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 checks your passport and visa against Home Affairs records in real time. Free, no appointment, no interview. 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 done inside the employer's 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
Choose a superannuation fund
Your employer must pay 12% of ordinary time earnings into super. You can nominate your own fund; otherwise an existing 'stapled' fund follows you, or the employer default applies. Check the fee and the insurance inside the default before accepting it.
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 most data pre-filled. Engaging a registered tax agent 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

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

Australian offers are quoted either as a base salary 'plus super' or as a 'total package including super'. On AUD 130,000 that is roughly AUD 14,000 of difference in cash. Queensland resources and construction employers commonly quote packages inclusive, which is legitimate but materially changes the comparison against an east-coast professional-services offer quoted exclusive.

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 a few years on a resources salary, and it is abandoned constantly because nobody mentions it on the way out.

Source: ATO — Departing Australia Superannuation Payment

Queensland abolished transfer duty for first home buyers of new homes with no price cap.

For contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later an eligible first home buyer building or buying a brand-new home in Queensland pays no transfer duty at all, at any value — the most generous new-build concession in the country alongside South Australia's. Two catches: for contracts dated from 1 August 2026 you must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree, and you must move in within a year of settlement, a deadline that cannot be extended. A foreign acquirer still pays AFAD on top regardless of the concession.

Source: Queensland Revenue Office — first home (new home) concession

Foreign buyers pay an extra 8%, and it stacks on top of ordinary duty rather than replacing it.

Additional Foreign Acquirer Duty applies to residential acquisitions by foreign persons, companies and trusts, at 8% of the dutiable value, in addition to normal transfer duty. It also applies where a concession is otherwise claimed. On a AUD 800,000 Brisbane townhouse that is AUD 64,000 of extra duty that many buyers only discover at contract stage.

Source: Queensland Revenue Office — additional foreign acquirer duty

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.
Comparing a 'plus super' offer against an 'including super' one as if they were the same figure.
Budgeting a Brisbane purchase without pricing the 8% additional foreign acquirer duty and the annual foreign land tax surcharge.

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