Australia NRI Guide

Your Australia NRI Toolkit

Setting up as an Indian professional in Australia means juggling TFN, Medicare, Super, and a bank account within the first weeks — while keeping your Indian affairs FEMA-compliant. NRIWallah brings the tools and country-specific facts together.

First 30 days in Australia — practical priority list

1. Tax File Number (TFN) — apply online on the ATO site within a week of arrival. Without it your employer must withhold 47% from every paycheck.
2. Bank account — Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ, NAB open accounts before arrival for migrants; Up, ING, and Macquarie are competitive online options once you’re here.
3. Medicare — Indian visitors don’t qualify unless you’re on a permanent visa or a Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement country (India isn’t one). Most NRIs need OVHC until PR.
4. Superannuation — your employer pays 11.5% (rising to 12% from 1 July 2025) into a super fund. Pick a fund yourself or accept the employer default.
5. Convert Indian accounts to NRO — FEMA requirement once you become a non-resident. See our NRI banking guide .
6. MyGov + ATO + Medicare linking — does most of your government admin in one place once set up.

Tax & DTAA — the high-impact bits

• Tax year runs 1 July to 30 June (different from both India’s April-March and the calendar year).
• Residency tests: 183-day rule + domicile + ordinary residence + superannuation test — multiple tests, you only need to fail one to be a non-resident. Worth getting professional advice in your first year.
• Tax-free threshold: AUD 18,200 for residents; non-residents are taxed from the first dollar.
• Tax rates: 0-45% progressive + 2% Medicare levy. Non-residents start at 30%.
• India-Australia DTAA is in force — declare Indian rental, FD interest, MF gains on your Australian return and claim foreign tax credit. Use our DTAA estimator .
• NRE FD interest is tax-free in India but fully taxable in Australia — common surprise.
• CGT discount: 50% on assets held >12 months as resident. Important when planning when to sell Indian shares.

Superannuation — including DASP for leavers

• Concessional cap: AUD 30,000/year (employer + salary sacrifice). Beyond that you pay the higher marginal rate.
• Preservation age: 60 for everyone born after 1 July 1964.
• DASP (Departing Australia Superannuation Payment): if you leave Australia permanently on a temporary visa, you can withdraw your super. Tax: 35% for taxed elements, 65% for working-holiday visa holders. PR/citizen holders cannot use DASP.

Buying Indian property from Australia

• AUD wires to India under LRS-equivalent rules from Australia are uncapped, but bank reporting kicks in above AUD 10,000.
• FIRB doesn’t apply to Indian property — Foreign Investment Review Board only governs foreign investment into Australia.
• Use our RERA verifier before signing on a remote-bought Indian project — RERA registration is the bare minimum due diligence.

Returning to India?

• File a final ATO return for the year of departure.
• Withdraw DASP if on a temporary visa; PR holders must wait for preservation age.
• HECS-HELP debt follows you — the ATO chases worldwide income for repayment.
• Use our RNOR tracker — RNOR can shield Australian-source income from Indian tax for up to 3 financial years after return.

Indian community in Australia

Major NRI clusters: Sydney (finance, IT), Melbourne (education, services), Brisbane (engineering, mining-services), Perth (mining, energy), Adelaide (healthcare). High Commission is in Canberra; Consulates General in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.