How Do I Get a Tax File Number in Australia in 2026?
How to apply for an Australian Tax File Number (TFN) in 2026, what you need, how long it takes, and what to give your employer.
You apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) directly with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and the fastest route is the ATO's online TFN registration page. You need your passport details and an Australian address, the service runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the ATO posts your number to you — generally within 28 days from the day it receives your application. This reflects the Australian Department of Home Affairs "Managing your finances" and "Employment" settlement pages.
What follows is general information about the published process, not personalised tax or legal advice. Individual circumstances vary, and the ATO's current guidance remains the reference point for your own situation.
What is a TFN, and why does a new permanent resident need one?
A TFN is a unique number the ATO issues to individuals or organisations for identification and record-keeping purposes. It is not a visa or a work-rights document — it is the identifier that links you to Australia's tax system.
The Home Affairs pages describe three things that depend on it: claiming government benefits, receiving income from an employer, and being eligible for a tertiary education loan. You also need a TFN to lodge an income tax return. Because those obligations start as soon as you begin living and earning here, the official advice is to register with the ATO shortly after arriving in Australia rather than waiting until your first tax return is due.
Who can apply online, and what do you need before you start?
The online route is open to you as a new arrival, and the official page is specific about the inputs: your passport details and an Australian address. That is what the ATO requires for the online application. If you are still in short-term accommodation when you apply, you still need to give an Australian address, because the ATO posts your TFN to that address.
One practical sequencing point from the same Home Affairs guidance: you should open an Australian bank account within six weeks of arrival, because during that window your passport is the only identification document you need. After six weeks, you will need at least two identification items, and one of them — a driver's licence, for example — must show a photograph or signature. Getting the bank account moving early also means you have the account details your employer will ask for alongside your TFN.
What does the application actually involve?
Here is what the application involves:
| Step | What the official pages say |
|---|---|
| Register with the ATO | Do this shortly after arriving in Australia; the fastest way is the ATO's online TFN registration page |
| Availability | Online registration is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week |
| What you supply | Your passport details and an Australian address |
| How the number arrives | By mail |
| Timeframe | Within 28 days from the day the ATO receives your application |
If you cannot apply online, the same page points to two alternatives: a paper application form from the ATO Publication Ordering Service, or the Tax File Number Helpline on 13 28 61. The 28-day timeframe is measured from the day the ATO receives your application.
How long does it take, and what should you plan around?
Plan on receiving your TFN by mail within 28 days from the day the ATO receives your application. That is the only timing figure the official page gives, and it runs from receipt, not from the moment you press submit.
The reason this matters is the first day of work. The Home Affairs employment page states plainly that once you have a job, you need to supply your new employer with your bank account details and your tax file number.
What do you hand over on your first day?
Two things, per the official guidance: your bank account details and your TFN. Your employer uses the TFN for the income they report to the ATO, and at the end of the financial year you will be given a summary of payments from employers called a Group Certificate. Your employer also pays superannuation — a retirement savings contribution — at a set percentage into a specialised account while you are working; that money is only accessible once you reach the legislated retirement age.
Who is allowed to ask for your TFN?
Be careful who you give it to. The Home Affairs page is direct on this point: only certain organisations can legally request your TFN. Check before you disclose your number to a landlord, a recruiter you have never met, or an online form that asks for it for verification purposes.
What happens after the number arrives?
The TFN is what lets you complete the annual cycle. If you earn income while living in Australia, you must lodge an income tax return — a declaration of income for the financial year that determines whether you have paid the required amount of tax.
You can lodge online through the ATO, which the official page describes as a free, convenient and secure service that pre-fills parts of the return using information from your employer, banks, health funds and government agencies. To use it you need a myGov account, which you set up at my.gov.au. Tax returns must be completed and sent to the ATO by 31 October each year, unless you are using a registered tax agent — agents charge a fee and are generally more useful if your deductions and offsets claims are complicated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a TFN if I am not working yet?
The official guidance is to register with the ATO shortly after arriving in Australia, not after you find a job. The documented uses — government benefits, employer income and tertiary education loans — can apply before or independently of employment, and you need a TFN to lodge a tax return in any year you earn income.
Can I apply for a TFN before I arrive in Australia?
The Home Affairs page frames registration as something you do shortly after arriving, and the application requires an Australian address — which is where the ATO posts your TFN.
Is my TFN the same as my visa grant number?
No. A TFN is issued by the ATO for tax identification and record keeping, while your visa is a matter for the Department of Home Affairs. They are separate identifiers with separate agencies, and one does not replace the other.
Is there a faster way than waiting for the mail?
The ATO posts your TFN by mail within 28 days from the day it receives your application, so plan around the 28-day delivery window.
Does having a TFN change when I can access Centrelink payments?
No — those are separate tests. The Home Affairs employment page states that, generally, you cannot receive a social security payment until you have lived in Australia as a permanent resident for up to four years, and that age and disability pensions are available to those who have lived here for 10 years. Refugees and humanitarian entrants do not need to wait. If you face severe hardship during the waiting period from a major change beyond your control, you may be eligible for Special Benefit, though an inability to find a job does not by itself qualify.
I forgot my TFN or lost the letter. What now?
Record your number somewhere secure as soon as the letter arrives, since you will need it for each job and each tax return.