Your first week in Australia is a blur. You're dealing with accommodation, SIM cards, bank accounts, jet lag, and the slowly dawning realisation that everything costs at least 30% more than you expected. The last thing you want to add to the list is a government form.
But this one cannot wait. Apply for your Tax File Number in your first few days — ideally before you start any paid work. Here's exactly why, and exactly how.
What actually happens if you don't have a TFN
This isn't a vague warning. It's a specific legal mechanism. If you work for an Australian employer without providing a TFN, they are legally required under the Income Tax Assessment Act to withhold 47% of your wages and send it to the ATO.
That means if you earn $1,000 in your first week without a TFN, you take home $530. Not as a temporary situation — that money is gone. You might eventually get some back in your tax return, but the process is slower and more complicated than just having a TFN from the start.
The normal tax rate for Working Holiday Visa holders is 15% on income up to $45,000. The difference between 15% and 47% on a full year's earnings is potentially thousands of dollars. For what amounts to a 10-minute form.
Some employers will let you start work before your TFN arrives — you have 28 days to provide it after starting work, and they'll apply normal withholding in the meantime. But don't push it past that. And apply immediately either way.
What is a TFN exactly
A Tax File Number is a 9-digit number that the Australian Tax Office uses to identify you in the tax system. Think of it as Australia's equivalent of a social security number or national insurance number. It stays with you permanently — if you come back to Australia in 10 years, you'll use the same TFN.
You need it for:
- Working legally with any Australian employer and being taxed at the right rate
- Opening certain types of bank accounts and investments
- Lodging your end-of-year tax return on myTax
- Accessing your superannuation account properly
- Any dealings with Centrelink (Australia's welfare system) if relevant
How to apply — step by step
The whole thing takes about 10 minutes. Do not overthink this.
Go to ato.gov.au
The Australian Taxation Office website. Search "apply for TFN" or navigate to Individuals → Tax File Number → Apply for a TFN. Make sure you're on the actual .gov.au domain — not a third-party site pretending to be the ATO.
Select "Foreign passport holder, migrant or temporary resident"
This is the correct category for Working Holiday Visa holders. Don't select the Australian citizen or permanent resident option — wrong form, wrong process.
Fill in your details
You'll need your passport, your Australian address (your hostel or Airbnb is fine — see the bank account article for why this works), and your visa details. The form is straightforward and takes about 10 minutes.
Submit and wait
Your TFN will be sent to your Australian address by post. It takes 10-28 days. The letter looks unremarkable — don't throw it out thinking it's junk mail. In the meantime, you can tell employers your TFN is "applied for" and they'll use the withholding-free rate for 28 days.
When your TFN letter arrives, photograph it immediately and save it to your cloud storage. People lose the letter. People lose their phone. Having a digital backup means you can always retrieve your TFN number even years later.
The scam you need to know about
This one catches a surprising number of people, especially when they've just landed and are feeling overwhelmed.
Search "get TFN Australia" and you'll find websites that look almost identical to the ATO website, charging anywhere from $50 to $200 to "process your TFN application." Some of them even call themselves "TFN services" or "ATO application assistance."
Here is what they do: they fill in the exact same free government form on ato.gov.au and charge you for the privilege. The ATO does not have authorised agents for TFN applications. There is no faster option. There is no premium processing. The only place to apply for a TFN is directly on the ATO website, and it is completely free.
It's technically legal for them to offer this service — they're just charging you money to do something you could do yourself in 10 minutes. Which makes it somewhere between deeply cynical and genuinely predatory when you consider that their main market is people who've just arrived in a foreign country and don't know any better.
Don't use them. Apply directly on ato.gov.au. Takes 10 minutes. Costs nothing.
What to do with your TFN when it arrives
Once you have your TFN, a few things to do immediately:
- Give it to your employer on your first day (or update them if you've already started work)
- Use it to open your myGov account and link it to the ATO — this is how you file your tax return later
- Provide it to your super fund when you sign up — without it, your super may be taxed at 47% too
- Do not share it publicly or give it to people who don't have a legitimate reason to need it
Apply on ato.gov.au the day you land or the next morning. Use your hostel address. Wait 10-28 days for the letter. Give the number to your employer and super fund. Keep a digital copy. Never pay anyone to do this for you.
What about your tax return?
Your TFN is the foundation for lodging your Australian tax return at the end of the financial year (1 July to 30 June). You lodge it through myTax on the myGov website between 1 July and 31 October.
Most Working Holiday Visa holders get a refund — because Australian employers withhold tax throughout the year at a slightly higher rate than your final liability. If you worked a full year and earned between $20,000 and $45,000, expect to get some money back in July. Not a lot, but real money.
We cover the tax return process in detail in the main guide. But none of it works without your TFN — so get it sorted in week one.