Find out how much you are getting back. Enter your income, the tax already withheld and what you are claiming, and see your estimated refund straight away.
Deductions come back at your marginal rate, not dollar for dollar.
| Deductions | Refund | Extra back |
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A refund is your own money coming back because too much was withheld. The only honest way to increase it is to claim everything you are genuinely entitled to, and to have the records to back it up. The ATO data matches your income statement automatically, so the deductions side is where the difference is made.
Work expenses your employer did not reimburse, directly related to earning your income. You need a record for anything over $300 in total.
The ATO fixed rate method covers electricity, internet and phone in one cents per hour figure. You need a diary of your actual hours.
Income protection premiums, union or professional fees, self-education, donations over $2 to registered charities, and the cost of managing your tax affairs.
31 October if you lodge yourself. Most electronic returns are processed in about two weeks.
There is no single figure that applies to you, and any site quoting one is guessing. Your refund depends entirely on the gap between what your employer withheld and what you actually owe, which is driven by your income, your deductions and whether you had any untaxed income. Two people on the same salary can have very different refunds.
Only by claiming deductions you are genuinely entitled to and can substantiate. A deduction reduces your taxable income, so it comes back at your marginal rate: on a 32% rate, $100 of deductions is worth about $32. Commonly missed ones are working from home hours, income protection premiums, union and professional fees, self-education, and the fee you paid a tax agent last year.
If your total work related claims come to $300 or less you do not need written evidence, but you must still have actually spent the money and be able to explain how you worked it out. Above $300 you need records for the whole amount, not just the excess. Car and home office claims have their own record keeping rules.
Most returns lodged electronically are processed within about two weeks. Paper returns take considerably longer. Lodging in the first week of July is often slower rather than faster, because your employer may not have finalised your income statement and your bank and health fund data has not prefilled yet, which increases the chance of a review.
It means you lent the government money interest free all year. If you consistently get a large refund and it is not driven by deductions, your withholding may be higher than it needs to be. That said, most people prefer the lump sum, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Estimate only. This Tax Refund Calculator assumes an Australian resident with salary or wage income. It does not include dividends and franking credits, capital gains, the Medicare levy surcharge, the private health insurance rebate, SAPTO, or business income. Your actual assessment comes from the ATO once you lodge.
It is general information, not tax advice. For advice on your circumstances, speak to a
registered tax agent.
Rates last verified: 9 September 2026.
