Get Job Ready • TFNs explained • Super for students • How to check payslips • Getting a summer job • Dropping da facts on tax An all-in-one pack for students
3 things you need on the first day of a new job A Tax File Number (TFN) Everyone needs a tax file number when they work. Without a TFN, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) taxes you at a higher rate. 1 When you start your new job, you will need to remember to bring three important documents. You can organise these well before you get the job. This means you can rock up looking super prepared on your first day of work! So… your boss can pay your tax on your behalf. A superannuation (super) account Your employer is generally required to pay you an extra 12% of your wages into your super account. A bank account Your boss will ask for your bank account details. You can nominate any Australian bank account. 2 3 So… your boss can pay your super. So… your boss can pay you!
What is a Tax File Number? A Tax File Number (TFN) connects you to the Australian tax and superannuation system. It’s basically your “member number” at the ATO. ATO stands for "Australian Taxation Office". Once you have a TFN, it’s yours for life - so, it’s important to keep this safe. You can apply well before you start your first job. You can apply for a TFN at any age. Why do you need one? Your boss pays your tax on your behalf. It is important that they have your TFN, so when you lodge your tax return, your tax has been correctly attributed to you. Also, without a TFN, the ATO will charge you more tax. How do you apply? 1.Online You need to be at least 15 years old and have a passport for this method. 2.Via Australia Post Complete an online form first and then book an appointment an Australia Post outlet. Bring your forms and original identity documents. 3.Via mail Complete an online form first, then get copies of your identity documents certified (never send in your original documents) and follow the mailing directions on the pack. 4.Via Centrelink (Services Australia) centre If you are current Centrelink customer, complete an online form. Then bring your completed forms and original identity documents to your local Centrelink centre. ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/tax-file-number/apply-for-a-tfn How do I get a Tax File Number? 1
It’s your money 2What is superannuation (super)? Super is extra money paid by your employer, on top of your wages, for you to access in the future. A super fund invests this money for you. When you start your first job, you can select a super fund, or rely on your boss using the ATO to select your 'stapled fund', or use their default fund if you don't have an account set up. When you change jobs, the fund is ‘stapled’ to you by the ATO, using your tax file number. This means your new boss can start paying super into the same account unless you ask them to pay your super to a different fund. When am I eligible for super? Almost every working Australian over 18 has to be paid super. If you are under 18, you'll need to be working over 30 hours in a week. A super fund for students Check out studentsuper.com.au - it’s a super fund specifically built for students. Student Super has zero admin fees for members with balances under $1,000. It also has zero fees for zero balances - which means you can open an account before you start a new job. Once you’re a member, you have access to the pre-filled super choice form to hand to your boss! studentsuper.com.au Super... See the Fees & discounts page and PDS for details.
Bank details 3 1 • Check your pay period is correct. • Check your hours match what you worked. • Check your hourly rate is correct. • Check the total pay is correct Hours x Rate = Your Pay $. • YTD just means “Year to Date” so what you have been paid in a financial year (July 1 - June 30). 1. Tax withheld calculator https://www.ato.gov.au/Calculators-and-tools/Tax-withheld-calculator 2. Super calculator https://moneysmart.gov.au/grow-your-super/employer-contributions-calculator 3. Employer contributions https://www.studentsuper.com.au/employer-contributions It’s ok to ask! If you don’t understand your payslip… just speak to your boss or payroll officer. Politely ask them to explain how they make the calculations. On your first day, you will bring your bank details. Make sure you have: 1. Account name (your name) 2. BSB - this is always 6 digits 3. Account number • PAYG is “Pay As You Go”. This is the tax your boss will take out of your wages to pay the tax office on your behalf. • Your tax rate will be different depending on a number of factors. You can use a tax calculator from the ATO here.1 2 • Check the super fund is the one you nominated. • Check if you should be receiving super in this month. You can use a super calculator here.2 • Super money is paid into your super account. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super will come into effect.3 • Payslips DON'T show that your super is actually paid. Only logging into your super account will confirm payment. 3 • Check that your bank details are correct. • Check that your final pay amount is what you see in your bank account. It will be Gross Wages - Tax = Your Pay $. 4 How you check your payslip Learn how to read your payslip so you know you’re being paid correctly. Here’s an example: Wages Tax Super Your pay details
Start applying now. Companies start hiring from September through to October. But some jobs are still available in November. Start looking for job openings on: summerjobs.com.au Source - Survey conducted by Summerjobs.com.au. Total 403 respondents. More results at https://summerjobs.com.au/blog/we-asked-403-people-help-you-get-a-christmas-casual-job How to get a summer job Summerjobs.com.au surveyed 403 students who had a summer job to answer commonly asked questions. Here are their tips to help you land a summer job. 1. “Who is hiring during the Christmas period?” Most jobs are in retail - but a good handful of jobs are in hospitality and warehouse work. So, go where the jobs are! 2. “I don’t have any experience….” This is the best time to be applying. It’s busier during the festive season, so naturally companies need to quickly hire and train up more staff to help. It's the perfect time to build experience. 3. “Should I only apply for one job?” Of our students, 32% applied for 3 or less jobs, and 37% applied for 10+ jobs. The lesson here is to build resilience and keep trying, but don’t simply blast your resume everywhere. Be mindful where you are applying, because employers really love it when you really want to work specifically for them. 4. “Where do I even start finding positions?” Here’s a secret. 67% of students used online websites such as summerjobs.com.au to find job openings! But 30% of students asked family and friends. So, don’t be shy to ask around.
Who pays for things like roads, the army, police, hospitals and public schools? We all do. Everyone in Australia chips in and pays for these through the tax system - it’s how our government gets money. What’s income tax? When you get paid for work, you have to pay, by law, a percentage of your income to the government. Who collects income tax? The ATO, the Australian Tax Office. Their website is surprisingly helpful: ato.gov.au. The government isn’t dumb. They could have designed a system where they just send you a tax bill at the end of each year and ask you to pay… Imagine what would happen. Everyone would be “Oh… ummm can I pay next month? I don’t have that money right now”. So, how does it work? The government created a system so you pay your tax before it is even given to you! Smart… your employer sets it aside when you get paid, and later sends it to the ATO. What’s a TFN? A “tax file number” is your member number at the ATO. You only have one to keep for life. Your boss will send your tax to the ATO along with your TFN, so the ATO knows who the tax belongs to. Your employer will ask you for your TFN on your first day. If you don’t tell them, the ATO requires you to pay 47% tax!! So make sure you fill in the “Tax File Number Nomination Form”. You can even get the form on the ATO website 1 and fill it in before you start. How do I know if my tax is paid? Your boss should give you a pay slip each time you are paid. It shows how much money your boss has set aside to pay to the ATO for you. It doesn’t mean it’s been paid. You don’t have to worry if your boss actually paid it or not. It’s now the tax office’s money, and they chase your employer if they didn’t actually pay it. They regard you as having paid it, if your boss held it back from your pay. How much tax will I pay? There is no single percentage that applies to everyone. The percentage gets higher the higher your income. The government sets out brackets of income, and has a percent you pay for each. The first bracket is 100% tax free! Taxable income $1 – $18,200 $18,201 – $45,000 $45,001 – $135,000 $135,001 – $190,000 $190,001 and over Current as at 01/07/2025. Income tax rates are subject to change, this is current for the financial year 2025-26 (1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026).2 What is the “tax-free threshold”? Everyone freaks out a bit when they get asked “Do you want to claim the tax-free threshold?” on the Tax File Number Declaration Form. You fill this form in every time you start a new job. If you are working two jobs at the same time, you can only claim this with one job. If you don’t tick the box - your employer will assume you earn over $18,200 at another job, and start your tax from your first dollar of income. Don’t worry too much - if you get it wrong, it all gets sorted out when you lodge your tax return. If you ended up paying too much tax, you could get a refund at the end of the financial year. What is the “cash economy” Sometimes you will be offered “cash jobs”. Think about it - if you get paid in cash (not through a bank account) you could hide the income from the government… and avoid paying your tax! You are a genius… except, you’re not. It’s completely illegal. Plus it is immoral - everyone chips in to pay for community resources. Why do some bosses offer you cash? If you don’t get a payslip showing tax and super, they could be paying you less than they are required to pay you. If you normally get paid $25 an hour (of which after-tax you keep, say… $20), a cash job might offer you only $22 an hour, and won’t pay you any super. Just remember, this is illegal. What’s a tax return? At the end of the financial year (June 30), the ATO asks you to list all your income for the financial year (e.g. July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026). They then look up how much tax you actually paid, and either give you a refund or a bill. If you are connected to the ATO on your myGov account, you can lodge a tax return electronically on the my.gov.au website. Individuals have until Oct 31 to complete their tax return. The ATO has info on lodging your first tax return here.3 Why do young people often get a refund? Young people often work for short periods - like over summer. But also have periods when they don’t work. If you have a summer job, your boss calculates your tax by estimating your annual income. To do this, they have to assume you work the same hours for 52 weeks a year. But often you aren’t working 52 weeks, so your estimate of annual income is too high, then you end up paying too much tax. However, when you do your tax return, the ATO gets the real number and realises if you paid too much, and sends you a refund! 1. Tax file number declaration - https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/tfn-declaration 2. ATO Individual tax rates, current 2025-26 - https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/tax-ratesaustralian-residents 3. Lodging your first tax return - https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/your-tax-return/howto-lodge-your-tax-return/lodging-your-first-tax-return The information which is summarised above does not constitute taxation, financial or other professional advice and is general in nature. DROPPING DA FACTS ON TAX If you enjoy the content, check out studentsuper.com.au/learning-hub Tax on this income Zero 16c for each $1 over $18,200 $4,288 + 30c for each $1 over $45,000 $31,288 + 37c for each $1 over $135,000 $51,638 + 45c for each $1 over $190,000
Some of the content in this document is financial information. This is general information only and does not take account of your individual investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on it, consider if the information is appropriate and whether you need to speak to an accredited professional. You should also consider the Student Super Product Disclosure Statement, Reference Guide, Financial Services Guide and Target Market Determination before making any decision in relation to Student Super. This product is issued by Diversa Trustees Limited (ABN 49 006 421 638; AFSL No. 235153; RSE Licence L0000635) as trustee for Professional Super which is a sub-fund of OneSuper (ABN 43 905 581 638; RSE R1001341). Professional Superannuation Management Pty Ltd (ABN 31 617 160 791; AFSL No. 499786) (PSM) is the Promoter of Professional Super which is marketed under multiple brands including Student Super and Professional Super. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. This pack is produced by Student Services Australia in conjunction with StudentSuper.com.au. studentservices.com.au studentsuper.com.au We are keen to improve this pack! If you have ideas or feedback, email jenny@studentservices.com.au. A super fund for students Check out studentsuper.com.au - it’s a super fund specifically built for students. Student Super has zero admin fees for members with balances under $1,000. It also has zero fees for zero balances - which means you can open an account before you start a new job. Once you’re a member, you have access to the pre-filled super choice form to hand to your boss! studentsuper.com.au See the Fees & discounts page and PDS for details.
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