Australian tax for non-residents

If you have come to Australia to work, or if you have investments in Australia, you need to understand the tax and financial issues that relate to you.

Whether you are:

• working in Australia on a short term assignment with an overseas employer
• permanently migrating to Australia
• on a temporary resident visa
• having a working holiday

we can help you understand how tax and superannuation affects you.

Residency status

Your tax residency status determines the rate of tax you pay and whether you have to pay tax on your foreign income, or just your Australian income. Residency for tax purposes is not the same as your migration status or citizenship. The three residency categories are:

Status	Tax rate	Taxable income
Resident	Resident (lower)	Australian & overseas
Non Resident	Non Resident (higher)	Australian ONLY
Resident	Resident (lower)	Australian ONLY

Lodging a tax return

You need to lodge a tax return if any of the following apply

• You are a non resident with $1 or more of Australian income
• You are a resident or temporary resident with $6,000 or more taxable income
• You had PAYG tax withheld from your income (almost any employee would fit into this category

Superannuation

Superannuation is a retirement savings scheme which all employees must be a part of. If you work in Australia your employer must put part of your salary into superannution. You cannot access your superannuation until you reach retirement. Depending on your nationality and your visa type you could be elgible to withdraw your super when you leave Australia, or transfer it back to your home country.

Special rules for temporary residents

Special rules apply to temporary residents in relation to the rates of tax paid, the superannuation system and special exemptions from certain types of tax.

Subscribe now to receive our free fact sheet which explains the advantages available to some temporary residents.

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