What is a tax file number (TFN)?

Tax file numbers (TFNs) are issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). We use your number to identify your tax records.

Everyone has a different TFN. Your TFN is yours for life, even if you change jobs, move interstate or change your name. If you leave the country and later come back to Australia, you still use the same TFN.

When you make enquiries about your tax records, we will ask you for your TFN. We will also ask for other information to check that you are who you say you are.

Your TFN is valuable. Do not share it with friends and do not provide it over the internet when applying for jobs.

Why do you need a TFN?

It is not compulsory to have a TFN. However, without it:

• your employer must take 46.5% of your wages in tax
• financial institutions are required to tax your interest at 46.5%
• Centrelink will generally not pay you an allowance such as - Youth Allowance, Newstart or Austudy
• you will not be able to defer your higher education fees
• your tax return or Australian business number (ABN) application may take longer to process, and
• it is more difficult for us to look up your records and discuss them with you.

Who can ask you for your TFN?

Only certain people and organisations can ask for your TFN, the most common being:

• the ATO
• your bank or other financial institution
• Centrelink
• your university
• your superannuation fund.

You do not have to give your TFN when asked but there may be consequences if you do not.

If you are asked for your TFN you have the right to be told:

• what legal basis the organisation has for asking for it
• that you are not committing an offence if you do not provide it, and
• what will happen if you do not provide it.

Secure your TFN

Keep your TFN and other personal details like bank account passwords secure by:

• not carrying them in your purse, wallet or storing them in your mobile phone
• shredding or destroying documents containing identity details before disposing of them
• installing up-to-date anti-virus software on your computer
• only providing your identity details to trusted or reliable organisations
• making sure if you use a tax agent to complete or lodge your tax return, that your tax agent is registered by checking on the Tax Practitioners Board website at www.tpb.gov.au

If you think that someone else has used your TFN, you should phone us on 13 28 61 (Mondays-Fridays, 8.00am-6.00pm).

What to read/do next

• Getting a tax file number.
• Tax file number application or enquiry for an individual (NAT 1432).