Pay and Tax

Each job has different pay rates depending on factors such as location, type of work, working conditions, experience required, if accommodation and/or food included. You can generally expect to earn between $15 to $20 an hour.

As in all countries it is normal to be paid all your hard earned cash directly into your Australian bank account. If you like Go Workabout can help you organise this before you arrive. This will also allow you to transfer money to Australia before you leave home. See 'Services' for more information.

Tax File Number

To work in Australia you will need a 'Tax File Number' (TFN) so the Government can keep track of how much tax you're paying. Without one of these you will be paying the highest tax rate. Go Workabout can arrange this for you now and have it emailed to you soon after you arrive. See the Tax File Number section for more information.

Tax and Tax Returns

Australia taxes foreigners differently to residents - on average you can pay up to 29% tax. Employers are required to deduct this from your pay and pay you the correct amount. You might be able to get some of this tax back when you do your Tax Return. These can be done at the end of Financial Year (July) or when you have finished working and are just about to leave Australia.

You can do your Tax Return through the tax office or pay an accountant to do it on your behalf. In order to do a Tax Return, you will usually need a 'payment summary' or 'group certificate' from every employer you have worked for during the year, which summarises the amount you earned and the tax you paid.

Click HERE to do your Tax Return now.

For detailed information about the tax system in Australia, download our TAX IN AUSTRALIA document.

Superannuation

In Australia we have 'superannuation' (called pension in some other countries). This is where employers must pay an additional 9% of what you earn into a fund for retirement. This 9% will always be added on top of what the employer pays you.

You can't have this money until you are old enough to retire or under other special circumstances. Luckily, as a foreigner, when you leave Australia you can get all this money back. You can either pay a company to do this for you (there are many around) or you can do it yourself through the tax office.

Click HERE to find out more about how we can help you organise your working holiday in Australia.