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. No fee, no appointment, no interview. You cannot use this route without a valid work-rights visa.
OnlineWho: YouAbout 20 minutesFree
2
Wait for the TFN letter in the post
The number is not shown on screen at the end and is never emailed. It is posted to the Australian address you gave, which is why that address needs to still be yours in four weeks.
OnlineWho: ATOAllow up to about 28 days
3
Complete a TFN declaration for your employer
Done in your first days, usually inside the employer's payroll onboarding or through myGov. Tell payroll you have applied if the number has not arrived yet — that buys a 28-day grace period at normal withholding.
Via employerWho: YouWithin 14 days of starting
4
Nominate a superannuation fund
Your employer must pay 12% of your ordinary time earnings into super. You can choose your own fund; if you do not, an existing 'stapled' fund follows you, or the employer default applies. Melbourne is the home of the big industry funds, and their fees are typically well below retail alternatives.
Via employerWho: You
5
Lodge a return after 30 June
The Australian tax year runs 1 July to 30 June. Self-lodged returns are due by 31 October through myTax in myGov, with employer, bank and health fund data pre-filled. Using a registered tax agent extends the deadline substantially, provided you engage them before 31 October.
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

Superannuation reached 12% on 1 July 2025, and how your offer is worded decides who gets it.

Australian offers are quoted either as a base salary 'plus super' or as a 'total package including super'. On a AUD 130,000 figure the difference is roughly AUD 14,000 of cash in hand. The two phrasings look almost identical in an offer letter and are routinely glossed over by recruiters. Ask which it is, in writing, before you accept.

Source: ATO — super guarantee percentage

Temporary residents can claim their super back on departure, and most simply do not.

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

Source: ATO — Departing Australia Superannuation Payment

Victoria taxes land from AUD 50,000, the lowest threshold in the country.

Most states start land tax somewhere between AUD 350,000 and AUD 1 million of unimproved land value. Victoria dropped its threshold to AUD 50,000 with a fixed surcharge attached, so an ordinary investment flat in Brunswick generates an annual bill where the same property in Perth would generate none. Your principal home is still exempt — but a second property here is a materially different proposition than interstate.

Source: State Revenue Office Victoria — land tax

Leaving a Victorian property empty for six months a year is now taxed statewide.

Vacant Residential Land Tax applied only to inner and middle Melbourne until 1 January 2025 and now covers the whole state. A home vacant for more than six months in the preceding year — the months need not be consecutive — is taxed at 1% of capital improved value, rising to 2% and then 3% for continued vacancy. Owners must self-report vacancy by 15 February each year, a deadline that moved from 15 January for the 2026 year. Foreign owners who keep a Melbourne flat for occasional visits are exactly the target, and the notification obligation sits on you, not the SRO.

Source: State Revenue Office Victoria — vacant residential land tax

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying for a TFN before you have arrived — the online route requires you to be in Australia.
Giving 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.
Comparing a 'plus super' offer against an 'including super' one as though they were the same number.
Buying a Victorian investment property without pricing land tax, the absentee owner surcharge and vacant residential land tax into the yield.

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