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 — a real risk if you are moving between short-term rentals on the coast.
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. If you work multiple casual hospitality jobs, make sure they all pay into the same fund — multiple small accounts each charging fees is how seasonal workers lose thousands.
Via employerWho: You
5
Check the first home buyer position before you look at property
Queensland's full transfer duty exemption applies to brand-new homes and vacant land to build on, contracted on or after 1 May 2025, with no value cap and a requirement to occupy within a year. Established homes have a separate, capped concession. The difference between the two is tens of thousands of dollars on a Gold Coast purchase.
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

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

From 1 May 2025 an eligible first home buyer purchasing a brand-new home, or vacant land to build on, pays no transfer duty regardless of price, provided they occupy within a year of settlement. On the Gold Coast, where new apartment stock is a large share of the market, that is a genuinely material saving — but it does not extend to established homes, which have their own capped concession.

Source: Queensland Government — first home buyer transfer duty concession

Foreign acquirers pay 8% on top, and no first home concession removes it.

Queensland's Additional Foreign Acquirer Duty is 8% of the value of a foreign person's interest in residential property, charged in addition to ordinary transfer duty. On a AUD 800,000 Broadbeach apartment that is AUD 64,000 before anything else. It is lower than New South Wales's 9% and higher than South Australia's and Western Australia's 7% — worth knowing if you are weighing cities rather than suburbs.

Source: Queensland Revenue Office — additional foreign acquirer duty

Since 1 April 2025 most foreign persons cannot buy an established dwelling at all.

A federal ban on foreign persons, including temporary residents, purchasing established dwellings took effect on 1 April 2025 with limited exceptions through the ATO. It was legislated to run to 31 March 2027 and the 2026–27 Budget announced an extension. For a temporary resident on the Gold Coast that leaves new apartments and house-and-land as the realistic options — which is also the segment where Queensland's duty exemption bites. Confirm current status 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 casual work makes it easy to lose.

Australian offers are quoted either as base salary 'plus super' or as a 'total package including super', and on AUD 90,000 the difference is roughly AUD 9,600 of cash. On a coast where a lot of income is casual and multi-employer, the second risk is fragmentation: each new employer defaulting you into a new fund means several small balances each paying fees and insurance premiums. Consolidate through myGov and nominate one fund everywhere.

Source: ATO — super guarantee percentage

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying for a TFN before arriving — the online route requires you to be in Australia.
Using a short-stay Gold Coast 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 duty exemption covers an established house — it covers new homes and vacant land.
Budgeting a Gold Coast purchase as a foreign person without pricing the 8% Additional Foreign Acquirer Duty.
Letting several casual employers each open a different super fund for you.

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