A tax file number is the first piece of paperwork most people need in Australia – before the first pay, before the bank interest, before the super fund will take a personal contribution. Without it, your employer must withhold 47% of your wages. Applying is free, usually takes less than 28 days, and for Australian citizens with a myID can be done in minutes.

This guide walks through the ATO’s current application pathways – Australian citizens with a Strong Digital ID, other Australian residents, foreign passport holders and temporary visa holders, children, and people living outside Australia – the identity documents each requires, what happens while you wait, and how to protect the number once you have it. It is checked against the ATO’s apply for a TFN pages and its proof of identity instructions.

It is written for new arrivals, international students, young people starting their first job, and anyone who has let a TFN lapse into a drawer somewhere. If you have recently arrived in Australia, our TFN registration service for new arrivals can handle the application with you.

TFN application pathways at a glance

You are…	How to apply	Identity documents	Processing
Australian citizen, 15 or older, with a Strong myID	Online through myGov using “Continue with Digital ID”	Australian passport plus one of: citizenship certificate, driver licence or learner permit, Medicare card (verified in myID)	Usually straight away; otherwise up to 28 days
Australian resident (any age), including citizens without myID	Online form then interview at a participating Australia Post outlet within 30 days; or in person at Services Australia; or paper form NAT 1432 by post	3 documents if 16 or over (at least one primary); 2 if under 16; originals in person, certified copies by post	Within 28 days of the ATO receiving the completed application
Foreign passport holder, permanent migrant or temporary visitor in Australia with a work-rights visa	Online form for foreign passport holders (ATO checks your visa with Home Affairs)	Passport or travel document linked to your visa – nothing to send	Within 28 days, posted to your Australian address
Person living outside Australia with Australian income	Paper form for people living outside Australia, posted with certified copies	Certified copies only – never originals	Within 28 days of receipt
Norfolk Island resident unable to apply online	In person at the Office of the Administrator, Kingston	Original identity documents	Within 28 days

Source: ATO, Apply for a TFN and its pathway pages; TFN application or enquiry for individuals – instructions. Checked 7 October 2026.

What is a tax file number and why you need one

The ATO describes a TFN as “your personal reference number in the tax and superannuation systems” and notes it “is yours for life – you keep your TFN even if you change jobs or name.” It is a nine-digit number, and it is what lets your employer withhold the right amount of tax, your super fund accept and tax your contributions properly, the ATO match your income statement to your return, and Services Australia pay you benefits.

You are not legally obliged to have one. The ATO is candid about the consequence of going without: “You don’t have to have a TFN, but without one, your employer or financial institution must withhold more tax from payments they make to you.” In practice that means 47 cents in every dollar of wages and interest until you supply the number – recoverable when you lodge a return, but a painful cash-flow hit in the meantime. Sole traders and gig workers also need a TFN before they can get an ABN.

How to apply: the five pathways

1. Australian citizens with a Strong myID (15 and over)

The fastest route. Set up the myID app (the Australian Government’s Digital ID, renamed from myGovID in November 2024) to Strong identity strength by verifying your Australian passport and one other document – citizenship certificate, driver licence or learner permit, or Medicare card. Then sign in to myGov, choose “Continue with Digital ID” and complete the TFN application. The ATO says “in most cases, you should receive your TFN straight away”; if it needs to check anything, allow up to 28 days. If you cannot reach Strong strength, use pathway 2.

2. Australian residents – Australia Post, Services Australia or post

Australian residents can apply at any age. The most common route is to complete the online form, print the application summary with its reference number, and attend a participating Australia Post outlet within 30 days with your original identity documents, where you sign the application. Alternatively apply in person at a Services Australia service centre with your original documents, or post the paper form (NAT 1432) with certified copies. The ATO’s benchmark for all three: “You should receive your TFN within 28 days from when we receive your completed application.”

3. Foreign passport holders, permanent migrants and temporary visitors

If you are in Australia on a visa with work rights that is linked to your passport – students, Temporary Skill Shortage and Skills in Demand visa holders, graduates, working holiday makers, partners – use the ATO’s online form for foreign passport holders. “You will not need to send documents to us”: the ATO verifies your visa with the Department of Home Affairs. The TFN is posted to your Australian address within 28 days, so make sure the address is one you can receive mail at for the next month. You must be in Australia when you apply.

4. Children under 16

There is no separate form; children apply as Australian residents through Australia Post, Services Australia or by post, with two identity documents (at least one primary, such as a full birth certificate or passport). A parent or guardian who signs the application must provide their own full name and identity documents or TFN, the child’s documents, and a document showing the relationship. Children need a TFN once they have a job or investment income above $420 a year, because interest above that level is otherwise taxed at the top rate.

5. People living outside Australia

If you live overseas but have Australian-sourced income – rent, dividends, a pension – you apply with the paper form for people living outside Australia, posted with certified copies of your documents. “Do not send us your original documents as they will not be returned to you.” Allow 28 days from receipt.

Identity documents

For the paper, Australia Post and Services Australia pathways the ATO’s instructions require three documents if you are 16 or over and two if you are under 16, with at least one primary document in each case. Primary documents are an Australian full birth certificate (an extract is not accepted), an Australian passport, an Australian citizenship certificate or extract from the Register of Citizenship by Descent, or a foreign passport. Secondary documents include a Medicare card, a bank statement less than a year old, a current Australian driver licence or learner permit, a state or territory proof of age or photo card, a current photo student ID, or a current Australian firearm licence. Names must match across documents; if they do not, bring the marriage certificate or change-of-name document that links them.

Starting work before your TFN arrives

You can work while you wait. Complete the TFN declaration your employer gives you (online through myGov under Employment, through the employer’s onboarding system, or on paper) and indicate that you have applied. The ATO’s instruction to employers is explicit: “If they still haven’t given you their TFN within 28 days, you must withhold at the top tax rate plus Medicare” – 47% for a resident employee and 45% for a foreign resident. Any excess withheld is credited back when you lodge your tax return, but it may be months away. Apply first, start work second.

Who you should – and should not – give your TFN to

The ATO says to “only disclose your TFN to people and organisations that require it for legitimate reasons.” That list is short: the ATO itself, your employer when you start work (via the TFN declaration), your bank or financial institution, your superannuation fund, and your university or higher education provider for HELP loans. Your registered tax agent will also hold it. Nobody else needs it: not a landlord, a phone company, a prospective employer before you are hired, or anyone who contacts you by phone or email asking you to “confirm” it. The ATO’s cyber-safety advice is blunt: “Don’t share them with others, including in emails, to prospective employers or on social media.”

Banks and super funds

Quoting your TFN to a bank is optional – “it is your choice”, in the ATO’s words – but if you do not, “an amount will be withheld from your interest and other investment income at the top rate of tax plus Medicare levy”, which you then claim back through your return. For superannuation the stakes are higher: a fund without your TFN pays an additional 32% tax on your employer contributions on top of the standard 15%, cannot accept personal contributions from you, and makes it harder to find and consolidate your accounts. Employers must give your TFN to your fund within 14 days of receiving it. If you have several funds from past jobs, our superannuation services can help you consolidate them; the ATO’s super for individuals hub explains the basics.

Lost or stolen TFN

If you have a TFN but cannot find it, the ATO’s lost or stolen TFN page lists where to look: sign in to myGov or the ATO app, check a notice of assessment, an income statement or payment summary, or a super statement, or ask your registered tax agent. Do not apply for a new one – a TFN is for life and a second application will be rejected. If you think your TFN has been stolen or misused, “phone our Client Identity Support Centre on 1800 467 033 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday”; the ATO can monitor your account for suspicious activity. Our guide to finding your TFN covers each option in detail.

Common mistakes

• Paying a third-party website to apply. The ATO service is free.
• Applying through the wrong pathway – for example a visa holder trying the Australia Post route, or a citizen without Strong myID expecting an instant result.
• Mismatched names or dates of birth across documents and the application, which stalls processing.
• Wrong or temporary postal address. The TFN is posted; a hostel you leave after a week will not forward it.
• Leaving the application until after the first pay. The 28-day clock starts when you start work.
• Applying twice because the first letter is slow. Phone the ATO to check progress instead.
• Sharing the number with anyone who asks, or sending it by email or text.

FAQ about applying for a TFN

Talk to a registered tax agent

If you have just arrived in Australia, are unsure which pathway applies to your visa, or need a TFN, ABN and super set up together before you start work, we do this every week for new arrivals in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Nepali. Call 1300 626 258 or contact Nanak Accountants.

This article is general information only and is not personal tax advice. Application pathways, identity document requirements, processing times, withholding rates and the TFN protection guidance were checked against ATO pages on 7 October 2026.