Before you start

You must already be in Australia to apply for a TFN online
A foreign passport or travel document
A visa with work rights
An Australian postal address that will still be yours in a month

Step-by-step

1
Apply for a TFN through Individual Auto Registration
The ATO's online form matches your passport and visa against Home Affairs records in real time. Free, no appointment, no interview, and it requires a valid work-rights visa.
OnlineWho: YouAbout 20 minutesFree
2
Wait for the TFN letter by post
The number is never shown on screen and never emailed. It is posted to the Australian address you supplied, which is why that address must still be yours in four weeks.
OnlineWho: ATOAllow up to about 28 days
3
Complete the TFN declaration for your employer
Usually inside the payroll onboarding or through myGov in your first days. Tell payroll you have applied if the number has not arrived — that preserves a 28-day grace period at ordinary withholding rates.
Via employerWho: YouWithin 14 days of starting
4
Nominate a superannuation fund
Your employer must pay 12% of ordinary time earnings into super. You can choose your own fund; otherwise an existing 'stapled' fund follows you or the employer default applies. Check the fees and the default insurance before accepting.
Via employerWho: You
5
Lodge a return after 30 June
The tax year runs 1 July to 30 June. Self-lodged returns are due 31 October through myTax in myGov with employer, bank and health fund data pre-filled. A registered tax agent engaged before 31 October extends the deadline substantially.
OnlineWho: YouAnnually

Documents you’ll need

Foreign passport or travel document
Valid visa with work rights
Australian postal address
Australian bank account details for refunds
Private health insurance statement, if you hold hospital cover

Things most newcomers don’t know

South Australia abolished stamp duty for first home buyers of new homes, with no price cap at all.

Since 6 June 2024 an eligible first home buyer purchasing or building a brand-new home, or buying vacant land to build on, pays no stamp duty regardless of the property's value — no threshold, no taper. A AUD 15,000 First Home Owner Grant sits on top. On a AUD 750,000 new build that is well over AUD 30,000 saved, and it is the most generous new-build concession in the country.

Source: RevenueSA — first home buyer stamp duty relief

That relief no longer waives the 7% foreign ownership surcharge, and has not since February 2025.

Foreign persons acquiring residential land in South Australia pay a 7% surcharge on top of ordinary duty. Until 13 February 2025 first home buyer relief could reduce the total; it no longer extends to the surcharge. A temporary resident buying a new AUD 700,000 home in Adelaide is looking at AUD 49,000 of surcharge that a permanent resident neighbour does not pay.

Source: RevenueSA — foreign ownership surcharge

Superannuation reached 12% on 1 July 2025, and the wording of your offer decides who gets it.

Australian offers are quoted either as base salary 'plus super' or as a 'total package including super'. On AUD 110,000 the difference is roughly AUD 12,000 of cash. Adelaide salaries run below Sydney and Melbourne for equivalent roles, so the phrasing matters more here — an inclusive package can quietly erase the cost-of-living advantage you moved for.

Source: ATO — super guarantee percentage

Temporary residents can claim their super back when they leave, and most never do.

The Departing Australia Superannuation Payment lets a temporary visa holder recover accumulated super after leaving permanently and their visa ceasing. It is taxed heavily but it is real money, often tens of thousands after several years, and it is abandoned constantly because nobody raises it at the exit interview.

Source: ATO — Departing Australia Superannuation Payment

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying for a TFN before arriving — the online route requires you to be in Australia.
Using a hotel address for the TFN letter and moving out before it arrives.
Missing the 28-day grace period and being withheld at 45–47% on your first pay runs.
Assuming the first home buyer stamp duty exemption applies to an established house — it covers new homes and vacant land to build on, not existing dwellings.
Budgeting an Adelaide purchase as a foreign person without pricing the 7% foreign ownership surcharge, which no concession removes.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.