1 July to 30 June. The Australian financial year is not the calendar year, nor the year used in the United Kingdom, Germany or Japan, so a working holiday that crosses 30 June produces two separate tax returns rather than one.
Why does the date split matter more here than at home?
Because working holidays rarely line up with it. A year starting in November and ending the following September sits across two financial years, each a separate assessment with its own income, withholding and outcome.
Part year income is the biggest reason working holiday refunds are larger than people expect. Withholding is calculated as though your rate of pay continues all year, so six months of full time work assessed as six months of income is where a large share of a typical refund comes from.
Which financial year does my work fall into?
Whichever one the money was earned in, set by the date you were paid rather than the date you worked. Three patterns cover most cases.
- Arrived November, worked through to May: all one financial year, lodged after 30 June.
- Arrived May, left the following August: two financial years, two returns, one covering May and June and the other July and August.
- Arrived July, worked through the following June: exactly one financial year, the cleanest case there is.
A past financial year you never lodged for is still open, and the refund does not expire. Unlodged prior years are common among second visa holders and are usually money owed to you rather than owing.
When can you lodge, and when should you?
Lodgement opens on 1 July, and lodging on 1 July is usually a mistake. Employers finalise income statements through the first half of July, and a return lodged before yours is finalised can miss an employer entirely and then need amending.
Late July or early August is the practical window. The standard deadline for lodging yourself is 31 October, and a tax agent extends it, which matters if an employer has still not finalised.
What if you are leaving Australia before 30 June?
Then you may be able to lodge an early return rather than waiting until you are home. If you are departing permanently and will earn no further Australian income that year, the return can be lodged before the year ends.
Whether that is right depends on whether every employer has issued a final income statement, whether you have superannuation to claim at the same time, and how your residency position for the year is assessed. Leaving in April with three employers, one not finalised, is where lodging early creates an amendment later.
What other dates run on the same calendar?
Two other sets of dates sit outside the return itself and are commonly missed. One decides whether your final super contributions exist yet, the other when you can claim them.
Superannuation is paid quarterly, due 28 October, 28 January, 28 April and 28 July. Leave in May and your final quarter's contributions are not paid until late July, a common reason a super claim comes up short.
Your visa end date starts its own clock. It governs when you become eligible to claim your superannuation after leaving Australia, and a fund that loses contact with you eventually transfers the balance to the ATO as unclaimed.
When can you lodge, and how many times?
The dates are the same for everyone. How many returns you owe and when you can lodge them is not.
- Whether your stay crosses 30 June, which makes it two returns, both of which have to be lodged.
- Whether you are leaving before 30 June, which opens the early lodgement option.
- Whether every employer has finalised your income statement, which decides whether it is safe to lodge yet.
- Whether you have prior unlodged years from an earlier visa, usually refunds sitting still.
- Whether your final quarter of super has been paid, a July event even if you leave in April.
The year you lodge for decides which rates and thresholds apply to your working holiday tax return. You can estimate your tax refund separately for each year you worked.