Complete guide to managing your taxes and Superannuation before leaving Australia

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Leaving Australia? Essential guide for your tax and superannuation

Before you leave Australia, make sure you will still be able to access your myGov account, your ATO online services and your superannuation from overseas. This guide summarises the key steps so you don’t lose access to your money.

  • Step 1 – Prepare your myGov access from outside Australia.
  • Step 2 – Download and save your Notice of Assessment.
  • Step 3 – Get your superannuation ready to claim it (DASP).
  • Step 4 – Check that your personal details match exactly everywhere.
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Person preparing to leave Australia while organising tax and superannuation

The myGov portal is essential to manage your Tax Return from overseas. One of the most common issues once you leave is that login codes are sent by SMS to your Australian phone number.

To avoid this, it is highly recommended to set up the MyGov Code Generator app before you leave Australia:

  • Set up the code generator app so you don’t depend on SMS.
  • Link your ATO online services to your myGov account.
  • Test logging in using only the code generator app before you travel.
Set up MyGov Code Generator Sign in to myGov

If you skip this step and lose your Australian number, recovering access to myGov from overseas can become a very slow and complicated process.

Your Notice of Assessment is the official summary of your Tax Return in Australia. You may need it later if you have to review or amend a Tax Return once you are back in your home country.

To download it from myGov:

  • Sign in to myGov and open the ATO online services.
  • Go to Tax > Lodgments > Income Tax > History.
  • Download your Notice of Assessment as a PDF.
  • Store it in a safe place (for example, in the cloud and on an external drive).

If you have more than one notice (for example, after an amendment), make sure you always keep the latest updated version.

Even if you withdraw your superannuation, this does not stop you from coming back to Australia on another visa in the future. What matters is that you prepare the documentation properly so you can lodge your DASP (super refund) from your home country.

At a minimum, check the following:

  • You know which superannuation fund or funds hold your money.
  • Your temporary visa has been cancelled or is about to expire.
  • You have your member numbers and fund contact details handy.

Documents it’s a good idea to prepare before you fly:

  • Certified copies of your passport in English, signed by an authorised person (police officer, Peace Commissioner, consulate, etc.).
  • Australian bank statements showing your name, BSB and account number.

If you want to get an idea of how much you could receive, use our superannuation refund calculator before starting the process.

To avoid blocks and delays when claiming your superannuation, your full legal name must match exactly in:

  • Your ATO profile (inside myGov).
  • All of your superannuation accounts.
  • Your passport (given name, middle name if any, and all surnames).

When names don’t match, some funds may refuse to release the money and it can become very difficult to recover it. A good practice is to leave one set of certified copies in your home country and another set with someone you trust in Australia.

If you have already left Australia and don’t have everything prepared, contact us and we will review your options depending on your country and situation.

Keep your tax and superannuation under control before you fly

If you prepare your departure from Australia properly, you will be able to manage your Tax Return and claim your superannuation from anywhere in the world without wasting time or money.

With access to myGov, your Notice of Assessment downloaded and your super documentation ready, you will have everything important at hand once you are back home.

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