How to Do Your Tax Return in Australia as a Student (2026 Guide)

Tax time in Australia has a reputation for being confusing, especially for international students who are unfamiliar with the Australian tax system. The reality? For most students, lodging a tax return is simpler than you'd expect — and the majority of people who worked part-time during the year receive a refund. Here is a clear, step-by-step breakdown of everything you need to know.

Do International Students Have to Lodge a Tax Return?

If you earned income in Australia during the financial year, you are generally required to lodge a tax return with the Australian Taxation Office. This applies to people on temporary visas, including the subclass 500 student visa.

You should lodge a tax return if any of the following apply:

1. You worked in Australia and received wages at any point during the financial year
2. Tax was withheld from your pay by your employer
3. Did you have any interest income from an Australian bank account
4. You want to claim back any tax that was over-withheld

Understanding the Australian Financial Year

Australia's financial year does not follow the calendar year. It runs from 1 July through to 30 June the following year. So when people refer to the 2025–26 tax year, they mean income earned between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.

Are You a Tax Resident or a Non-Resident?

This is the question that trips up more international students than any other aspect of the Australian tax system. Your tax residency status has a significant impact on how much tax you pay and what refund you may receive.

Tax residency in Australia is determined separately from your visa status. You are likely a tax resident if you have been living in Australia for six months or more during the financial year and you treat Australia as your primary home during that period.

Tax residents receive the tax-free threshold — meaning the first $18,200 of your income is tax-free. This significantly reduces the total tax you owe.

Non-residents for tax purposes do not receive the tax-free threshold and are taxed at a flat rate on their Australian income from the very first dollar.

What You Need Before Lodging

Gather these items before you sit down to do your return:

1. Your Tax File Number (TFN)
2. A myGov account that is linked to the ATO (create one at my.gov.au if you do not yet have one)
3. Your income statements from all employers — these are now submitted electronically by employers through Single Touch Payroll and should appear pre-loaded in your myTax account
4. Your Australian bank account details for any refund to be deposited into
5. Records of any work-related expenses you plan to claim as deductions
6. Details of any interest earned on Australian savings accounts

How to Lodge Using myTax — Step by Step

myTax is the Australian Tax Office's free online lodgement platform. It is the recommended method for most students and is available from 1 July each year.

1. Sign in to your myGov account at my.gov.au
2. If you have not already linked your myGov account to the ATO, do this first — it only takes a few minutes and requires your TFN
3. Select 'Tax' from the myGov homepage, then choose 'Lodge a tax return.'
4. Select the correct income year (for example, 2025–26 for the year ending 30 June 2026)
5. MyTax will pre-fill much of your information, including your employer income, bank interest, and some government payments — review all of this carefully to make sure it is correct and complete
6. Add any deductions you are entitled to claim
7. Review your completed return and submit
8. Your refund, if applicable, will typically arrive in your nominated bank account within two weeks

What Deductions Can Students Claim?

If you spent your own money in order to earn your income, you may be able to reduce your taxable income by claiming those expenses as deductions. Some commonly relevant ones for student workers include:

• Work uniforms and required protective clothing — if your employer required you to wear specific branded or protective clothing that you purchased yourself
• Work-related phone expenses — a reasonable portion of your mobile phone bill if it was used for work calls or communications
• Tools or equipment — if your job required specific equipment and your employer did not cover the cost
• Self-education costs — in certain situations, if your study is directly related to your current employment

You cannot claim everyday clothing even if you wear it to work, the cost of travelling between home and your regular workplace, or personal meal costs. If you are unsure whether something is claimable, the ATO's website has a detailed deductions section, or a registered tax agent can advise you.

Should You Use a Tax Agent?

Using a registered tax agent is not mandatory, but it can be genuinely worthwhile for international students, particularly if your tax residency situation is complex or if you worked multiple jobs.

A tax agent can correctly determine your residency status, identify all deductions you are entitled to, and lodge on your behalf — with an extended lodgement deadline of May the following year rather than October.

Tax agent fees for straightforward student returns are typically in the range of $80 to $180. Importantly, this fee is itself tax deductible in the following financial year. Many regional cities with large student populations have agencies that specialise in affordable international student returns.

The Bottom Line

Lodging your Australian tax return as an international student is not as complicated as it might seem from the outside. For most students, it takes 30 to 60 minutes using myTax, and the result is a refund landing in your bank account within a fortnight. The key things to get right are your tax residency status and making sure all your income is correctly recorded. Set up your myGov account now, keep a record of any work-related expenses throughout the year, and lodge before the 31 October deadline.