Australia's financial year is from the 1 July to the 30 June. (Not Calender)

The 2008 tax year is from the 1 July 2007 to the 30 June 2008 (jobs before the 30 June 2008)

The 2009 tax year begins 1 July 2008 (jobs after the 1 July 2008)

Everyone who has worked in Australia must complete and lodge a tax return with the Australian Tax Office.

A tax return is a form containing your personal details, and declaration of income received. For travellers this is generally employment income.

A tax return can be prepared by anyone, but by Australian law, only a registered tax agent can prepare and lodge a tax return on your behalf.

expresstax are registered tax agents and are authorised by the Australian Tax Office to prepare and lodge tax returns. We are also authorised to deal directly with the Australian Tax Office.

The amount of the refund depends on personal circumstances. Factors such as gross payment and tax withheld combined with the number of months in Australia determines the refund amount.

Our office collects the relevant information, prepares the tax return and forwards the tax documents to you for your review. If the details are correct and you are satisfied with your return, you can sign and return the documents to our office.

Only once we have received the signed tax documents, we lodge the tax return with the Australian Tax Office.

The tax office process time varies depending on which year was lodged. For the 2008 financial year or earlier we can secure the refund in 7 days. For the 2009 year it is 3 - 4 weeks.

Upon receipt of the Australian Tax Office Notice of Assessment we forward your money to you by either direct deposit into an Australian Bank Account or telegraphic transfer into an overseas bank account or we can post a cheque.

For the postal address we prefer your parents or a relative address, as this address generally does not change.

If you supplied bank details, we also require a postal address. If there is a problem with the bank deposit, our office will post a cheque.

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For our office to complete and lodge a tax return with the Australian Tax Office we require just 2 things.

1. Details about yourself
2. PAYG payment summaries for each job

Details about yourself include your full name, date of birth, Tax File Number and a postal address.

The PAYG payment summary from your employer is a summary showing the gross amount before tax was withheld and the amount of tax withheld. They are issued in July every year or you can request one when you leave your job.

If you do not have your PAYG payment summary, we can collect them for you. You will need to complete the Job Detail questionnaire and forward it to our office.

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drop by

You can drop by our office and talk to one of our tax accountants. They will prepare the tax documents on the spot, which you review before signing.

By dropping by, we can give you an "on-the-spot quote" and answer any question you have. The takes 15 minutes (depending on how many questions you ask)

phone our office

When you phone our office you talk to one of the tax accountants. They will explain the process, answer any questions and take your details, then email you the documents. You just print, check the details, sign and return to our office.

By phoning we can give you an "on-the-spot quote" and answer any question you have and it is done in 5 - 10 minutes.

email

If you email your details to our office, we prepare the tax return and email you the tax documents. You just print, check the details, sign and return to our office.

You also email us for a call back, we will give you a call at the specific time and in any country.

download

When you download the documents all you have to do is complete your details, sign and return to our office with your PAYG Payment Summaries. This allows us to prepare and lodge the documents on the day we receive them. Quickest method.

submit

When you submit the online application, we prepare the tax return and email the tax documents for you to review. You just print, check the details, sign and return to our office.

ask for call back 

You can ask our office to give you a phone call when you are ready. We can phone you anywhere. Just email us your contact phone number and an approximate time and date you would like us to call.

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If you have worked in Australia, then you have a super refund due to you.

By Australian law every employer (your boss) must pay 9% of your wage into a superannuation fund. There are more than 300 superannuation funds in Australia, expresstax knows them all.

To claim back your superannuation money you must have departed Australia and your Australian Visa must have expired. For 417 visa this is a year after you have arrived in Australia.

The superannuation fund can take from 1 - 3 months to process the application (yes, they are worse than a government department)

Upon receipt of the super refund, we forward your money to you by either direct deposit into an Australian Bank Account or telegraphic transfer into an overseas bank account or we post a cheque.

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We require copies of

• Photo page of your passport
• Australian visa 
• Entry stamp - showing the date you arrived in Australia
• Departure Stamp - showing the date you departed Australia
• 2 Forms of Identification (other than your passport) these can include Drivers License, Age Card, University Card, Bank Card, Social Security Card

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