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Overdue Tax Returns

Working holiday visa holders and backpackers: lodging late Australian tax returns from overseas

Reviewed by Patrick Sargent CA, Registered Tax Agent 26188040Published 21 September 2026 · Last reviewed 21 September 20266 min read

ATO late lodgement penalty: up to $364 per 28 days, capped at $1,820 per document · interest 11.43% p.a. compounding daily · See how to remit them →

Plenty of people finish a working holiday in Australia, fly home, and only later wonder what happened to the tax that came out of every pay. Sometimes it is years later. The good news is that leaving the country does not end the matter, and it does not prevent you from sorting it out.

Returns can be lodged from overseas, and where too much was withheld, a refund can result. If you have overdue tax returns from a working holiday, here is how it works.

How working holiday makers are taxed

Working holiday makers are taxed at specific working holiday maker rates, and those rates apply from the first dollar earned. There is no portion of income that sits outside them the way people often assume from reading about resident tax arrangements.

That matters when you are working out whether a refund is likely, because the comparison that decides it is between what was withheld from your pay and what is actually assessed at working holiday maker rates. Where the withholding was higher than the assessment, the difference comes back.

Lodging from overseas

Returns can be lodged from overseas. Being in another country, another time zone, or several years past the year in question does not stop a return being lodged for it.

This is worth stressing because a lot of former working holiday makers assume the window closed when their flight left. It did not. If you have been living abroad for some time and have other Australian years outstanding too, the guide on late tax returns while living overseas covers the wider picture for expats and non-residents.

When a refund results

A refund can result where too much was withheld. That is common enough for people who worked several short jobs across a year, because withholding across multiple employers does not always line up neatly with the final assessment.

Until the return is lodged, any such refund simply sits unclaimed. Lodging is the only way to find out which way it falls, and the guide on lodging late when you are owed a refund covers what to expect.

Your superannuation is a separate claim

If you worked in Australia, superannuation was very likely paid into a fund for you. That money is dealt with separately from your tax return: it can be claimed as a departing Australia superannuation payment after you have left the country.

Two things follow from that. First, lodging your tax return does not claim your super, and claiming your super does not lodge your return - they are two separate pieces of work. Second, people who only ever did one of them usually still have the other outstanding, which is worth checking if you are already going back through old Australian paperwork.

What to do if you are behind

Sorting out a working holiday backlog from overseas

  1. Work out which Australian years are outstanding

    A registered tax agent can see your lodgement position with the ATO, including years you may have forgotten you worked.

  2. Recover the income and withholding data

    The ATO generally holds what your Australian employers reported, so a lost payslip from a farm job years ago is usually not the obstacle.

  3. Lodge the returns from wherever you are

    Everything is handled by email and secure e-signature, so your location and time zone do not matter.

  4. Deal with your super separately

    A departing Australia superannuation payment is claimed after leaving Australia, independently of the tax return.

There is no judgment in any of this. Working holidays are busy, chaotic and full of short-term jobs, and tax returns are not what anyone is thinking about at the time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I lodge an Australian tax return after leaving the country?
Yes. Returns can be lodged from overseas, so having left Australia does not prevent outstanding years being lodged.
How was I taxed on a working holiday visa?
Working holiday makers are taxed at specific working holiday maker rates, applying from the first dollar earned.
Will I get a refund?
A refund can result where too much was withheld from your pay. Whether that applies depends on how your withholding compares with the amount assessed, which is only settled when the return is lodged.
Is my superannuation part of my tax return?
No. Superannuation can be claimed as a departing Australia superannuation payment after you leave Australia, which is separate from lodging your tax return.

TaxNudge is a registered tax agent specialising in overdue tax returns, late BAS and ATO debt for individuals and small businesses. Fixed fees, zero judgment.

General information only - not personal tax, financial or legal advice. Consider your own circumstances or speak to a registered tax agent. Remission of penalties or interest and payment plans are decisions of the ATO and outcomes can't be guaranteed.

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