Working Holiday Maker Tax in Australia (and How to Get a Refund)

Thousands of backpackers leave Australia having overpaid tax and never claim it back. If you worked here on a 417 or 462 Working Holiday Visa, you might be owed hundreds — sometimes thousands — of dollars. Here's how working holiday maker (WHM) tax actually works, and how to know if there's a refund waiting for you.

How working holiday makers are taxed

WHMs are taxed under a special schedule. Unlike residents, you do not get the tax-free threshold — you pay from the first dollar:

Why you might be owed a refund

• Your employer wasn’t registered and withheld 30% when you should have paid 15%.
• Too much PAYG tax was withheld from your pay across the year.
• You have work-related deductions (tools, uniforms, vehicle/mileage) that lower your taxable income.

Worked example — the unregistered-employer refund

Jess earns $30,000 for the year on a Working Holiday Visa. Her employer wasn’t registered, so they withheld 30% the whole time = $9,000 withheld. But as a WHM her actual tax on $30,000 is just 15% = $4,500. At tax time she lodges a return and gets back the difference: $9,000 − $4,500 = $4,500 refund.

Worked example — with deductions

Same $30,000, but Jess also did delivery and tracked $1,500 of vehicle and phone expenses. Her taxable income drops to $28,500, so her tax is 15% × $28,500 = $4,275. Those deductions added another $225 to her refund — which is why keeping receipts and tracking your work expenses all year pays off.

Don’t forget your superannuation (DASP)

On top of income tax, your employer paid superannuation (retirement savings) on your behalf. When you leave Australia permanently and your visa expires, you can claim it back through the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP). It’s taxed at a high rate for WHMs, but on months of full-time work it can still be a meaningful lump sum — don’t walk away from it.

What you need to lodge

• Your Tax File Number (TFN).
• Income statements / payslips from every employer.
• Records of any work-related deductions.
• Lodge from 1 July (end of the financial year) via myTax or a registered tax agent.

Track it through the year, not at the end

The backpackers who get the biggest refunds are the ones who kept records as they went. Orary can read your payslips, track your gross pay and tax withheld, log delivery expenses for deductions, and give you a running estimate of your income tax — so there are no surprises when you lodge.