Guidelines to apply for TFN as an international student

Overview

For most students, juggling employment and school is just part of being an international student in Australia. Taxes are a requirement of working. Although filing tax forms and paying taxes may appear difficult at first, they are actually rather straightforward procedures once you understand them. This article will take you through the step by step procedure on how to apply for your Tax File Number.

What is Tax File Number or TFN?

According to the Australian Taxation Office
(ATO), a TFN is your personal reference number in the tax and superannuation systems. It is a unique 9-digit number.

Why do you need TFN as a student?

For tax reasons, you will be considered an Australian resident if you have been enrolled in a programme in Australia for more than six months. This implies that you must file a tax return disclosing your income and pay tax on it at the same rate as other residents. International students are nonetheless encouraged to acquire a TFN even though it is not required of them. This is due to the possibility that, if you have a job and no TFN, you are paying more tax than necessary. Without a TFN, the Australian government will deduct 46.5% of your wages. Additionally, you can overlook additional advantages of the Australian tax system, like tax offsets and tax free threshold.

Guide on how to apply for TFN

Applying for a TFN as an international student is a relatively simple and straightforward process. Simply complete the online TFN application through the ATO website https://iar.ato.gov.au

You will need the following information when applying for a TFN:

• passport or travel document number
• country of origin of your passport or travel document (the nationality country on your visa)
• names (exactly as they are printed on your passport or travel document)
• any other names you use or are known by
• date of birth (exactly as printed on your passport or travel document)
• spouse details
• existing TFN, Australian business number (ABN) or Centrelink Customer
Reference Number (CRN)
• residential and postal addresses (your postal address must be in Australia)
• contact details (phone number and email address)

The ATO will send your confirmed TFN to your Australian address, within 28 days after receiving your application.