2 questions about the tax I paid in Australia.

CM24

So I lived in Melbourne/Sydney for 2 years. Been back home around 8 months now. It seems like Westpac have closed down my bank account, probably due to inactivity.

When I log in, I can only see my Super account, but nothing from my main account. Can't see any of my old statements or transactions or anything.

Now, I'm still due to reclaim the tax that I paid for the last year over there. It's about 3 grand worth. It's overdue by now, should have done it earlier. I'm afraid to start the online reclaim process because, what happens if they send the money to a closed bank account?

Also, does anyone know if I can find proof of the tax I paid/reclaimed for the 2014/2015 tax year? Would I have to ring the accountants office or can I find it online somewhere?

If anyone can shed any light on these, that would be great.

aido79

CM24 wrote: »

So I lived in Melbourne/Sydney for 2 years. Been back home around 8 months now. It seems like Westpac have closed down my bank account, probably due to inactivity.

When I log in, I can only see my Super account, but nothing from my main account. Can't see any of my old statements or transactions or anything.

Now, I'm still due to reclaim the tax that I paid for the last year over there. It's about 3 grand worth. It's overdue by now, should have done it earlier. I'm afraid to start the online reclaim process because, what happens if they send the money to a closed bank account?

Also, does anyone know if I can find proof of the tax I paid/reclaimed for the 2014/2015 tax year? Would I have to ring the accountants office or can I find it online somewhere?

If anyone can shed any light on these, that would be great.

Do you have a Mygov account? If not you should look at setting one up. It's the easiest way to do all of this online.
You should be able to contact the ATO to check how much tax you paid.

Mellor

FYI you can't claim back any legitimate tax you paid. Only the amount of tax that you overpaid, after adjustments.
Its an important difference that people leave out when talking about claiming tack back.

Mellor

FYI you can't claim back any legitimate tax you paid. Only the amount of tax that you overpaid, after adjustments.
Its an important difference that people leave out when talking about claiming tack back.

CM24

Hmm. I definitely claimed the majority of my tax back from the 14/15 tax year. I went to an accountant in Sydney and he sorted it out for me. Maybe you're only eligible to do that when you're on a Working Holiday Visa, like I was?

Anyway, I'm still in the process of sorting this out. Had to open a new bank account since I rang Westpac and they said I couldn't re-open my old one. Now I'm waiting on my old employers to send me on P45s but they're taking their time with it!

Wasting a lot of credit, calling from Ireland and constantly by getting put on hold!

I'll let you know how I get on.

Mellor

CM24 wrote: »

Hmm. I definitely claimed the majority of my tax back from the 14/15 tax year. I went to an accountant in Sydney and he sorted it out for me. Maybe you're only eligible to do that when you're on a Working Holiday Visa, like I was?

That's still getting back the excess you paid towards tax during the year, after adjusting for expenses. Nobody is tax exempt, WHV, non-australian etc. People on lower incomes tend to be more likely to overpay, and if you earn very little you tax due could be zero.

I'm just pointing this out as tax accountants never seam to explain this to people. They tend to keep the myth of claiming back tax going as it benefits them.

If you know what you earned and contributed to tax, you can work out your tax due in the ATO website in a few minutes. If you have a copy of your tax return from last you you could match the expenses (take that amount off the total earnings) to have a rough idea of what you can claim back.

aido79

CM24 wrote: »

Hmm. I definitely claimed the majority of my tax back from the 14/15 tax year. I went to an accountant in Sydney and he sorted it out for me. Maybe you're only eligible to do that when you're on a Working Holiday Visa, like I was?

Anyway, I'm still in the process of sorting this out. Had to open a new bank account since I rang Westpac and they said I couldn't re-open my old one. Now I'm waiting on my old employers to send me on P45sPAYG payment summaries but they're taking their time with it!

Wasting a lot of credit, calling from Ireland and constantly by getting put on hold!

I'll let you know how I get on.

If you are finding it really hard to get PAYG payment summaries from employers you can request them from the ato:
https://www.ato.gov.au/Forms/Copies-of-tax-documents-request---individuals/

skippy2

Wasting a lot of credit, calling from Ireland and constantly by getting put on hold!


Use Skype to make your calls a whole lot cheaper...........