Income Tax Rates Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Reform) Act 2016

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au C2016A00092 In force Act

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Income Tax Rates Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Reform) Act 2016

 

No. 92, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the Income Tax Rates Act 1986, and for related purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

Part 1—Amendments

Income Tax Rates Act 1986

Part 2—Application of amendments

 

 

 

 

Income Tax Rates Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Reform) Act 2016

No. 92, 2016

 

 

 

An Act to amend the Income Tax Rates Act 1986, and for related purposes

[Assented to 2 December 2016]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act is the Income Tax Rates Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Reform) Act 2016.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Provisions

Commencement

Date/Details

1.  The whole of this Act

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

2 December 2016

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedules

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Part 1—Amendments

Income Tax Rates Act 1986

1  Subsection 3(1)

Insert:

working holiday maker has the meaning given by subsection 3A(1).

working holiday taxable income has the meaning given by subsections 3A(2) and (3).

2  After section 3

Insert:

3A  Working holiday makers and working holiday taxable income

 (1) An individual is a working holiday maker at a particular time if the individual holds at that time:

 (a) a Subclass 417 (Working Holiday) visa; or

 (b) a Subclass 462 (Work and Holiday) visa; or

 (c) a bridging visa permitting the individual to work in Australia if:

 (i) the bridging visa was granted under the Migration Act 1958 in relation to an application for a visa of a kind described in paragraph (a) or (b); and

 (ii) the Minister administering that Act is still to make a decision in relation to the application; and

 (iii) the most recent visa, other than a bridging visa, granted under that Act to the individual was a visa of a kind described in paragraph (a) or (b).

 (2) An individual’s working holiday taxable income for a year of income is the individual’s assessable income for the year of income derived:

 (a) from sources in Australia; and

 (b) while the individual is a working holiday maker;

less so much of any amount the individual can deduct for the year of income as relates to that assessable income.

 (3) However, the individual’s working holiday taxable income does not include any superannuation remainder, or employment termination remainder, of the individual’s taxable income for the year of income.

3  Clause 1 of Part I of Schedule 7

Omit “and 3”, substitute “, 3 and 4”.

4  At the end of Part I of Schedule 7

Add:

 4. If the resident taxpayer is a working holiday maker at any time during the year of income:

 (a) count the taxpayer’s working holiday taxable income for the year of income as the first parts (starting from $0) of the taxpayer’s ordinary taxable income for the purposes of the table in clause 1; and

 (b) do not apply the rates in that table to that working holiday taxable income; and

 (c) do not count that working holiday taxable income when working out the taxpayer’s taxable income for the purposes of clause 2 or 3.

Note: The rates for the taxpayer’s working holiday taxable income for the year of income are set out in Part III.

5  Clause 1 of Part II of Schedule 7

Omit “and 3”, substitute “, 3 and 4”.

6  At the end of Part II of Schedule 7

Add:

 4. If the nonresident taxpayer is a working holiday maker at any time during the year of income:

 (a) count the taxpayer’s working holiday taxable income for the year of income as the first parts (starting from $0) of the taxpayer’s ordinary taxable income for the purposes of the table in clause 1; and

 (b) do not apply the rates in that table to that working holiday taxable income; and

 (c) do not count that working holiday taxable income when working out the taxpayer’s taxable income for the purposes of clause 2 or 3.

Note: The rates for the taxpayer’s working holiday taxable income for the year of income are set out in Part III.

Example: Rosie earns a $60,000 salary while a working holiday maker from 1 July 2017 to 31 March 2018. She also earns $29,000 while holding a different class of visa from 1 April 2018 to 30 June 2018.

 The $60,000 salary is Rosie’s working holiday taxable income and is the first part of her ordinary taxable income. Under Part III, she pays tax at the rate of 15% on $37,000 of that salary, and tax at the rate of 32.5% on the remaining $23,000 of that salary.

 The $29,000 income makes up the remaining parts of Rosie’s ordinary taxable income. Under clause 1 of this Part, she pays tax at the rate of 32.5% on $27,000 of that income, and tax at the rate of 37% on the remaining $2,000 of that income.

7  At the end of Schedule 7

Add:

Part III—Working holiday makers

 

 1. The rates of tax on a taxpayer’s working holiday taxable income for a year of income are as set out in the following table.

 

Tax rates for working holiday makers

Item

For the part of the taxpayer’s working holiday taxable income that:

The rate is:

1

does not exceed $37,000

15%

2

exceeds $37,000 but does not exceed $87,000

32.5%

3

exceeds $87,000 but does not exceed $180,000

37%

4

exceeds $180,000

45%

Part 2—Application of amendments

8  Application of amendments

The amendments made by this Schedule apply in relation to:

 (a) assessable income derived on or after 1 January 2017; and

 (b) so much of any amounts that can be deducted as relate to such assessable income.

 

 

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 28 November 2016

Senate on 30 November 2016]

 

(204/16)

 

Overview

The Income Tax Rates Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Reform) Act 2016 was enacted to address the taxation of working holiday makers in Australia. This Act amends the Income Tax Rates Act 1986 by introducing specific tax rates for income earned by individuals holding certain visas, such as the Subclass 417 (Working Holiday) visa and the Subclass 462 (Work and Holiday) visa. The Act aims to ensure that the income earned by working holiday makers during their stay in Australia is taxed in a manner that reflects the temporary nature of their stay and their typically lower income levels. The policy objective is to provide a fairer tax system by differentiating the tax treatment of income earned by working holiday makers from other forms of income. Enacted by the Parliament of Australia, the Act came into force on 2 December 2016, the day it received Royal Assent. It amends the Income Tax Rates Act 1986 to include new definitions and tax rates specific to working holiday makers, ensuring that their income is assessed and taxed according to the provisions outlined in the Act. The changes apply to assessable income derived on or after 1 January 2017, aligning the taxation system with the current status and needs of working holiday makers in Australia.

Scope and Application

The Income Tax Rates Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Reform) Act 2016 amends the Income Tax Rates Act 1986 to introduce a new taxation regime specifically for working holiday makers. This Act applies to individuals who hold a Subclass 417 (Working Holiday) visa, a Subclass 462 (Work and Holiday) visa, or a bridging visa that permits work in Australia, provided that the individual was previously granted one of the specified visas and is awaiting a decision on a new visa application. The Act defines working holiday makers and working holiday taxable income, the latter being assessable income derived from Australian sources while holding one of the specified visas, minus allowable deductions related to that income. Notably, this definition excludes superannuation and employment termination payments. The Act applies to assessable income derived on or after 1 January 2017. The new tax rates for working holiday makers are detailed in Part III of Schedule 1, with graduated rates ranging from 15% to 45%, depending on the amount of taxable income.

Key Provisions

The Income Tax Rates Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Reform) Act 2016 (C2016A00092) primarily amends the Income Tax Rates Act 1986 to introduce specific tax rates for working holiday makers. The Act introduces the definitions of "working holiday maker" (section 3A(1)) and "working holiday taxable income" (section 3A(2) and (3)) and sets out a new tax regime for these individuals. The working holiday taxable income for a year of income is calculated as the assessable income derived from sources in Australia while being a working holiday maker, less allowable deductions related to that income. Importantly, this definition excludes any superannuation remainder or employment termination remainder (section 3A(3)). The Act imposes specific obligations on working holiday makers, requiring them to report their working holiday taxable income separately from their other income. If a resident taxpayer is a working holiday maker at any time during the year of income, their working holiday taxable income must be counted as the first part of their ordinary taxable income, starting from $0, for the purposes of the tax rates table. The tax rates for working holiday income are then applied separately from the rates applied to other income (clause 4, Part I of Schedule 7). Similar provisions apply to non-resident taxpayers who are working holiday makers (clause 4, Part II of Schedule 7). The Act introduces specific tax rates for working holiday makers, with income taxed at 15% for amounts up to $37,000, 32.5% for amounts between $37,001 and $87,000, 37% for amounts between $87,001 and $180,000, and 45% for amounts exceeding $180,000 (Part III of Schedule 7). These amendments apply to assessable income derived on or after 1 January 2017. While the Act does not explicitly state penalties for non-compliance, breaches of the tax provisions could result in civil or criminal penalties under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, including fines and imprisonment, depending on the severity of the breach.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.