How to Claim Your Tax Return in Australia
A step-by-step guide on how to claim your tax return, for migrants, international students, and working holiday makers — updated for the 2025–26 financial year.
If you’ve worked in Australia during the financial year, there’s a good chance the tax office owes you money, but you only get it back by lodging a return. Here’s what migrants, international students, and working holiday makers need to know for the 2025–26 tax year.
Do you need to lodge a return?
Australia’s financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June. If you earned any income here during that period and had tax withheld from your pay, lodging a return is generally the only way to get that money back.
Working holiday makers whose only income was salary and wages taxed under the working holiday maker rate don’t strictly have to lodge, but if any tax was withheld, you’re leaving money on the table by skipping it. If your total income was under the $18,200 tax-free threshold and no tax was withheld, you can lodge a “non-lodgement advice” instead of a full return.
If you’re unsure, it’s almost always worth checking as most migrant workers get at least some refund.
What tax rate applies to you
Your rate depends on your visa:
| Visa type | How you’re taxed |
|---|---|
| Working holiday makers (417/462) | Flat 15% on earnings up to $45,000, then 32.5% up to $120,000 |
| International students & other temporary visas | Taxed as an Australian resident: standard progressive rates, including the $18,200 tax-free threshold |
| Permanent residents & citizens | Standard resident tax rates |
Your employer needs to be registered as a working holiday maker employer to withhold at the 15% rate; if they’re not, you may have had tax withheld at a higher rate and be due a bigger refund.
A 2021 High Court decision (Addy v Commissioner of Taxation) found that working holiday makers from certain countries (including the UK) may be entitled to be taxed as Australian residents rather than under the working holiday maker rate, due to non-discrimination clauses in Australia’s tax treaties with those countries. If you’re from a treaty country, it’s worth checking whether you qualify, since it can mean a larger refund.
How to lodge (and claim your tax return)
The easiest and cheapest option for most people is myTax, the ATO’s free online lodgment tool.
- Set up a myGov account and link it to the ATO. If you’re doing this from overseas, make sure your sign-in works without needing an Australian phone number, and consider setting up myID before you leave the country.
- Wait until after mid-July. Employers have until mid-July to finalise income statements, so lodging too early means your pre-filled data will be incomplete.
- Review your pre-filled information in myTax including income, tax withheld, and (if linked) private health insurance details usually appear automatically.
- Add any deductions you’re entitled to claim including work-related expenses like uniforms, tools, or travel between job sites are common ones for hospitality, construction, and farm workers.
- Submit. Most single-employer, wages-only returns take under an hour.
Alternatively, you can use a registered tax agent. This costs money (often a percentage of your refund) but can be worth it if you have ABN income, multiple jobs, or a more complex return. Using a registered agent also extends your lodgment deadline.
Key dates for 2026
Lodging late can attract a penalty of $330 per 28 days (up to $1,650), though penalties are rarely applied if you’re owed a refund rather than owing money.
Lodging from overseas
If you’ve already left Australia, you can still lodge online through myTax but you’ll just need an active myGov/ATO link. Refunds can be paid into an Australian bank account or transferred overseas via SWIFT, but it’s simpler to keep an Australian account open until your refund has landed, since SWIFT transfers can involve extra fees and delays.
If you’re leaving Australia for good and won’t earn further Australian income (aside from things like interest or dividends), you may be able to lodge an early paper return before 30 June. This is a separate process — you can’t use myTax for it — and it generally takes longer (around 50 business days).
How long refunds take
| Lodgment method | Typical refund time |
|---|---|
| myTax or a tax agent | 2–4 weeks |
| Paper return | Up to 50 business days (~10 weeks) |
Frequently asked questions
Leaving the country doesn’t create a refund on its own — the result still depends on how much tax was withheld versus your final liability. But if any tax was withheld, lodging is the only way to actually get it back.
Yes, but check your myGov sign-in works without one before you leave the country — it’s much easier to fix this while you’re still in Australia.
Yes. myTax is the ATO’s free lodgment tool and is suitable for most straightforward, wages-only returns. A registered tax agent charges a fee but can help with more complex situations.
A tax return is just one piece of leaving your finances in order. If you’re preparing to leave Australia, you’ll also want to look into claiming your superannuation and making sure your Tax File Number details are correctly linked before you go.
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Explore CoursesThis article is general information, not personal tax advice. For anything beyond a straightforward wages-only return, consider speaking with a registered tax agent.