Tax return deadline 2026 | OneCall Melbourne

If you worked in Australia at any time between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 and you are doing your own tax return, you have until 11:59 pm on Monday 2 November 2026 to lodge it. The usual 31 October deadline falls on a Saturday this year, so the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has confirmed the extra two days in a reminder published on 19 October. This affects most international students in Melbourne who had a casual or part-time job last financial year, including anyone who only worked a few shifts.

Why this matters even if you earned very little

A lot of students skip the tax return because they think they did not earn enough. That is often a mistake, and the ATO says so directly. If your employer took tax out of your pay, you need to lodge, even if your total income was under the tax-free threshold of $18,200. In that situation the return usually gives the tax back to you as a refund. The ATO's page on non-lodgment advice puts it plainly: earn under $18,200, pay $1 or more in tax, and you must lodge to get that money back.

Many international students are Australian residents for tax purposes. The ATO's Studying in Australia page says that if you are enrolled in a course that runs for six months or more, you may be a resident for tax. That is good news. It means you get the tax-free threshold and the same tax rates as everyone else. For 2025-26 the resident rates are nil on the first $18,200, then 16 cents in the dollar up to $45,000. Most students who worked within the visa work limits sit inside those two bands.

If you only arrived part-way through the year, your tax-free threshold is smaller than $18,200. The ATO works that out for you when you lodge.

What the ATO said this week

The 19 October release has a few details worth knowing:

About 2 million people who prepare their own return had still not lodged.
For simple returns, the ATO says lodging through myTax takes about 8 minutes on average, because most income details are already pre-filled.
If you owe tax, lodging late does not move your payment date. For self-preparers that date is generally 21 November.
Late lodgment can lead to a failure to lodge penalty of up to $1,820.
If you plan to use a tax agent, you need to be on their client list by 31 October. Registered agents have their own lodgment program with later due dates, but only for clients who are already on their books.

On the penalty, the ATO's own failure to lodge page says it generally does not fine people for a one-off late return, and it generally does not issue a penalty when the late return ends in a refund or a nil result. It will usually warn you first. So do not panic if you are a few days late. But do not treat that as a reason to leave it.

What to do now

Sign in to myGov and make sure the ATO is linked. If you have never linked it, do this first. It can take a little while to verify your identity.
Open myTax through ATO online services and select Manage tax returns. Your employer's income statement, bank interest and other details should already be pre-filled.
Check every pre-filled employer. If you had three casual jobs, all three should be there. If one is missing, ask that employer whether they have finalised your income statement.
Answer the residency question honestly. If your course is six months or longer, read the ATO's residency examples before you choose.
Only claim deductions you can back up with records. The ATO's release this week warned about unregistered preparers who promise big refunds and inflate claims. If someone offers to do your return for a fee, check they are on the Tax Practitioners Board register first. Only a registered tax agent can legally charge you.
Enter your Australian bank account details so the refund can be paid. The ATO says most myTax refunds are issued within about two weeks.
If you did not work at all and no tax was withheld, you probably do not need to lodge. In that case submit a non-lodgment advice through myGov so the ATO stops sending reminders.

The Medicare levy point many students miss

Resident tax rates do not include the 2 per cent Medicare levy. If you were not entitled to Medicare benefits during the year, you may be able to claim a full exemption from that levy through your tax return. To do that you need a Medicare Entitlement Statement from Services Australia, and the ATO's exemption page says you should wait for the statement before you lodge. Services Australia can take up to eight weeks to process it.

That timing is awkward if you have not applied yet. If the levy makes a real difference to your result, one option the ATO describes is to engage a registered tax agent before 31 October, which can give you a later lodgment date under their program. Talk to a registered agent about what is right for you.

If you are leaving Australia soon

Your tax return does not disappear when you fly home. The ATO has a page on lodging before you leave. If you are leaving permanently part-way through a financial year, you may be able to lodge early on paper. For the 2025-26 year that has already ended, you simply lodge in the normal way. You can use myTax from overseas as long as your myGov sign-in works outside Australia and you keep an Australian bank account open for the refund. If your Student visa is finishing, our guide on what to do when your student visa is ending covers the money side, including this.

Questions people ask

I earned $9,000 at a cafe and they took tax out. Do I need to lodge?

Yes. Your income is under the tax-free threshold, but tax was withheld, so the ATO requires a return. In most cases like this the withheld tax comes back to you as a refund.

Can I still lodge after 2 November?

You can, and you should. A late return is better than no return. The ATO says it usually does not penalise isolated late lodgments, and it generally does not fine you if the return results in a refund. If you expect to owe money, the payment is still due around 21 November regardless of when you lodge.

I had an ABN for food delivery. Does that change anything?

Yes. The ATO says you cannot submit a non-lodgment advice if you had an active ABN during the year. You need to lodge a return even if the result is nil, and you declare the delivery income in the business section of myTax.

Where OneCall Melbourne fits in

OneCall Melbourne is not a tax agent and cannot do your return. What we can do is help with the bigger decisions that sit around it. If your visa is ending and you are working out your next step, or you want to move into support work where regular pay makes tax time simpler, talk to one of the education consultants we work with through OneCall Melbourne or call 0413 599 209. And if you have not opened myGov in months, do it tonight. Eight minutes now is easier than a reminder letter later.

Sources

General information only, checked against the official sources above on the day it was written. It is not migration advice: only a registered migration agent or a lawyer can give you that.