How to Get a Tax File Number (TFN) in Australia

A tax file number (TFN) is your personal reference number in Australia's tax and superannuation (retirement savings) systems. It's a unique number, usually 9 digits, issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). You only ever get one, and it's yours for life. You keep the same TFN even if you change jobs, change your name, move interstate or leave the country.

You don't need a TFN to enter Australia or to be issued a visa, but you'll want one as soon as you plan to work or earn income here. Practically, you need a TFN to:

• Start a job without being overtaxed (your employer asks for it in the first week).

• Lodge a tax return and claim any refund you're owed.

• Have your superannuation taxed correctly.

• Apply for certain government benefits or allowances, and open some financial accounts.

Important: a TFN is not a work permit. It does not grant you the right to work. Your right to work comes from your visa and its conditions, not from holding a TFN.

This is the part that catches new arrivals out. If you don't give your employer a TFN (and haven't claimed an exemption), they are legally required to withhold tax at the top rate of 47% from every payment they make to you. That's a big chunk of your pay gone to tax you'll likely have to wait until tax time to get back.

With a TFN quoted, an Australian resident for tax purposes can claim the tax-free threshold, meaning the first $18,200 you earn in a financial year is tax-free, and the rest is taxed at normal rates. (Note: working holiday makers and some temporary visa holders are taxed under different rules, so confirm your situation with the ATO.)

The same logic applies to your superannuation. If your super fund doesn't have your TFN, it can be charged an extra 32% on top of the standard 15% tax on employer contributions, a combined 47%, once your total contributions for the year go over $1,000. Quoting your TFN to your super fund avoids this entirely.

So the order that saves you money is simple: get your TFN, give it to your employer, and give it to your super fund.

Most migrants and temporary visitors apply through the ATO's online service called Individual Auto Registration (IAR). It's free and there's no charge at any step.

To be eligible to apply online, you must:

• Already be in Australia (you can't use IAR from overseas).

• Be a permanent migrant or temporary visitor holding a foreign passport or travel document.

• Have a visa with work rights that is linked to that passport or travel document.

The process: go to the official ATO 'Apply for a TFN' page and follow the link for foreign passport holders, permanent migrants and temporary visitors. You'll enter your passport/travel-document details and an Australian postal address. The ATO matches your details against Department of Home Affairs visa records automatically, which is why you don't need to upload documents.

Timeframe: the application takes about 20 minutes to complete. The ATO then posts your TFN to the Australian address on your application, which can take up to 28 days. Don't lodge a second application if it's taking a while, as duplicate applications can slow things down.

If your visa has no work rights, you can't use IAR. Check your conditions first (see the next section). You may instead need the ATO's paper form for people who can't apply online. If your circumstances change and your visa later gains work rights, you can then apply online.

Because the online TFN application requires a work-rights visa, it's worth confirming your conditions before you start. The Department of Home Affairs runs a free service called VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) where you can check the details and conditions of your current, in-effect visa.

VEVO will show you whether your visa allows you to work and any limits on that work (for example, restrictions on hours). You can also use VEVO to send proof of your visa conditions to an employer or landlord.

VEVO only shows information for your currently active visa and is free to use. If your visa details don't appear or look wrong, use the Home Affairs VEVO enquiry form rather than any third-party site.

This step matters because the most common reason a TFN application is rejected for a newcomer is a visa without work rights or a mismatch between the passport used to apply and the passport linked to the visa.

This is the single most important warning for new arrivals. Applying for a TFN through the ATO is free. There is no government-approved 'fast-track' service that charges a fee to obtain a TFN.

The ATO and the national scam service Scamwatch have repeatedly warned about fake websites, often advertised on Facebook, Instagram and other social media, that offer to 'get' you a TFN or ABN for a fee. They typically take your money and your personal details, then either deliver nothing or use your identity for fraud. Some are dressed up to look almost identical to the official ATO site.

How to protect yourself:

• Only ever apply through ato.gov.au. Type it in yourself; don't click ads or links from social media or text messages.

• A real TFN application never asks you to pay.

• Never share your TFN, passport or visa details with a third-party 'agent' offering a paid shortcut.

• If you're unsure whether a contact is genuinely from the ATO, you can call the ATO to verify, and report scams to Scamwatch.

Also be alert to fake job offers that ask for your TFN or bank details before you've started work, and to anyone charging you for free government forms.

Getting a TFN is something you can and should do yourself for free, no agent required. But the broader visa side of moving to Australia is different.

By law, only an OMARA-registered migration agent (the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority registers agents working in Australia) or an Australian legal practitioner (a lawyer with a current practising certificate) can legally give you immigration assistance for a fee. Giving unlawful immigration assistance for a fee is a serious offence in Australia.

If your case is straightforward, the official Home Affairs website walks you through visa applications directly. But if your situation is complex, for example a visa refusal, a character or health issue, a sponsorship arrangement, or you simply want certainty, it's worth paying a registered professional. Always check an agent's registration on the official OMARA register before paying anyone.

Be wary of unregistered 'agents' or anyone promising guaranteed visa outcomes. No one can guarantee a visa grant.

Immigration rules, visa subclasses, points thresholds, English-language score requirements and visa application charges change often. Treat any figure you read online as a starting point and confirm the current rules directly on homeaffairs.gov.au before you act.