Australian tax thread

spunkymunky

Quick Question

How do you know if you have completed the tax return correctly? There is no confirmation email. I completed mine almost two weeks ago and nothing, which is what i expected but my housemate completed his saturday week ago and got his tax back yesterday! Wondering did i do something wrong

Munky

KingdomYid

Hi guys, I have a question regarding the resident/non-resident scenario. I have read the links and have realised i can be considered resident for tax purposes. The only thing is when i filled out my form last december when i began my last job i chose non resident, due to a misunderstanding of the situation on my part. Anyway i am just wondering if i can simply just choose the resident option on e-tax even though i chose non-resident on the tax form back then and obviously never changed my status. It will make a big difference to my return, will mean getting tax back instead of having to pay the tax office more of my hard earned cash. Thanks in advance.

Mellor

Chosing non-resident back when you started would of meant that your company with-held extra from your pay.
Basically what they take out each week is meaningless, the purpose of the tax return is to correct the amount you paid.

It just means you've paid more, so you'll get mroe back when they correct it.

KingdomYid

Cheers for the quick reply Mellor, was thinking it was probably a silly question and thanks for clarifying It begs the question, why would anyone on a whv declare being a non resident?

Slunk

Anybody lodged there tax via post. Four weeks now since I sent it off. Just wondering if it usually takes this long.

accaguest

Hi

I sent in my application by post 2 months ago aswell. I used the etax app and then printed it off and sent it in. I didn't post in my group certs - just filled in all the abn/address/totals etc. (maybe this was a mistake?).

Still no sign of it and they've finally escalated it but unusually for Australia I've found the customer service to be of no use at all. I don't expect a call from them any time soon. Should I just give up on it? I hear the odd nightmare story about backpackers getting a bill rather than a refund from the tax dept. and tbh I can't see why it would take so long otherwise. Aussies I live with got it back in 3 weeks (by etax admittedly).

Christ why didn't I stump up the $100 for an agent. Awful decision.

Anyway if anyone has any experience/advice please holla.

bumpy101

i am going to a tax agent because i was i was having difficulty completing my tax claim through e-tax. i only have the group cert sent to me by the companies i have worked for for two jobs, the other job i have all the payment and tax details, just not the group cert. Will i still be able to claim my tax for that job or do i need the sheet???

rightyabe

Quick question..

for the first year in oz on a whv do you be taxed at 35%?

My mate got his tax back today and he started explaining to me that when I get a job i'll be taxed at a flat rate of 35% for the whole year. I thought we were taxed as "resident" and everyone was the same unless you had no TFN.

I didn't want to argue with him cause he has been here a year, and got a fella to do his tax return for $100.

Could someone clear this up for me, cheers.

jockey#1

Hi Guys,

Can someone explain to me the $300 you can apparently claim for without receipts, can this be for dry cleaning, work travel etc?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers

hussey

rightyabe - No, that is not correct, once you are a resident for tax purposes (explained on first few pages) you receive the 6k tax free allowance and 15% tax band.
If you are here an entire year you shouldn't be on 35%

jockey#1 - There is no apparently about it, you can claim up to $300 without receipts, this can be for anything work related.

sonic.trip

Slunk wrote: »

Anybody lodged there tax via post. Four weeks now since I sent it off. Just wondering if it usually takes this long.

It can take up to 42 days, I sent mine off by post in mid June and got it back about 35 days later. Girlfriend sent hers a few days before me and got it back within about 28days.

Pisco Sour

About a month ago I was wandering down the main street in Darwin, in the middle of my travels, and I noticed the tax office. I decided to go in as I had a question that needed answering, and I had bugger all else to do as Darwin is the most boring place on earth. After asking the question, the kind lady asks me would I like her to do my tax return for me? Obviously I accepted the offer, and within 15 minutes my entire tax return was done. 10 days later, 2700 dollars was in my account!

I could have done it myself easily, but why bother when the tax office provides such helpful employees

Mellor

Not bad for a free service.

laoisforliam

Slunk wrote: »

Anybody lodged there tax via post. Four weeks now since I sent it off. Just wondering if it usually takes this long.

Heya slunk, I lodged by post about 3 weeks ago and still waiting? Did you get yours back? and if so how long did it take?

Cheers

LisaRed

silly question ( i hope) but If Im registered as a non resident for tax purposes, i heard this restricts my tax return amount? even tho im paying 29% of my pay to tax, is this true??

ProjectColossus

Hi guys hopefully an easy question:

My GF is trying to file an Australian tax return from Ireland. She was earning there until around Christmas. She filed a 2009-2010 tax return previously, while in Australia, so etax 2011 has most of her details automatically, including those of her old bank account which no longer exists.

Is it possible to have a payment made into an Irish account? Is this something that should have been taken care of before we left the country in Janurary?

Thanks.

Edit: Think we've got it, leave the EFT section blank, provide postal address, and they send a cheque.

hussey

LisaRed wrote: »

silly question ( i hope) but If Im registered as a non resident for tax purposes, i heard this restricts my tax return amount? even tho im paying 29% of my pay to tax, is this true??

it will depend if you say you are a resident at the end of tax year.
If you have a read over the full thread there is some pretty good explanations.

goh8

Hi,

I was in Australia for 2 months on a whv in oct-nov. I paid about $1600 in tax and trying to claim what I can of it back. I've filled in the e-tax form online and the tax estimate tells me I owe them money? Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks for your help!

jackbhoy

goh8 wrote: »

Hi,

I was in Australia for 2 months on a whv in oct-nov. I paid about $1600 in tax and trying to claim what I can of it back. I've filled in the e-tax form online and the tax estimate tells me I owe them money? Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks for your help!

If you were only here for 2 months you probably were not a resident for tax purposes so maybe you do actually owe money? Google "Australian tax calculator" and use one of tools to quickly estimate your tax due, should give you better idea...

lstars

hi there,

Myself and my other half are just getting around to getting our taxes sorted.
I worked for recruitment agencies and have obtained the PAYE summaries and have in the main, completed the TAx return on the ATO webiste.
It does not recognise me (cant verify me) so it appears have to post it in, which is no problem, obviously.

However, was holding off until see what happens with other half, as he worked as a self employed person whilst there (on the sites) and he had to locate invoices etc.
He didnt pay any tax while there, the employer gave it all to him for him to do his own tax returns.
He has now gotten all of his invoices together, however, is unsure where to go from here, is he supposed to submit a return as a business? can you do this on the ATO website as we cant seem to see where?
does he need any summary (like what I have from my employer?)

Also we completed some regional work, and paid tax on them we think (although have no payslip or other details)
how can either of us go about declaring this? or do we?

any help at all appreciated, thanks a mill!

e04bf0c8

Just want to thank the guys on here for the advice. Done my own return and turned out to be very simple indeed. The FAQ at the start of the thread and the sample return were fantastic. Took just over the 30 days to get my return which had me a bit worried but everything was fine in the end. Money straight into my account and all!!! Thanks again guys!!