FAQs

What is the easiest way to apply for a TFN?

To receive income from a job in Australia, you need a Tax File Number (TFN). It’s a good idea to do this first when you arrive in Australia.

Applying online with the ATO is the easiest way to get a TFN:

https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.asp?doc=/content/38760.htm

Once you apply the ATO will mail your TFN to you within a few days.
When can I apply for my taxback?

The end of the financial year is 30th June. You need to include all income earned up to this point, so you must apply from the 1st July onwards. If you are departing Australia before the end of the tax year, you may be eligible for an early assessment.

How much tax will I get back? All of it?

Exactly how much taxback you receive is dependent on three main factors

Your visa, and residency status
your gross earnings
the rate of tax you have been paying.

These factors differ from person to person – your refund amount is assessed on an individual basis by the Australian Tax Office, and will be different for everybody.

How do I get my refund?

We can transfer your refund into any account, either in Australia or overseas. We charge an additional $40 for an overseas transfer, to cover bank fees and admin.

How long does it take to receive the refund?

The ATO’s normal processing time is around 2 weeks. They can however, take up to 30 days to release your refund. Amendments, paper lodgements, or prior year returns may take 6-8 weeks to process. In the rare event your return is audited, the ATO may require more information and may take longer.

What Documents do I need?

You’ll need a PAYG (Pay as You Go) or Payment Summary from your employer. This is a document produced by your employer at the end of the tax year stating how much your have earned, and how much tax you have paid. They usually give this to you in the first two weeks of July, by e-mail or post. It also shows other important details such as the employers ABN, and any other deductions or income. We can use your final payslip in place of a Payment Summary, as long as it clearly shows this same information.

I’m having problems getting my payment summary from my employers – what are the options?

The employer is under a legal obligation to provide you with your pay summary, and to also submit a copy to the Australian Tax Office. Once you apply with us, we can check the Tax Agent online portal to see if your employer has submitted copies of your payment summaries. This portal also shows us other information to be included in your return like bank interest, centrelink income, etc.

How will I be paid?

We pay by EFT to your Australian bank account. We can pay to an overseas account, however this incurs an additional fee of $40 to cover bank charges and admin.

Eek! I’m late lodging my return – can you help?

The normal deadline to lodge your return is the 31st October. As a registered tax agent however, we have access to an extended deadline until May the following year. We are able to lodge returns for the previous 5 year, please contact us if you have returns older than this to lodge. The ATO can charge late lodgement penalties of up to $900 per late return, please contact us for advice.

I lodged my return myself, and it’s not what I expected, can you help?

Yes, we can lodge an amendment to your return if you have made an error, or omitted something important. We have to do this within 2 years of the date of original assessment.The ATO reserve the right to audit returns up to two years after the date of lodgement, so if you’ve missed something out, it’s better to make a voluntary disclosure yourself, before they initiate their own. The ATO can charge a 25% penalty rate, if they believe you have not taken reasonable care to include all income in your return. An Amended return takes the ATO up to 8 weeks to process.

How do you get paid?

We operate on a Fee from Refund basis, which means you have no upfront costs when lodging your return. If you are not due a refund, we will consult you before lodging your return, and may ask for pre-payment of our fee by EFT.

What is Covfefe?

We’ve no idea…

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