One of the most common questions that we receive is ” Do I need to lodge a tax return while living overseas?”.
This seems like an easy question that should come with a yes/no answer, but of course, it’s Australian tax, so that it means that there’s no simple answer!
Am I an Australian tax resident?
Do I need to lodge a tax return while living overseas? The first step is to determine whether or not the Australian Taxation Office considers you an Australian resident when figuring out who owes them money. You will be considered a resident if one or more of the following is true:
- You reside in Australia
- Your permanent home is in Australia
- You have been in Australia for more than half of the financial year
- You or your spouse are a government employee working at an Australian post overseas.
If you meet ANY of the above criteria, you will be required to complete a tax return.
What if I am a non-resident for Australian tax purposes?
If you’re a non-resident, you’ll typically have one of two obligations to fulfil. Since you have an Australian tax file number, the ATO will be expecting a return of one sort or another from you. You’ll need to either lodge an tax return, or a ‘Return Not Necessary’ form for the year in question.
It’s easy to assume that you don’t need to do anything whilst you’re living and working overseas as an expat however nothing could be further from the truth!
Since you have a tax file number, if you do nothing, the ATO will by default, expect you to lodge a tax return, and a failure to do so can result in late lodgement penalties of up to $900 per return, so it’s a good idea to keep up to date!
So as a non-resident, do I need to lodge a tax return or a ‘return not necessary’ form?
Whether you need to complete an Australian tax return or lodge a ‘return not necessary’ form will depend on the type of income (if any) that you earn from Australian sources. Generally speaking, you will only be taxed on your Australian-sourced income and will only need to complete a tax return if you earn the following types of income:
- Income from Australian employment (where those activities are carried out in Australia)
- Income from rent on an Australian property
- Interest income (that has not had a 10% non-resident withholding tax deducted by your bank)
- Unfranked dividends (removing the accounting jargon, this basically means a dividend received from an Australian company that does not come with a tax credit attached)
- Capital gains on Australian assets
- Pensions or annuities from Australia, unless you are eligible for an exemption under a tax treaty
Just to be clear, Australian-sourced income streams on which tax has already been withheld – such as interest, dividends or royalties – will not require the completion of a tax return.
If you don’t generate any income sourced from Australia, then as a non-resident, your tax agent can lodge a ‘Return Not Necessary’ on your behalf. This will notify the ATO that you have not generated any income upon which Australian income tax is payable and by doing so, you will satisfy your lodgement obligations for that financial year.
What if I am a non-resident for Australian tax purposes but remain an Australian citizen?
Most Australian expats do not need to complete a tax return, particularly if their only Australian income is from interest and dividends.
If this describes you then you simply need to inform your financial institution and fund managers that you are no longer an Australian resident for tax purposes. They will ensure the correct tax is withheld.
You should also engage your tax agent to lodge a ‘Return Not Necessary’ form on your behalf so that the ATO marks your obligations as being complete for that financial year.
Will I be taxed twice?
Not typically, although it is possible. If you’re an Australian resident that generates foreign income, there’s a possibility that you’ll be double-taxed. However if your foreign income was earned in a country that has a Double Taxation Agreement with Australia, then usually, you’ll be able offset a portion of the tax paid in the foreign country against your Australian tax payable.
This can be a complex area of tax and it’s easy to make mistakes and end up paying more than you should! However, if you engage our team at Expat Taxes to assist, there are ways we can help you to reduce this. To find out more please contact us for an appointment – we’ll be happy to help you answer the question ” Do I need to lodge a tax return while living overseas?” along with many more.
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- Demystifying PFICs for Australians in the United States - 12/04/2024
Comments 83
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On Mon, Jan 30, 2023 at 11:18 AM HUSSEIN ABUHAMAD huss.abuhamad@gmail.com wrote:
Hello,
Hope this email finds you well!
I am an Australian citizen and left Australia and my current job in 16 August 2022 for great Job and opportunity in Dubai. I accepted his offer and started working in the company in October 2022. During that time my family (wife and kids) stayed in Australia until Mid January 23. My wife and children followed me to Dubai on 14 January 2023 to live with me here and we started establishing a new permanent home/residence for a few years and for a permanent period.
Financial situation: I never own a house or business in Australia. I have always rented a house. I have only invested in an Australian company for 4 years ago by owning its shares and will keep holding it for another may 2 years before selling them, I am aware that after selling my shares I may have to pay CGT!. I have a superannuation account opened in Australia, and I will keep it opened as per the superannuation law and until the legal age. Also I think keep my Australian bank account opened with very limited or no transactions on it. I have a credit card and small personal loan with my bank and those will be closed and paid in less than one year. Does my superannuation account to keep it open even if no voluntary contributions made to it affects my residency status and make me pass the test? and does my bank account to keep it open with minimal transactions affects my residency status?
I have no family ties in Australia.
I have worked with an Australian employer for 4.5 years until 10 August 2022, my employer had paid me around $25,000 until 10 August 2022 for this financial year 2022-2023. ATO office through PAYG holds around $7,000 only for this financial year until my last working day on 10 August 2022. I am going to make my tax return online as normal for this year after 30 June 23 to clear and close this financial year with ATO.
Once I changed my address with ATO to be an international permanent address, would ATO then consider me as an Australian non-resident for tax purposes?? of course after applying the residency tests and being overseas for more than 2 years, am I right?
Lastly, do I need to declare any of the foreign income I earned partly from Dubai since I started my job on October 22 for this financial year 22-23 OR only to declare the partial income I earned in Australia until 10 August 22 which ATO already aware of it as per PAYG??
Does my leave in August 22 and my wife and kids leave in Jan 23 has any impact on my non-residency status with ATO, do ATO consider my leave date or my family leave date Australia in their residency tests??
Many thanks in advance for your help
Have a great day
Hussein
Author
Hi Hussein,
Thanks for your very detailed message and your many questions.
Firstly congratulations on securing your role in Dubai – great stuff!
Regarding your message, I’ll try to answer your questions briefly here but realistically I’d recommend that you book an “Expat Already Overseas” tax consultation with us as there’s simply too much to unpack here, and there’s too much to explain to you about residency and your own residency status, and the opportunities that might be available to you, (and potential tax traps) that you probably won’t even be aware of.
But let’s take a quick stab at your questions – but bear in mind, I don’t have the details of your full set of circumstances and without those facts, I, and in fact nobody can confirm for sure whether you are a currently a non-resident or a tax resident for Australian taxation purposes. Also, for the same reason, although I’ll provide general answers that are not specific to you or your circumstances, you should take care not to rely on my responses below specifically because I do not know enough about your circumstances, so please keep that in mind:
Hussein, as I mentioned above, I think that you’d probably benefit greatly from a tax consultation to discuss all the issues and your questions so that you can receive advice that is specific to your unique circumstances. Note that you don’t have to book that consultation with us, I’m not trying to convince you book anything with us – instead, I think you’d benefit greatly by booking that appointment with ANY suitably skilled and experienced, specialist Australian expatriate tax firm!
Btw . . . if you do want to book an appointment with us here at Expat Taxes, you can do so by visiting our <a href=”https://www.expattaxes.com.au/appointments/>Book an Appointment page.
Anyway, hopefully that helps.
Thanks
Shane
Hi there, great article. I am looking to move to Saudi Arabia for 1-4 years. The income will be in Saudi Riyals and I understand Saudi has no income tax. I would be an non-tax resident for Australia were I to take the job and move there. I do however earn rental income on some rental properties in Australia.
Is it correct that I would not pay tax on the income earned from the job in Saudi, and I would only need to pay tax on the net income earned on the Australian rental properties?
When moving back to Australia after 1-4 years, is the savings I’ve earned from Saudi non-taxable for when I return to Australia and become a tax-resident again?
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comments.
Non-residents are not taxed on foreign salary and wages income but you would be taxed on your net rental income from your Australian property.
If you have been a non-resident you are not taxed on the cash savings when you return and become a tax resident again.
Residency is a complex area so we would highly recommend you seek personalise tax advice to ensure you will be a non-resident while you are working in Saudi. The consequence of being a resident would mean all of your income earnt in Australia is taxable in Australia. You can book a residency consult on the appointments page of our website or you can find more information in this blog article.
Thanks
Thanks so much for the information here…. it’s very helpful.
I moved to the USA with my family in early December last year. We put our home on the market and a contract was signed on Dec 21, after we had left. I began a new position in the US on Jan 1 this year and also continued to work remotely for my Aussie employer until June. It might work out well if I ceased to be an Aust tax resident on Dec 31 and became a US tax resident on Jan 1 for CGT purposes with our house, but I know it’s not up to me to decide that. How can a determination be made on exactly when I change my tax residency.
Also, am I right to assume I do not need to declare my US income on my 2022 tax return if I am not an Aust tax citizen for the second half of the financial year?
Hi Mick,
To determine when your residency changed an assessment of all of your circumstances would need to be made to determine the date of change. You can’t choose the date that gives the best outcome, you will need to weigh up all of the facts and your personal circumstances and the date you no longer pass any of the residency tests you will be a non-resident.
A non-resident would not include their salary and wages generated whilst a non-resident. Australia and the US have a double tax agreement which must also be considered.
You can contact us if you have any other questions.
Thanks
Great article. I’ve lived in Vietnam since 2018 and have had no source of income in Australia. I’ve been working for a Vietnamese company and paying taxes here. Now I’m considering doing some freelance work for an Australian small business. Will I need to pay taxes in Australia because my client is an Australian company? Also, will I need to charge GST?
Thanks
Author
Hi Sed,
Thanks for your question. Assuming that you are a non-resident for Australian taxation purposes (and a Vietnamese tax resident for Vietnamese tax purposes), then any freelance work that you do will usually be solely taxable in Vietnam (and not taxable in Australia at all). The reason for this comes down to the fact that you will be performing the work from Vietnam, thus your income is Vietnamese sourced income, NOT Australian sourced income.
As non-residents (for Australian taxation purposes) only pay tax on Australian sourced income, and as your freelancing income is not Australian sourced income, in our opinion, that income should not be taxable in Australia. As such, you should not register for GST, nor an Australian Business Number.
As tax is extraordinarily complex, particularly when you straddle two countries like Australia and Vietnam, and as tax outcomes can vary based on your individual circumstances, before making any decisions and acting, I highly recommend that you book some time in with our senior tax team to discuss so that we can understand your circumstances in more detail and advise you accordingly.
As a final note, remember that as you will be performing the work from Vietnam, that income will need to be included as other income in your Vietnamese tax return.
Thanks
Shane
Hello!
Thank you so much for your work here!
We are small Australian business and have one contractor from Philippines (who has never been to Australia), should we withhold tax on payments to him?
Best regards,
Ana
Hi Ana,
The legislation is quite complex but generally if the contractor is a non-resident there would be no requirement to withhold Australian tax from payments.
Regards,
Terryn
Hi Shayne:
I find reading your article and the comments very informative and useful. I also have a question.
Well, my husband, my three kids and I got our Permanent residency in late 2019. Prior to this, we (all my family members) were on Sponsored visa from 2017. I have been working here and lodging my tax returns yearly since I start working in 2017. I have been staying here in Australia with my 3 kids but not my husband.
My husband is still working overseas inspite of being a PR. He only comes for a visit here but planning to move here permanently soon. He has not filed a TFN yet as we have no idea that he needs to hence, no yearly tax returns has bee lodged too. He has minimal income from bank savings which is being taxed by the bank.
Do you advise that he create a TFN now and what would he declare? Would he not be checked by the ATO, why only now that he is getting a TFN? Would he be taxed for the income he earns overseas?
We really need your advise, please. Thank you very much.
Hi Liza,
Ultimately it will depend on whether your husband is an Australian tax resident, if he is a resident then he will be taxed on his would wide income.
If your husband met the criteria for a temporary tax resident there are some limitations on which foreign income is taxable in Australia but salary wages and not excluded.
The other important factor will be where your husband is living and working and whether that country has a tax treaty with Australia.
I’d highly recommend booking a call with one our team on the appointments page on our website.
Regards,
Terryn
Hi
I have been living outside of Australia for ten years (am Austrlaian but non-resident for tax reasons) and am wanting to visit Australia again this year, is it correct then I can only visit for a maximum of six weeks before I would have to pay tax on my foreign income (I do not own property or any assets in Australia but hold only an Australian passport)? My main question is, is it six weeks within a calendar year, financial year or 365 days? Chances are I would be working remotely whilst I am in Australia also – would that be an issue? I work in the Cayman Islands so do not pay any tax at all.
Cheers
Kaili
Hi Kaili,
Thanks for your question. There is no test of Australian tax residency that sets a maximum number of days you can be in Australia and remain a non-resident. Although there is the 183 day test which if you are present in Australia for more than 183 days in an income year you may have a constructive residence.
Ultimately it will come down to whether you pass any of the residency tests and if you do you will be an Australian tax resident. Here is a blog article about the residency tests.
If you are a non-resident you are taxable on your Australian sourced income. If you are working remotely while you are in Australia then the income you derive from the work in Australia will have an Australian source and be taxable in Australia.
Thanks
Terryn
Hey guys,
Thanks in advance for any assistance!
Here is my situation:
– I am an Ozzie citizen living permanently overseas.
– I am a “volunteer”, so the only money I have is a few dollars from interest.
– I filed my “final tax return” about 5 years ago.
My question is:
– Given that I have earned a tiny bit of interest (less than $5), do I have to submit a tax return for the last 5 or so years?
(It only dawned on me recently that maybe I shouldn’t have submitted the final tax return)
The ATO website has left me very confused.
Cheers!
Ben
Hi Ben,
If you are a non-resident for Australian tax purposes and the bank has been withholding a 10% non-resident withholding tax then what you have done is correct.
However as a non-resident you do not get any tax free threshold so if the bank has not withheld the appropriate tax then you would have been required to lodge a tax return for each year.
Regards,
Terryn
Hello. I am an dual Aus/UK citizen.
Born in UK. Moved to Aus as a 4 year old and lived there until 22. Applied for visa to work in u.k in 2011. Moved to u.k in 2011 and by 2013 regained a new u.k passport and have lived here ever since. I’m now married, have a mortgage in u.k and I am self employed. Have been here for 10 years now and have no Intention of moving back to Aus. I file all my self assessment/ tax returns in the u.k. the last Aus tax return I did was in 2011 before I left for u.k. I have a super annuation left behind there which has not had money put into it since i left my employment in Aus. I filled out an “overseas notification form ” on aec.gov.au in 2014 to notify them that I left Australia indefinitely and for name to be removed form electrol roll etc.
My question is: Have I done everything correctly to live my life here in the u.k? Or was I meant to be lodging tax returns these last 10 years? I thought that the overseas notification I filled out would mean I don’t have to file a tax return and now I am panicking that I’m a tax criminal or something. Please help as I’m very anxious.
Hi Elle,
Thanks for your question.
As part of the Australian self assessment tax system once you have a tax file number you are required to lodge a tax return each year or if you meet the requirements you can submit a return not necessary advice.
When you lodge a tax return there is a question which asks if it is a final return. If you answer yes the ATO will not require a return in the future.
To answer your question, assuming you have been a non-resident since you moved to the UK, you would only need to include Australian sourced income in your return.
Note if you have a HELP debt from 1 July 2016 you would have been required to report your worldwide income in your return to calculate your repayment.
Unfortunately the ATO and AEC have different systems so you would have had to contact both agencies.
I’d recommend getting things up to date with the ATO as soon as possible but at the same don’t panic as this is all fixable and we can assist you with dealing with the ATO.
If you need assistance to get your Australian taxes up to date please book a ‘general enquiry’ call with one of our team.
Regards
Terryn
Thanks very much for your answer.
Cheers,
Andrew
I am a non-resident Australian for tax purposes and have been for many years. I file a return each year as I have rental income Australia. I continue to make some charitable donations in Australia – to registered charities. Am I able to claim a deduction for those (Australian) donations in my Australian return? The only déclara le income is rental income. Thanks for your answer. Cheers!
Hi Andrew,
You will be able to claim a deduction for donations to the extent that you have rental income (or profit). The tax legislation prevents you claiming a deduction for donations if it creates a tax loss or increases your tax losses.
Thanks
Terryn
I am 59 and now retired. My sole income is a Commonwealth CSS defined benefit.
I am considering getting a long stay (12 month) visa for France with the possibility of extending year by year. Perhaps inconsequentially to your response but my wife will accompany me – no income to consider there.
I am aware that I won’t pay French tax on my Commonwealth pension (Double Tax DT agreement with France et al). However at what point (183 days, 1 year, 2 years) might I consider a “Return Not Necessary” RTN?
Of less importance because my tax is relatively small, I have children and extended family in Australia so I am happy to contribute to Australia’s wealth. Given this type of public service pension is exempt French tax (per DT agreement), would lodging a RTN and advising ComSuper not to withhold tax any longer (if that’s possible) potentially mean I cease paying ANY income tax? This seems to be touted on other forums but I seem to read the ATO rules for lodging as requiring ongoing returns if for no other reason than because my pension (income) is derived from an Australian source.
Thanks,
Peter
Author
Hi Peter,
Sincere apologies for my delayed reply. It appears that we’ve had some problems with the commenting function of our blog and we’ve only just come across your question recently.
Without knowing any of your circumstances, it’s difficult to advise, as it is entirely possible that you may remain an Australian tax resident for Australian tax purposes, whilst simultaneously meeting the criteria for tax residency of France, from French tax purposes. If so, then the residency tie-breaker clause in Article 4 will need to be assessed, the outcome of which hinges upon the facts and circumstances of your life, the decisions you’ve taken to structure you life when leaving Australia, and the decisions you’ve taken to structure your life in France. To advise you correctly, we’d really need to understand those circumstances and decisions.
However, speaking generally, as your pension is paid from government funds (i.e. from your CSS defined benefit fund), for previous government service, our view is that your pension would not typically be taxable in France, but would remain taxable in Australia as paragraph 2 of Article 18 ‘Government Service’ applies, not Article 17 as you appear to have referred to.
Assuming that you are not a French citizen, that article states that your pension shall only be taxable by Australia.
If so, then your Australian tax residency status becomes critical. If you remain an Australian tax resident whilst staying in France (and this is entirely possible btw), then you will be entitled to the tax-free threshold in Australia and lower marginal tax rates. If however you are a non-resident for Australian taxation purposes then you would receive no tax-free threshold and your CSS pension would be taxed from the very first dollar at a starting tax rate of a ridiculously high 32.5%.
As you can see, your residency status for Australia is critical.
On the question of lodging a return not necessary form, based on our opinion above, we do not think that you would be eligible to do so as your CSS pension will likely remain taxable in Australia, regardless of your Australian tax residency status.
Peter . . given the complexity of the above and given that we do not know enough about your circumstances, we highly recommend that you book an appointment with our senior tax team to discuss and learn more. If interested in doing so, please feel free to book an appointment with us via our book an appointment page above.
Thanks
Shane
Hello,
My name is Alex and I reside in Australia. I run a business/company under a discretionary trust. My questions pertains to distributing income to my beneficiaries which are my parents. They sold their house in Australia around 3-4 years ago and went to overseas to spend time with my brother. They do not earn any income overseas however have lived/stayed there since their original departure. With that being said, they have lodged tax returns since being away. My dad has an ABN and works as a sole trader as an online coach (clients in Australia). I would like to know whether they loose there Australian Tax residency or does it remain until they decide to not become tax residents of Australia? The reason why I ask is that I would like for them to claim franked dividends when distributions are made.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Kind Regards,
Hi Alex,
A person’s Australian tax residency status is not a choice that you make, tax residency status is based on the persons circumstances and how they apply to the residency tests that are contained within the legislation. If a taxpayer passes any of the four tests they will be a resident for Australian tax purposes.
Here is a link to an blog article which explains the residency tests.
Two things to note if you distribute income from a trust to a non-resident:
Regards,
Terryn
I am an Australian living in the UK and a non-resident in Australia for tax purposes. I have been lodging an annual return with the ATO as I had an investment property. This property was sold during the last financial year and I now only have cash, managed funds and superannuation in Australia. My question is do I still need to keep lodging a ‘return not necessary’ given withholding tax would have been deducted from all holdings? Or is it possible that some unfranked dividends may be generated from the managed investments, in which case I would have to declare in Australia? I haven’t lived in Australia for decades so should/can I rescind my tfn, or should I keep it in case I do return? Many thanks
Hi Jill,
Thanks for your question.
If you have advised the bank and managed funds that you are a non-resident then they will be required to withhold the appropriate withholding taxes. These are considered a final tax for non-residents so you won’t be required to lodge a return if that is your only Australian sourced income. In that situation you will meet the requirements to lodge a return not necessary advise and you would need to lodge one each year.
If you don’t expect to need to lodge a return in the future you can advise the ATO that no further returns are necessary so that way you don’t need to lodge a form each year.
If there is a capital gain on the sale of the managed investment in the future and it is in taxable in Australia you will need to lodge a return in that year and include the gain. However it’s possible the gain may not be taxable in Australia depending on when it was acquired and the type of assets the funds invest in.
This article might be of interest to you.
If you would like to discuss further I’d suggest getting in contact.
Thanks
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Hi all,
I’m an Australian and Spanish citizen. Due Covid I have decided to move to Spain (December or January) and I will leave my Australian employment for a while. My employment will finish at the end of January, and I will try to start working in Spain as soon as I will find job there. As the financial year is different in both countries (Spain is from Jan-Dec and Australia is from Jul-Jun) I have a doubt: How should I do my tax return this financial year in Australia and the next financial year in Spain? My understanding is that I have to be tax resident in Australia until Jun 2021 and tax resident in Spain from January 2021, which I will be tax resident in both places during 6 months.(not sure if this is correct).
From February 2021 I won’t have Australian income only I will have bank interest and dividends. Should I advise in Jun 2021 my Bank, Broker and tax agent to consider me as non-Australian resident in 2021-2022 tax return?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Any advise will be appreciated.
Thanks so much in advance,
🙂
Hi Vanesa,
Tax residency in Australia is based on the circumstances of your life, so we’d need to know more about your circumstances to advise when your residency changes.
In the year that a taxpayers residency changes, their Australian tax return will be prepared as a part year resident, in the tax return you need to advise the ATO the date you became a non-resident. Spain doesn’t have part year residence, so if you pass the residency test during the year you are considered a resident for the whole year.
It’s quite possible that because Australia and Spain have different tax legislation you could find that for a period you are tax resident of both countries. Australia and Spain have a tax treaty which will set out which country will tax you in that situation.
For your Australian tax purposes you will be taxed as a residence until you fail each of the residency tests.
Once you are a non-resident for Australian tax purposes you should advise your bank and the share registries so the appropriate tax is withheld.
There are many things to consider in tax residency, as well as opportunities and traps when ceasing Australian tax residency. It would be advisable for you to have a consultation with us or another firm that specialises in taxes for Australian expats so that you can have a clear picture of your taxes and strategy for your move. You can book an appointment on our website.
Regards,
Terryn
Hi there
My wife and I are now Non residents since moving to France and have savings back in Australia.
My question is can I do a tax return as a non resident for the tax on interest?
Thanks
Andy
Hi Andy,
In fact you and your wife are required to lodge a return to include the Australian interest that you received. In the return there is a question asking if you are an Australian tax resident, this is how the ATO will know it is a non-resident return. If this return is the return in the year that you ceased being a resident it may be a part year resident return.
If the bank or payer of the interest has withheld non-resident withholding tax, this is a final tax and then it is not required to be included in your return. If you haven’t already, you should contact the bank and advise them that you are a non-resident for Australian tax so they withhold the appropriate tax and then you will not be required to lodge a tax return.
Regards,
Terryn
Hello.
I am a Australian non-tax resident working in Singapore, and do not need to lodge a tax return this year.
My wife is an Australian tax resident and has to lodge a return, due to bank interest etc.
Does she have to state my foreign income on her form?
Author
Hi Brett,
Thanks for your question. Your wife will only need to include her foreign income in her return, if she is a resident for Australian taxation purposes for the relevant year in question. If not, then she can exclude the foreign income from her return.
Thanks again for your question.
Cheers
Shane
Thank you Shane for your quick reply.
I was actually after clarity on whether she has to declare my income in “Spouse’s Target Foreign Income”.
Cheers
Author
Hi Brett,
Apologies for that – I must admit, I did only skim read your comment so I missed the thrust of your comment unfortunately, so let’s try again.
Before we get to that though, although not impossible, it’s generally quite unusual for two spouses to have two different residency status for Australian taxation purposes. If that is the case for you because you live and work in Singapore, and your wife lives in your family home in Australia, then this is potentially very dangerous as far as your own residency status goes. It’s dangerous because you may actually be a resident of Australia and not a non-resident like you think. If so, then all of your Singaporean income would be taxed at Australian tax rates and not at Singaporean rates, so this could be very costly indeed.
Why might you be a tax resident? Because you may have inadvertently passed the ‘Resides Test’ of residency, and/or the ‘Domicile Test” of residency. There are many, many instances and cases in Australian tax where a taxpayer living and working overseas, has been found to be a tax resident of Australia, when their wife and family remain in Australia. Ultimately it depends upon all the facts and circumstances of the case, but tax residency tends to be the outcome more than non-residency.
Because this is quite a complex issue, I can’t say that’s the case for your situation (simply because I do not know anywhere near enough about your situation) but I do raise this as a red flag for you. As such, this is probably something that you may wish to clarify and seek advice on. Feel free to reach out to us if you’d like to do so.
Now, getting down to your question – a person’s “target foreign income” includes foreign income that is not included as taxable income in their return. Thus, if you are a non-resident for Australian tax purposes, your Singapore income will not be included in your taxable income. Thus it meets the criteria of “target foreign income”. As such, your wife will need to disclose that income at the “spouse’s target foreign income” label in the spouse section of her return. The reason for this is because those labels in her return, will determine her eligibility for various offsets and rebates etc.
To read more on the topic take a look at the following link from the ATO website as this may assist:
https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/myTax/2019/In-detail/Spouse-details/?page=2#Spouse_s_income_and_other_details
Hopefully that helps. Thanks again for your questions.
Regards
Shane
Thanks again Shane for the quick reply, and appreciate you raising a red flag.
My wife does indeed live with me here, and if it wasn’t for her bank interest I suppose we would have thought about both being non tax residents.
We appreciate you taking the time to answer our question.
Regards
Brett
Hello,
I am glad I have found this website as it is quite difficult to find a clear explanation.
I am a French citizen under a sponsor visa who has been living in Australia for the past 3.5 years and have paid my tax as a resident for tax purpose.
I will be moving back to France in few months but I will keep my Australia contract for another 6 months, before moving to a French contract. I will still be paid in AUD in my Australian bank account by the Australian entity during that time.
If I have understood the article correctly, even though my income comes from an Australian source, I should not have taxes withheld from my salary as I won’t be physically in Australia. So 2 possible scenarios here:
1/ Taxes are withheld from my Salary and in this case I will need to lodge a tax return to the ATO. In this case, when do I raise that tax return? My contract will ends in April so do I have to wait July to do it with my Australian visa that would have expired by that time, or do I have access to an early tax return form as a foreign? Or will the amount taxed be offset from the French tax amount ?
2/ My Employer correctly notified to ATO of my status and taxes are not withheld. In this case do I need to speak to ATO anyway to advise of the move to France or do I just have to deal with the French tax office?
I am also not sure about the following: I know that France and Australia have a bilateral agreement that prevent being taxed twice but I wasn’t able to understand if I fall in a straight “you don’t have to pay taxes from one of the two countries” or if I am in the situation where I technically have to pay taxes in both but the amount of tax paid in one country will be used to offset the amount of the other one.
Alex
Hi Alex,
Thanks for your message and questions.
Firstly from the time that you become a non-resident for Australian tax you will only be assessed on your Australian sourced income. You’d need to carefully assess when this will be for your circumstance.
For employment income, generally it is considered that the source of employment income is the location where the work is performed. So if you are a non-resident for Australian tax from the time you leave Australia, then the work you perform from France, will be French sourced income.
You can lodge your tax return before the end of the financial year if you meet the following conditions:
Here is a link to the ATO with more information about lodging your return early.
Income you earn overseas after you ceased as an Australian tax resident should not be included in your tax return, however you would include the PAYG withholding (which shouldn’t have been deducted). What tends to result from this is a large refund and your tax return data not matching what has been reported to the ATO by your employer. This potentially means the ATO don’t process the return the way you intended and it becomes quite difficult to get the ATO to correct. Sometimes requiring having to lodge an objection with the ATO.
This income would need to be reported in your French tax return in accordance with French tax laws and you would most likely pay tax in France on this income. You won’t be eligible for foreign tax credits on this in France because these credits should be refunded to you by the ATO.
In your second scenario your employer doesn’t need to notify the ATO of your change in status but needs to ensure that your wages are dealt with correctly, by ensuring it is not reported to the ATO as Australian wages, no tax withheld and Superannuation Guarantee would not be required. This income would need to be reported in your French tax return in accordance with French tax laws and you would most likely pay tax in France on this income.
The second way is the correct way for it to be dealt with.
In the France and Australia tax treaty article 14 it sets out that employment income is taxable only in the country that the person is resident unless the employment is exercised in the other country. Based on the information you have provided the employment income you perform in France will only be assessable in France.
This is a complex area and we come across many problems and errors so get in contact to discuss further.
Regards
Terryn
Thank you Terryn for the quick answer. So if i understand you correctly, to avoid a difficult conversation with ATO when I lodge a tax return for nearly 6 months of taxes, I need to make sure with my company Payroll that there is no PAYG withholding. However, during the validity of my Australian contract and visa, is the company still able to pay to my super that I would then claimed after my visa has ceased or will they need to stop payment to my super as well?
Last question. I had a look at your categories to book a time but I am not sure under what category I fall in my case, could you advise?
Alex
Hello,
If I have notified my bank of being a non-resident, am I right to assume I should start seeing some proof on my transactions lists of 10% withholding of my Australian bank interest? Is proof on your transaction history a requirement for all Australian banks?
Kind Regards,
Carol
Author
Hi Carol,
Thanks for your question. If you have notified your bank correctly that you are a non-resident, the bank is obligated to withhold a ‘Non-resident Withholding Tax’ at the rate of 10% (and pay that to the ATO) every time the bank pays interest to you.
If the bank did so correctly, your bank statement should reflect the gross amount of interest paid to you on one line, and on the line below, the bank should show the amount of non-resident withholding tax withheld on the line below, with the net amount credited to your balance.
If your bank is not doing this, then it generally means that they have not correctly recorded your non-resident status in their system. If that is the case, you will need to call the bank again to advise of your non-residency status.
Hopefully that all makes sense Carol – if not, just sing out and we’ll find another way to explain.
Regards
Shane
Thank you for such a prompt reply! Very impressed & yep I think I need to call my bank now … sigh! But at least I know now!
I have a HECS debt and am in Indonesia travelling and working online from Indonesia and invoicing with a sole trader ABN an Australian organisation (since July 2019).
I flew back to Indonesia in February 2020 and planned to come back to Australia in July 2020, but due to COVID I am still here.
I never intended to settle in Indonesia.
As I do not own a house in Australia and I have exceeded the 183 days out of country, must I be classed as a non-resident for tax purposes?
Is this income classed as a taxable income if I am not in Australia performing the work? (And file a non-lodgement advice)
If I pay off my HECS debt in full would this decrease my tax bill if I’m a non-resident and filing an Australian income?
Due to COVID I am thinking about staying here until travel restrictions open up. Does that mean I can apply for resident tax last FY and then now change over to non-resident tax for this next year?
Hi Caris,
Your tax obligations in Australia will depend on your Australian tax residency status, here is a blog article explaining the residency tests.
The fact that you have been out of Australia for 183 days will not automatically make you a non-resident for tax, you will also need to look at the other tests.
Determining your residency status will be the first step to answer your questions.
Australian tax residents are assessable on their worldwide income, so if you are a resident then you will be assessable on the income you are generating.
Non-residents are assessable on Australian sourced income, so an assessment would need to be made as to wether that income is Australian sourced. Using an ABN to do the invoicing could be a factor used by the ATO to say that the income has an Australian source.
Repaying your HECS debt won’t change your tax that you have to pay but will decrease your liability for compulsory HECS repayments.
We need to know more about your circumstances to advise you on your residency status and if/when it changed.
Please get in contact so we can discuss further.
Thanks
Terryn
My son graduated from university end of last year and began working in NZ in March 2020. He is employed as an independent contractor (although in Australia the same arrangement would be considered an employee). NZ have a 31 March 2020 end of the financial year. He invoices and is paid weekly. He intends to remain in NZ working for several years and has commenced paying tax as a resident in NZ from 1st July (prior to which he had a non-residents exemption granted). He has no HECS debts in Aust but has left a bank account open in Australia (small amount of funds in it.) The first question – Declaring for his 30 June 2020 AUST tax return – his apportioned foreign income should be A – all the way up to invoices issued 30 June or B – only up to NZ eofy – 31 March? Second Question – For 2021 (and future returns while living in NZ) AUST tax return he can lodge a ‘return not necessary’? (even though he may have a couple of dollars interest?).
Hi Janine,
Thanks for the question. I hope your son is enjoying life in NZ.
Your son’s 2020 tax return will depend on if/when he ceased being an Australian tax resident. Here is a link to a blog article explaining the residency tests. From the time he fails all of the residency tests he will be a non resident for Australian tax purposes, it’s possible he will be a part year tax resident in Australia.
The importance of his residency status is that Australian tax residents are assessed on their worldwide income, whereas non-residents are only assessable in Australia on Australian sourced income. As he is performing the work in NZ it is unlikely to be Australian sourced income.
For the second question, if he is a non-resident for Australian tax, he should advise the bank that he is a non-resident so they deduct non-resident withholding tax from interest payments. If they withhold tax, this is considered a final tax for non-residents and then he won’t need to include the interest in an Australian tax return and will be eligible to lodge a ‘return not necessary advice’ – assuming no other Australian income.
If the bank doesn’t deduct non-resident withholding tax then he will have to lodge an Australian tax return even if he only earns $1 of interest. Non-residents do not get a tax free threshold so they pay tax from the first dollar of Australian income.
If you want to discuss further please contact us.
Regards
Hi, I am so pleased to come across this site. Thank you in advance for your reply. I have been living overseas for the past 20 years. In previous years I lodged online a return not necessary. This year I lodged a return because I purchased shares and I wanted to register on the tax form that I am a non-resident. I do have a student loan which I am paying off although I did not have an income for the 2019/20 year. I stated on my 2019/20 tax return that I am a non resident. I intend to sell some of the shares that I purchased in 2019/20, selling them this year 2020/21. There is likely to be a substantial capital gain. My question is, will withholding tax automatically be deducted when the sale of the share is made and the money from the sale enters my Australian bank account. Do I have to inform my bank that I am a non resident? Also, if I do not make any other income and I pay off my student loan will I still have to lodge a tax return for 2020/21 declaring the capital gains on the sale of shares and will I be asked to prove I am a non resident? What is the procedure? I have lived outside of Australia for many years. I have no assets in Australia and I am not intending on returning as I have established a life abroad. Apologies, a lot of questions but I would really appreciate it so much if I you could answer them for me. Very Best Regards
Hi Wade,
Thanks for your questions.
If the student loan you are referring to is a HECS or HELP debt then you may not have been eligible to lodge a return not necessary advice since 1 July 2017 and may have been required to report your worldwide income to determine your HECS/HELP debt repayments. If you have already done this that’s great.
If you acquired the shares whilst a non resident for Australian tax and the shares are not Australia Taxable Property then the capital gain won’t be assessable in Australia. Here is an article that about tax free capital gains whilst a non-resident expat.
Also there won’t be any withholdings on the proceeds of the sale of shares.
You should advise the bank that you are a non-resident so they deduct non resident withholding tax from your interest payments. You should also advise the share registry that you are a non-resident so they can deduct non-resident withholding tax on any unfranked dividends.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss further.
Regards,
Terryn
Hi,
My spouse is an international full student in Australia and I am planning to join her in a couple of months. I am currently working in UAE and my company has offered me to work remotely from Australia (work from home) for a period of two years. My salary will be credited to my UAE account. I would like to know if my income earned during my stay in Australia is taxable even if it is credited to my UAE account!
thanks
Hi James,
The answer to your question will be dependent on your tax residency status in Australia and the source of your income. Australian tax residents are assessable on their worldwide income whereas a non-resident for Australian tax purposes is only taxed on Australian source income.
Generally it is considered that the source of employment income is the location where the work is performed, you working from Australia may mean that your income is Australian source income. We would need to know more about your work and the particular arrangement to determine this.
Where your employer pays your income to, won’t make a difference to whether you do or don’t have to pay tax on it, rather your residency status and the source of the income will be what determines if it is taxable.
I’d highly recommend that you book a consultation to discuss your circumstances in more detail.
Regards
Hi there,
I am an Australian PR, with Malaysian passport holder. I’ve took up a job in the Middle East as FIFO, 5 weeks on, 4 weeks off in a permanent office. During the 4 weeks off, i would generally be on 2 or 3 weeks vacation before either going back to Malaysia or Australia. My wife still lives here, and she would meet me somewhere in the world during my time-off. We do have a house here, as my sister live with us. This FY, I’ve spent more than 183 days in Australia due to the COVID-19 as I’ve been in Australia WFH since March and unable to return to my workplace due to the lock-down.
Am I considered a resident or non-resident for tax purposes?
Hi Kelvin,
This recent time during COVID-19 has created a lot of uncertainty and unfortunately has the potential to complicate Australian tax residency.
To address the situation, the ATO has recently released a set of amended guidelines targeted to clarify the residency positions for employees who were in Australia temporarily and are now unable to leave due to the border closure restrictions introduced by the Australian Government.
The advice is that if you were not an Australian resident for tax purposes when you arrived in Australia, there is some leniency and flexibility in the residency rules for the moment. If this is your situation, you will not be recognised as a resident simply by being forced to stay in Australia due to COVID-19.
The conditions for this to apply to you are that you must be in Australia temporarily, even if this is extended for weeks or months due to the current situation. You must usually live permanently overseas, and intend to return to your other country as soon as the borders open and you are able to leave.
Your tax obligations will continue in the same way as they have previously; you will not be assessed or taxed in Australia on any income that has been earned while in the country.
However, as a FIFO worker, ordinarily it can be difficult to establish that you are a non-resident for Australian tax purposes as there are in fact 4 residency tests which you have to fail to be considered a non-resident. The tests are:
This article provides more information about the residency tests.
If you would like to find out more Get in touch with our Expat Tax Services team today!
Thanks
Terryn
Hi Shane, Terryn and team
I am a non-resident of Australia, having been on assignment in Asia for 3+ years and now married to a Filipina and living in Manila.
At the end of my assignment, the Australian company I was working for repatriated me back to Australia. My intention was to resign from the job in order to continue living with my wife in the Philippines. However, my Australian employer has allowed me to continue performing my job from the Philippines, so I am still employed with that company.
My employer is paying me through their Australian payroll, and Australian tax is being deducted. I had previously assumed that this employment income would be deemed “Australian sourced” and was therefore taxable in Australia. However, your article (and others that i have read) state/suggest that typically only work performed while physically present in Australia is deemed to be Australian sourced employment income.
Could you please advise if my interpretation sounds correct and therefore, subject to any other tax considerations with my situation, my salary paid in Australia should not be taxable in Australia (because I am not present in Australia) and therefore the tax that has been deducted from my salary should be recoverable in my tax return?
Many thanks for your time in considering my query.
Hi Chris,
From what you have said in your post it looks like you are on the right track with your understanding.
For a non-resident for Australian tax purposes employment income that is performed overseas will generally not be considered to be Australian source income.
You should also consider article 14 ‘Independent personal services’ of the tax treaty between Australia and the Philippines which sets out which country has taxing for independent personal services.
Where this will get trickier is how you deal with it as it is an uncommon employment arrangement for most employers and the ATO.
If the tax has already been withheld then you will need to recover the tax withheld in your tax return. Your employer would have reported this as wages to the ATO. This is not ideal because you will have to demonstrate to the ATO that your income is exempt and shouldn’t have been reported by your employer as wages and shouldn’t have had PAYG withholding deducted, so the ATO will refund it to you.
If you would like to find out more about how this should be structured or assistance with preparing your return so that you can request to be refunded the PAYG withholding please Get in touch with our Expat Tax Services team today and we will be able to assist you!
Regards
Terryn
Hi, I’m an Australian citizen who moved to the U.S in 2015. I make occasional income in Australia from sporadic artwork sales, however the bulk of my income is derived from working here. I return to Australia generally once a year, for about three weeks each time. I am married to a U.S citizen, however I am still waiting for my green card/permanent residence status to be processed. Have been putting off asking this question for a while, but do I need to file tax returns for the previous 5 years because of that sporadic Australian-generated income?
Thank you
Hi Ryan,
We would need to discuss your art sales in Australia to understand the nature of that income a bit better to answer your question.
Regardless of the income from art sales you would still have an obligation to either lodge a tax return or a ‘return not necessary’ form for each year.
We’d be happy to discuss this with you and explain the best course of action for you. Please book a ‘general enquiry’ appointment if you would like to discuss further.
Thanks for question.
Terryn
I am Australia citizen. I live at Oversea at past 10 year. I still have some shares at Australia sharemarket. I sometimes trade shares at online. Do I need pay my share trade profits tax ? /tax return ?
many thanks from Lan
Hi Lan,
It is difficult to give a definitive answer to your question. If the shares meet the following criteria then they will be subject to Australian Capital Gains Tax:
If you acquired the shares while you were a non resident then they will only be subject to Australian Capital Gains tax if the company that you’ve invested in principally invests in property and you own more than 10% of the company, then your investment will be subject to capital gains tax.
This article, Make tax-free capital gains on Australian shares whilst a non-resident expat, may be of assistance to you.
If you want to discuss further, please Contact Us and one of our team will get back to you.
Regards
Terryn
Hi Shane,
I am an Australia citizen but have been living in the UK for the last 6 years where I have married, started a family and a home. I also have Definite Leave to Remain and, hopefully, will receive my Indefinite Leave to Remain (permanent residency) in the next 2 years. I presume that would make me a non-Resident for tax purposes?
I have two questions.
1. I came to the UK in February 2014. I did not file a tax return that June (2014) as, at the time, I was unaware of the need to do so. What kind of penalty can I expect for not doing so, does that penalty incur interest and how can I find out online what penalties I may owe the ATO?
2. When I came to the UK I had a HECS debt for my tertiary studies. While I’ve been living here in the UK has that HECS debt been incurring interest and how can I find out online what my current HECS debt amount is?
Kind regards
Hi Howell,
Residency is a complicated area so we’d need to know more about your circumstances before confirming your Australian tax residency status. Shane would be happy to discuss further with you. You can book a free ‘general enquiry’ on the appointments page on our website.
The maximum failure to lodge penalty the ATO can impose is $1,050 per return, as you haven’t lodged a return for 6 years they could charge that penalty for each year, a total of $6,300. The ATO would only charge interest if you have tax liabilities or HECS repayments that are overdue. As part of our fee to prepare your returns we will negotiate with the ATO and try to minimise the penalty that you receive, we have a good success rate with getting the penalties reduced or eliminated.
If you haven’t already been charged the penalties it’s always better to get them lodged before the ATO issue a penalty, so you should try get them lodged as soon as you can.
There are a few ways you can find the balance, they are:
If you would like any further assistance please book an appointment with us, or send us a message.
Regards,
Terryn
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Hi Shane, I am looking to move overseas permanently but will retain investment properties, from which I will earn an income paid into an Australian bank account. I am also entitled to a Federal Government pension, PSS, that will also be paid into an Australian Bank. My question is in regard to a transfer of shares at the time of my mothers death. Am I an Australian for taxation purposes in which case there is no tax impact, on the transfer of the shares into my name, or am I considered a non-resident Australian in which case there is a very heavy tax hit once the shares are transferred.
Hi Brett,
Unfortunately it’s just too difficult to say what your residency status will be because we don’t know enough about your circumstances. As such, I’d highly recommending getting in touch or booking an appointment so that we can run through your situation in detail. Having said that however, if you have a federal government pension you may pass the third statutory test for residency which is the superannuation test.
To be sure though, and to understand how taxes will apply to your circumstances, we’d highly recommend booking in for a residency consultation with our team or with another specialist expatriate tax firm so that we (or they) can assist you with determining your residency status if you do move overseas.
Regards,
Terryn
Hi Shane,
My wife and I retired to the UK in 2017. We are dual UK/Australian citizens. We are both in our 60’s. We filed 2016/2017 tax returns before leaving Australia in March 2017. We reside in the UK, our home is in the UK, and have not returned to Australia since leaving. We are not government employees. We are registered for UK tax and file UK tax returns, which include Australian sourced income. We do no paid work in the UK.
Our Australian sourced income comprises:
– Savings accounts, on which non resident witholding tax is charged.
– Dividends from IAG shares, which are normally fully franked, but I noticed they rather unhelpfully slipped in some unfranked amounts last year.
– Payment from our allocated pensions (not self-managed). We take 4% per year.
We were unaware of the need to do ATO reporting until a few weeks ago when my wife received an “overdue” notice from the ATO. Given the circumstances described, could you advise what sort of return or reporting we need to do to the ATO.
Many thanks, Jim
Author
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your question and for the background information that you’ve provided.
Without seeing your tax information or source documents firsthand, I can’t confirm with the full degree of certainty that I’d ordinarily like to provide as I’d really need to see that information first to advise accordingly.
However, just on the face of what you’ve outlined, rather than lodging a full tax return, you may be entitled to lodge a ‘Return Not Necessary’ form for each you instead but to do so you must meet the eligibility requirements, then principal requirement of which, is that you MUST NOT generate ANY Australian income that is required to be declared in an Australian taxation return. As non-resident’s do not have any tax-free threshold this means that there must not be even as little as one dollar of untaxed Australian income generated by that non-resident.
Now, the reason why I believe that you both may be eligible to lodge RNN forms rather than full returns, is that despite generating income in Australia, interest from which non-resident withholding tax has been withheld is not required to be disclosed in your tax return. Similarly, franked dividends are not required to be disclosed in your tax return, and depending upon the allocated pension that you receive, often these are tax-free pensions that are similarly not generally required to be declared in your returns.
Thus it would appear that you may be entitled to lodge RNN forms instead. Lodging a RNN form for each year that is outstanding and for each year that you continue to be eligible to lodge a RNN will satisfy your lodgement obligations in Australia.
If you would like some assistance with the above, please reach out to our team and drop us a note via our contact us page.
Regards
Shane
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I’m in a similar situation to Rob – have been living and working in the UK for the past 5/6 years. I have only just become aware that I need to take action as I’ve just started to see Non-Resident withholding tax coming out of my bank account over the last couple of months – not the whole time I’ve been here. I haven’t file any tax returns since I left and my only Australian income has been bank interest and dividends. Does this mean I owe 6 years worth of tax returns or can I lodge Return not Necessary backdated?
Author
Hi Rin,
Thanks for your message. By the sound of it, you may need to file a mix of tax returns and ‘Return Not Necessary’ forms (also known as non-lodgement advices). If the dividends that you receive are franked dividends ONLY (i.e. no unfranked dividends), then for the years where non-resident withholding tax was taken out from each your interest receipts, you’ll should be eligible to lodge a non-lodgement advice.
For any years where you have received unfranked dividends and/or interest payments where no non-resident withholding tax was deducted, you’ll need to file a return sadly.
If you want some help with the above, we’d be happy to assist – just reach out to us via our contact us page (above).
Thanks
Shane
Hi Shane,
Reading above I’m wondering if i should lodge “no lodgement advice”or tax return- if I haven’t informed my bank about me being overseas for last last year.-I’m thinking here about interests-my only australian source of income.
Thanks in adance
Author
Hi Agnes,
As non-residents do not have a tax-free threshold, if you have earned any interest in Australia at all (that did not have noon-resident withholding tax deducted by the bank when they paid you each amount of interest), then technically you are not eligible to lodge a ‘non-lodgement advice’. This means that you MUST lodge an Australian taxation return unfortunately, even where the interest earned was only minimal.
To avoid this for future years, we highly recommend that you simply notify the bank that you are a non resident. The bank will then deduct withholding tax (at the rate of 10%) and you will therefore be able to lodge ‘non-lodgement advices’ for future years.
Thanks for your question.
Regards
Shane
I have been living in the US for 16 years and haven’t had a home in or any income from Australia since I moved. I didn’t know I was required to lodge a Return Not Necessary form. I am considering moving back to Australia next year. Does this mean that I will be fined upon return, and if so, is there a way to remedy the situation without being fined?
Thanks
Author
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your message and your question. Here at Expat Tax Services, this issue is the most common misconception that we come across from Australian expats located all over the globe. So rest assured that you’re not alone here – in fact, so much so that I have to explain the requirement to either lodge a return or lodge a return not necessary form (also known as a non-lodgement advice) to 8-10 new clients to our firm, every single week without fail.
Now, in most cases, we don’t generally witness people being fined however with the introduction of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) – another issue entirely, we expect fines and penalties to increase dramatically within the next 18 months to two years as the ATO now has access to a huge amount of data on Australian expats that, quite frankly they never had before. Take a look at my article on the Common Reporting Standard – it’s something that I wish all Australian expats were made aware of by their advisors as this is a game-changer for the ATO!
The upshot though is that I think it would be unlikely for you to have been fined at present, although I can’t totally rule it out either. If you are interested, we can check this out for you and let you know – if you want us to do so, just send our team an email and we’ll organise that for you free of charge.
Regardless, our advice to all clients and potential clients, including you would be to clear this up asap so that you avoid being fined (the fines are very costly) and so that you can rest easy while you have the chance.
Now regarding remedying the situation, essentially you will either be eligible to lodge a return not necessary form (if you have no income from sources in Australia that needs to be declared in a return) in which case the solution is simple . . . we can lodge a return not necessary form on your behalf, or the alternative is that we will need to lodge returns for you each year (if you did generate any Australian sourced income). Hopefully we don’t have to do the latter for you, as that’s quite a bit more costly than the first option, so let’s hope that we can lodge return not necessary forms for you instead.
Rob – I hope that helps. Just reach out to our team if you would like some assistance on this.
Thanks
Shane
Hi, I know someone in a similar situation to Rob. He has been away for approx 12 years and was not aware that he was supposed to lodge a ‘return not necessary’ form. He can’t find a record of his TFN and would like to. Will an inquiry to find out the TFN prompt an investigation from the ATO, that could possibly result in a fine. There has been no income generated from any Australian source during the time he has been overseas.
Regards
Hi Romayne,
It’s unlikely that contacting the ATO to find out his TFN will result in the ATO issuing penalties. I would suggest attending to the non-lodgement advices soon after the call with the ATO so that the lodgements are up to date before any penalties are imposed.
Thanks
I have been living in the UAE for nearly 5 years, I have no investments back in Australia and have declared a non residency status during my time abroad. If I return to Australia mid way through the tax year (I.e December) and become a resident again, would I be liable to pay tax on my UAE income for the pro-rata period of that same tax year prior to my return date (I.e July-December)?
Author
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for your message and for your question. The good news is that if you are a non-resident who returns to Australia and regains tax residency in December, then you won’t be liable to pay Australian tax on your UAE income received before the date that you regained your residency. So, no, you won’t need to pay tax on your income from July to December (prior to the date that you landed in Australia).
The reason for this is because in the year that you return, you would be a part-year resident. This means that you will have remained a non-resident for the July – December period, and you would be a resident of Australia for the rest of the year, from January – June.
As non-residents are only liable to pay Australian tax on Australian source income (Australian interest/dividends/rent/other Australian payments etc), this means that your UAE sourced income will not be taxable in Australia during the period in which you are a non-resident (i.e. from July to December).
Once you regain your Australian tax residency during that year though, from that date, you’ll be liable for tax on your worldwide income and gains.
Accordingly, any payments that you receive after you regain your Australian tax residency may in fact be taxable, thus take care to receive any final payouts from the UAE to occur before regaining your Australian tax residency status.
Thanks again for your question Fiona – if you need any assistance with your taxes, or if you need a “Returning Home” tax consultation before you make the move from the UAE, please feel free to book an appointment with us here at Expat Tax Services, via our “Book An Appointment” page or contact us.
Cheers
Shane
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I am an Australian living in Canada, 12 years now and possibly moving back to Australia with my Canadian son.
How can I come back to Australia and will the ato charge me for all of that time I worked in Canada?
Author
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for your visiting our site and thanks also for your comment.
Ultimately the answer to your question comes down to whether you were a resident for Australian taxation purposes or a non-resident.
If you were an Australian resident, then you would be subject to tax on your worldwide income (including your Canadian income, When you earned it).
If however, you were a non-resident for Australian taxation purposes, then you would only be subject to tax on your Australian sourcing come (your Canadian income would not be taxable by Australia).
Unfortunately, residency is extremely complex as it hinges around your background and circumstances. As we don’t know your background and circumstances, I cannot categorically state that you would definitively be a non-resident and that your Canadian income would not be assessable in Australia.
However, I can let you know that generally, where a person has been living and working overseas for an extended period of time such as yourself they would usually be non-resident for Australian taxation purposes. In those circumstances, your Canadian income and your savings would not generally be assessable when you returned to Australia.
Elaine, thanks again for your question – hopefully my answer helps.
Thanks
Shane