to get your cash to you.

You can watch the step-by-step progress of your application on your online account. It'll go something like this:

For 2003 – 2008 Australian tax refunds:

When we get your documents it takes us just 24 hours to get your Aussie tax return ready to go. This includes:

• Reviewing your application
• Estimating your refund
• Completing your forms and support documentation
• Quality check and sign-off by our in-house Australian accountants in our Sydney office – Max and John
• Lodging your tax return

Once at the Australian tax office your application should take about two working weeks to process, but at busy times like the end of the tax year it can take a little longer. Our tax team will keep chasing up the tax office to see how your application is going.

As soon as the tax office sends us your money, we'll post your cheque online so you can see it and contact you to sort out the best way to get your cash straight to you.

The total estimated time for your 2008 Australian income tax return is 2-3 weeks. For earlier years it can take between 4-8 weeks.

For 2009 Australian tax refunds:

If you leave Oz before June 2009 and want to get your tax back straight away, the process is slightly slower because you have to send us your original documents via snail mail. The process is basically the same as above and you should get your cash back within 6-8 working weeks.

How does taxback.com work?

Here's how our easy three-step service works:

1. Register online or use our FREE tax refund calculator and then download the TaxPack for Australian tax returns.
2. Send us your documents and signed forms. We'll estimate your refund and give you an online tracking account. If you're missing any documents we can get replacements for you.
3. If you've chosen our express upfront refund option, you'll receive your tax refund now. If you've chosen our standard refund processing option, we'll file your tax return and send you your Oz tax refund as soon as the tax office issues it to us.

How do I know what's happening with my tax return?

You can follow the progress of your Australia tax return on your online tracking account. It allows you to see every step of your application. As soon as we have your refund we'll contact you to sort out the best way to get your money straight to you.

Rather talk to a human being? We have staff available to talk to you in 21 taxback.com offices in 18 different countries. Click here to find your local office number or use our Live Chat.

What are the advantages of using taxback.com?

Thousands of people choose our service because:

• We get you the maximum legal refund
• FREE online refund estimations
• Every customer gets a Personal Online Tracking Account – you can follow your tax return every step of the way
• All our tax returns are legal and compliant with Australian tax law.
• Document retrieval service
• 24-hour customer support and tax refund help
• Free phone, free fax, free post, free online tax help with our live chat!
• No language barriers - our services are available in: Bulgarian, Chinese, Chinese-Taiwanese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
• Money sent worldwide and in your local currency. You can get your refund in: Australian Dollars, Brazilian Reals, Bulgarian Lev, Canadian Dollars, Czech Koruna, Euro, Hong Kong Dollar, Indonesian Rupiah, Japanese Yen, Latvian Lat, Lithuanian Litas, Moldovan Lei, New Zealand Dollars, Norwegian Krona, Pakistan Rupee, Peruvian Nuevo Soles, Philippine Peso, Polish Zloty, Romanian Lei, Russian Rubles, Singaporean Dollar, Slovak Koruna, South African Rands, South Korean Won, Swedish Krona, Thai Baht, Turkish Lira, UK Pounds, Ukrainian Hryvna, US Dollars.

How much will it cost?

First of all, our FREE Online Tax Estimation costs you nothing - just a few minutes to fill it out. We'll email your refund estimation straight to your personal email with no obligation to use our service.

When you send us your documents and signed forms, we'll evaluate your refund and what additional services you need such as document retrieval. Then we'll let you know how much it will cost to file your return for you.

For Express Upfront Australia Tax Refunds we charge 20% + levy of the refund received.

For standard Australian tax returns for non-residents, we charge a flat fee of AU$87.

For standard Australian residents tax returns we charge 12.5% of the refund received, subject to a minimum fee of AU$150.

For mid-year early returns, we charge 15% of the refund received, subject to a minimum fee of AU$175 + VAT.

Why the minimum fee?

This fee covers all the things that make using our service so easy for you such as:

• Our chartered accountant who checks all our returns to make sure they are legal and complaint with Aussie tax laws.
• Customer support
• Online tracking service
• Free phone and free fax
• Tax technicians
• Researchers
• Quality team

For Australian citizens we charge a flat fee of AU$99, and for residents we charge 12.5% of the refund amount received, subject to a minimum fee of AU$150.

Oops - I lost my documents/Help - I never got my documents – what do I do?

We know it's easy to lose documents in the move back home or to not even receive them in the first place. That's why we have a dedicated document retrieval team who deal with employers all over the world and can organise replacement documents for you.

You'll find a declaration form authorising us to do this in your Australian Tax Pack, or if you no longer have it, click here to download another one.

What is a Payment Summary/Group Certificate?

To claim your Australian tax refund, we need your Payment Summary or PAYG (Pay As You Go) form. This used to be called a Group Certificate. The PAYG is the official tax form you'll get from your employer when you finish working for them. It shows the amount you earned and the amount of tax you paid for that employer.

If you ask nicely, some employers will give you your PAYG form as soon as you leave work. Otherwise you'll have to wait until they post it out at the end of the tax year in June.

In most cases we can use your PAYG or your final payslip to claim your Aussie tax rebate. So if you haven't got your PAYG yet, but you do have your final payslip, there's no need to wait – start applying for your tax back now.

What is a final pay slip?

A final payslip is the payslip you receive with your final pay cheque. It shows your total earnings and how much tax you have paid for that employer.

We can use your final payslip to get your Australian tax back if we're filing your return at the end of the tax year - as long as it has your year-to-date earnings and tax paid. If you don't have a final payslip, our document retrieval team can organise a PAYG form for you when the tax year ends.

I worked in Australia several years ago - can I still claim my superannuation refund?

Yes! We can claim your Australian superannuation refund for you as far back as 1994 provided you've left the country permanently and your visa has expired. To get this money back for you, we will need information like your superannuation fund name and membership number – chat live with our representatives about what you need to do.

I applied for an income tax refund before but I was found to be non-resident - can I apply again?

If you applied for your refund on your own, you may have missed out on overpaid tax you're owed because you were put in the wrong resident category. Depending on your circumstances, we may be able to review your application and apply for your Australian tax rebate again. Chat live with one of our tax experts to see what we can do for you.

Can I claim my Australian tax refund myself?

Every tax office in the world is set up to accept applications directly from taxpayers so yes, you can file your return yourself. The reality is though once you submit it, there's no updating process and no feedback until you get a yes or a no, which is frustrating and very worrying.

Preparing your Oz tax return will involve getting all the tax forms and trying to put all the information together properly – and it's not as easy as it looks.

The Aussie tax system is very complex and filing their own tax return is a challenge that most Australian citizens don't even attempt themselves. Most use local accountants, like Max or John in our Sydney office.

At the end of the day ask yourself -
Would I wire my own house?
The reality is no, I wouldn't. I'd use an electrician.
It's a technical professional piece of work, so I'd get a technical professional to do the job properly. I don't want to risk my house blowing up!

Our taxback.com customers rely on us as technical professionals to file their Australian returns and get their tax back. And we can't get enough of it – last year we filed over 20,000 Oz returns. Our customers tell us they knew trying to file it themselves would lead to stress and a possible loss of money in refunds. They'd rather focus on their university courses, their day-job or, more importantly, on their surfing.

Filing your return yourself won't make your house explode, but it can result in lots of stress and leave you out of pocket if you miss out on refunds you're owed.

It's easier to let us put our 11 years of experience filing Aussie tax returns to good use by doing all the work for you. It makes sense to use an expert.

Just use our FREE online refund calculator to see how much tax you could get back.

Can you guarantee that I'll get the refund amount you estimated for me?

No, but we do guarantee to get you the most money back that we legally can.

Our estimate is based on your documents and our experience in filing thousands of tax returns every week since 1996. Naturally, the Australian tax authority has the final decision in your tax refund based on their systems and tax codes.

When we process your application, our team of tax technicians check all your documents for any allowances or benefits you could get to ensure we apply for the maximum rebate possible.

What's the difference between filing my tax return and getting my tax refund?

We file your Oz tax return in order to organise your tax refund.

A tax return is the annual submission of tax forms documenting your earnings, taxes paid, deductable expenses, and allowances that you send to the tax office for review. They review it according to the information submitted by your employer and the current laws that apply to your case.

If you get a tax refund, this means the tax office review found you have overpaid Australian tax and are due some back.

Our estimate of your refund is based on our prediction of what the tax office will decide when they review your tax return - providing they have the same information as us. Use our FREE online refund estimator to see how much tax you could get back.

I worked abroad in other countries - can you help me claim refunds from these countries?

Absolutely! We've been organising tax refunds for people working all over the world since 1996. If you've worked in any of the following countries click on them to apply for your refund!

Austria tax refund	Belgium tax refund	Canada tax refund
Denmark tax refund	Germany tax refund	Gibraltar tax refund
Guernsey tax refund	Holland tax refund	Ireland tax refund
Japan tax refund	Luxembourg tax refund	New Zealand tax refund
Norway tax refund	UK tax refund	US tax refund

Our research team is constantly developing tax return services for new markets so if you've worked in a country not mentioned above, email our team on newtaxes@taxback.com to see what we can do for you.