Your first Australian tax return on a temporary visa

If you worked in Australia between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, even a few shifts at a café, there's a good chance you need to lodge a tax return. And if you've never done one before, the whole thing can feel like it was designed for people who grew up here.

It wasn't. Most of it is pre-filled, it's free to do yourself, and the ATO says a simple return takes about eight minutes on average. The tricky part for new arrivals is a few questions locals never think about, like whether you're a "resident" and why the Medicare levy is on your bill when you can't even use Medicare.

Here's how to get it done, step by step.

First, the deadline (it's this week)

If you're lodging your own return, the usual due date is 31 October. When that falls on a weekend, the ATO says (opens in a new tab) it moves to the next business day. This year 31 October is a Saturday, so the ATO has said self-lodgers have until 11:59pm local time on Monday 2 November 2026.

Two other dates worth knowing:

• If your return results in a tax bill, payment is generally due by 21 November, or 21 days after the assessment if that assessment is issued after 31 October.
• If you'd rather use a registered tax agent, you need to engage them before 31 October. Agents can then lodge later than the self-lodgment date.

If you miss it, lodge as soon as you can anyway.

Step 1: Check whether you actually need to lodge

Not everyone has to. Use the ATO's Do I need to lodge a tax return? tool (opens in a new tab). If the answer is no, you usually still need to tell the ATO by lodging a "non-lodgment advice". The same page explains how.

Working holiday makers (417 or 462 visa): the ATO's working holiday maker page (opens in a new tab) says you don't need to lodge (or send a non-lodgment advice) if all your income was salary or wages as a WHM and your taxable income for the year was under $45,001. You'll still need to lodge if you want to claim any deductions. You may also want to lodge if you were an Australian resident for tax purposes from a non-discrimination article (NDA) country, because that exception can change the rate.

Step 2: Work out your residency for tax purposes

This is the question that trips up most new arrivals, because tax residency is not the same as your visa.

The ATO is clear that it doesn't use the same rules as Home Affairs (opens in a new tab). You can be an Australian resident for tax purposes without being a permanent resident, and you can hold a visa without being a tax resident.

Some general patterns from the ATO:

• International students enrolled in a course of 6 months or more may be Australian residents for tax purposes (opens in a new tab). That usually means resident tax rates and the tax-free threshold (or part of it, if you arrived partway through the year).
• Most working holiday makers are foreign residents for tax purposes, and for most of them residency doesn't change the rate they pay. The exception is a working holiday maker who is an Australian resident for tax purposes from an eligible non-discrimination article (NDA) country. The ATO's NDA page (opens in a new tab) says they can be taxed on the same basis as a resident Australian national, and it lists the countries this covers.
• Graduate (485) and other temporary visa holders need to look at their own circumstances: how long you've been here, where you live, and whether you work and live in one place.

There's a second label too. If you're on a temporary visa, you're probably also a temporary resident for tax. According to the ATO's foreign and temporary residents guidance (opens in a new tab) and its student page, that generally means most of your foreign income isn't taxed in Australia. You declare your Australian income, plus some income from work done overseas while you were a temporary resident.

Not sure? The ATO's residency tools are linked from the tax residency page. Getting this wrong is an easy way to end up with a surprise bill.

Step 3: Set up myGov and link the ATO

You lodge online through myGov (opens in a new tab), the government's login for the ATO, Medicare and Centrelink.

Create an account, link the ATO as a service (having your TFN handy helps), then select Manage tax returns to find myTax. The ATO app works too.

Step 4: Check your income statement says "Tax ready"

Your employer reports your pay, tax withheld and super to the ATO. You'll see it in ATO online services under Employment, then Income statement.

The ATO's income statement page (opens in a new tab) recommends waiting until every statement says Tax ready before you lodge. If one still says "Not tax ready" this late in the year, contact that employer. It happens a lot with casual jobs you left months ago.

Step 5: Sort out the Medicare levy

Most Australian tax residents pay a Medicare levy on top of income tax. Many temporary visa holders aren't eligible for Medicare, so this is where you can get an exemption, but only if you claim it correctly.

• Foreign resident for tax purposes: you can claim an exemption (opens in a new tab) in your return for the days you were a foreign resident (exemption category 2).
• Tax resident but not entitled to Medicare (common for students on OSHC): you need a Medicare Entitlement Statement (MES) from Services Australia first. The ATO's guide (opens in a new tab) says you apply through myGov, it can take up to 8 weeks, and you must have it before you lodge. You then claim exemption category 3. You need a new MES each year. An MES is not enough on its own if a dependant, including a spouse, was entitled to Medicare for that period: the ATO says the exemption is only available when you had no dependants, or every dependant was also in a Medicare levy exemption category.

If you haven't applied for your MES yet, the 8-week wait almost certainly runs past this year's deadline. In that case, consider talking to a registered tax agent before 31 October about your options, rather than leaving the Medicare section blank or guessing.

Step 6: Claim only what you can prove

You can claim deductions for expenses directly related to earning your income, like some work uniforms, tools or union fees. The ATO lists them in Deductions you can claim (opens in a new tab), including guides for specific jobs.

The three ATO basics: you spent the money yourself and weren't reimbursed, it's directly related to earning your income, and you have a record. Commuting from home to work and everyday clothes generally don't count.

Step 7: Lodge, then watch your myGov inbox

Check the estimate myTax shows you, lodge, and keep the email receipt. The ATO says most refunds are issued within about two weeks, paid into the Australian bank account you nominate in the return.

If you owe money, your notice of assessment has the payment details, and the ATO offers payment plans if you contact them early.

Free help if you're stuck

• ATO Tax Help program: free help from accredited volunteers (opens in a new tab) for people earning around $70,000 or less with simple tax affairs. It runs July to October, online, by phone or in person. Phone 13 28 61 (select option 2, then option 3) to book. Contractors and people with foreign income (other than a foreign pension) generally aren't eligible.
• Moneysmart's income tax guide (opens in a new tab) explains the basics and points to the free National Tax Clinic program if Tax Help can't assist.
• Paying for help? Only use a registered tax agent. You can check them on the Tax Practitioners Board register (opens in a new tab).

Quick checklist

• Checked whether you need to lodge (or sent a non-lodgment advice)
• Worked out your residency for tax purposes
• myGov created and linked to the ATO
• All income statements showing "Tax ready"
• Medicare levy exemption sorted (MES if you need one)
• Deductions backed by records
• Lodged by 11:59pm on Monday 2 November 2026, or engaged a registered tax agent before 31 October

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General information only. This article is general information, not financial, tax or immigration advice, and it doesn't consider your personal circumstances. Tax rules and dates change, so always check the official ATO pages linked above, and for advice on your own tax situation talk to a registered tax agent. For advice about your visa, talk to a registered migration agent. You can check one on the Register of Migration Agents (opens in a new tab).