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 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 a 'stapled' fund follows you or the employer default applies. Check the fees and the default insurance before accepting.
Via employerWho: You
5
Get the current Tasmanian duty position from the State Revenue Office before you budget
Do not rely on any article, calculator or agent's summary written before mid-2026. The established-home first home buyer exemption expired on 30 June 2026 and a First Home Owner Grant was proposed in its place. Read the SRO's own pages, and if you are mid-purchase, check which rules apply to your contract date rather than your settlement date.
OnlineWho: You
6
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

The stamp duty exemption every article still quotes expired on 30 June 2026.

Tasmania waived duty entirely for eligible first home buyers of established homes up to AUD 750,000 from 18 February 2024. The concession had a hard end date, it was not extended in the 2026–27 Budget, and from 1 July 2026 those buyers pay ordinary duty again. A AUD 20,000 First Home Owner Grant was proposed in its place. On a AUD 650,000 Hobart house the difference between the old and new positions is tens of thousands of dollars — and this is the single most likely fact you will be given wrong, because the internet has not updated.

Source: State Revenue Office Tasmania — first home buyers of established homes duty relief

Foreign purchasers pay 8% on top and no first home concession touches it.

Tasmania's Foreign Investor Duty Surcharge is 8% of the dutiable value of residential property acquired by a foreign person, directly or indirectly, on top of ordinary duty. On a AUD 700,000 purchase that is AUD 56,000 before ordinary duty. It sits between New South Wales's 9% and South Australia's and Western Australia's 7%.

Source: State Revenue Office Tasmania — foreign investor duty surcharge

Since 1 April 2025 most foreign persons cannot buy an established dwelling anywhere in Australia.

A federal ban on foreign persons, including temporary residents, purchasing established dwellings took effect on 1 April 2025 with limited exceptions available through the ATO. It was legislated to run to 31 March 2027 and the 2026–27 Budget announced an extension. In Hobart, where the housing stock is overwhelmingly established rather than new, that closes most of the market to a temporary resident. Confirm the current position on the ATO's foreign investment pages before making an offer.

Source: ATO — foreign investment in Australia, established dwellings

Superannuation reached 12% on 1 July 2025, and Tasmanian salaries make the wording matter more.

Australian offers are quoted either as base salary 'plus super' or as a 'total package including super'. On AUD 90,000 the difference is roughly AUD 9,600 of cash. Tasmania has the lowest median full-time earnings of any state, so an inclusive package can quietly erase the affordability advantage you moved for. Ask which it is before you accept.

Source: ATO — super guarantee percentage

Common mistakes to avoid

Budgeting a Hobart purchase on the first home buyer duty exemption, which expired on 30 June 2026.
Applying for a TFN before arriving — the online route requires you to be in Australia.
Using a short-stay 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 a temporary resident can buy an established Hobart house — the federal ban has applied since 1 April 2025.
Comparing a Hobart offer with a mainland one on gross figures without checking whether super is included.

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