ato logo
Search Suggestion:

Zone or overseas forces

How to determine your entitlement to a zone or overseas forces tax offset in myTax.

Last updated 18 June 2015

You may be entitled to claim for living in a zone or serving in an overseas force if you:

  • lived or worked in a remote or isolated area of Australia, not including an offshore oil or gas rig, or
  • served overseas as a member of the Australian Defence Force or a United Nations armed force.

If you qualify for both a zone tax offset and an overseas forces tax offset, you can claim only one of them. Claim the one that gives you the higher tax offset.

Zone tax offset

The zone or overseas forces tax offset is made up of:

  • a fixed amount, and
  • a base amount.

The fixed amount is a prescribed amount available to all people in the zone or overseas area eligible for the tax offset.

You may be able to include a base amount if you:

  • maintained a child under 21 or full time student under 25; or
  • were entitled to claim the Invalid and invalid carer offset.

Your fixed and base amounts are determined by your circumstances.

To qualify for the tax offset, you must have lived or worked in a remote area (not necessarily continuously) for 183 days or more during:

  • 2014–15, or
  • the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2015 (including at least one day in 2014–15), and you did not claim a zone tax offset in your 2014 tax return.

If you lived in a zone for less than 183 days in 2014–15, you may still be able to claim a tax offset if all the following conditions apply:

  • you lived in a zone for a continuous period of less than five years after 1 July 2009
  • you were unable to claim in the first year because you were there less than 183 days, and
  • the total days you were there in the first year and in 2014–15 is 183 or more. The period you were in a zone in 2014–15 must include the first day of the income year.

Remote areas are classed as either zone A or zone B. There are also special areas within these zones. If you do not know which zone your area is in, see table 2 below. If your area is not listed, go to Australian zone list to check whether it is in a zone.

Overseas forces tax offset

You may be eligible for an overseas forces tax offset if you served in a specified overseas locality as a member of the Australian Defence Force or a United Nations armed force in 2014–15, and your income relating to that service was not specifically exempt from tax. Periods of service for which your income was ‘exempt foreign employment income’ are excluded in working out your eligibility for the tax offset.

Your employer will be able to advise you or you can check whether you served in a locality that qualifies for the overseas forces tax offset.

If your overseas service was less than 183 days, you may be able to claim part of the tax offset.

To claim the full overseas forces tax offset:

  • you must have served in the overseas locality for 183 days or more in 2014–15, or
  • the total number of days served in the overseas locality, when added to the number of days spent in one or more zones, must be 183 days or more.

If you served as a member of the Australian Defence Force, days spent in a zone must be defence force service.

Completing your tax return

1. Your tax offset is the amount in table 1 below (the fixed amount) if:

  • you lived or worked in only one zone or served in only one specified overseas locality for at least 183 days,

    and
  • you are not able to include a base amount as
    • you were not entitled to claim the invalid and invalid carer tax offset,

      and
    • you either did not have a dependent child or student at any time in 2014–15 or if you did have a dependent child or student, their adjusted taxable income (ATI) was equal to or greater than $282 plus $28.92 for each week you maintained them.
     
Table 1: Tax offset amounts

Your circumstances

Zone A

Zone B

Special area

Overseas forces

You were able to claim the fixed amount only (you were not able to include a base amount)

$338

$57

$1,173

$338

Do the circumstances in step 1 apply to you?

No

You must use the Zone or overseas forces tax offset calculator to work out your tax offset, and then go to step 3.

Yes

Read on.

2. If you are claiming an overseas forces tax offset, go to step 3.

If you are claiming a zone tax offset and you received a remote area allowance from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, take this amount away from your zone tax offset.

3. Enter the amount of your tax offset.

Table 2

Western Australia

Town

Zone

Town

Zone

Balladonia

Special

Madura

Special

Bidyadanga (Lagrange)

A

Marble Bar

A

Boulder

B

Meekatharra

Special

Broome*

A

Mount Magnet

Special

Carnarvon

A

Mullewa

B

Coolgardie

B

Newman*

A

Dampier

A

Norseman

B

Deakin

Special

Northampton

B

Denham

Special

Onslow

Special

Derby

A

Pannawonica

A

Esperance

B

Paraburdoo

A

Eucla

Special

Port Hedland*

A

Exmouth

Special

Ravensthorpe

B

Fitzroy Crossing

Special

Rawlinna

Special

Goldsworthy

A

Roebourne

A

Halls Creek

Special

Shay Gap

A

Kalgoorlie*

B

Southern Cross

B

Kambalda

B

Tom Price*

A

Karratha

A

Turkey Creek (Bow River)

Special

Kununurra

Special

Wiluna

Special

Laverton

Special

Wittenoom

A

Leinster

Special

Wyndham

Special

Leonora

B

 

 

* Locations within 250 kilometres of these localities are also in the relevant zone.

Queensland

Town

Zone

Town

Zone

Airlie Beach

B

Hughenden

Special

Atherton

B

Ingham

B

Augathella

B

Innisfail

B

Ayr

B

Julia Creek

Special

Barcaldine

B

Karumba

Special

Blackall

B

Kowanyama

Special

Boulia

Special

Longreach

B

Bowen

B

Mackay

B

Burketown

Special

Mareeba

B

Cairns

B

Mossman

B

Camooweal

A

Mount Isa*

A

Cardwell

B

Normanton

Special

Charleville

B

Port Douglas

B

Charters Towers

B

Proserpine

B

Clifton Beach

B

Quilpie

B

Cloncurry

A

Sarina

B

Collinsville

B

Stamford

Special

Cooktown

Special

Tambo

B

Coppabella

B

Thargomindah

Special

Cunnamulla

B

Townsville

B

Doomadgee

Special

Tully

B

Georgetown

Special

Weipa

Special

Greenvale

B

Windorah

Special

Helen Vale

Special

Winton

B

Home Hill

B

 

 

* Locations within 250 kilometres of these localities are also in the relevant zone.

Northern Territory

Town

Zone

Town

Zone

Alice Springs*

A

Nguiu

Special

Alyangula

Special

Ngukurr

Special

Angurugu

Special

Nhulunbuy (Gove)

Special

Batchelor

A

Numbulwar

Special

Borroloola

Special

Oenpelli

Special

Darwin

A

Papunyah

Special

Elliott

Special

Pine Creek

A

Galiwinku

Special

Ramingining

Special

Hermannsburg

A

Santa Teresa

A

Jabiru

Special

Tennant Creek

Special

Katherine*

A

Tindal

A

Lajamanu (Hooker Creek)

Special

Yirrkala

Special

Maningrida

Special

Yuendumu

Special

Milikapiti

Special

Yulara

Special

Milingimbi

Special

 

 

* Locations within 250 kilometres of these localities are also in the relevant zone.

South Australia

Town

Zone

Town

Zone

Amata Aboriginal Community

Special

Nullarbor

Special

Coober Pedy

Special

Oodnadatta

Special

Cook

Special

Penong

Special

Innamincka

Special

Roxby Downs

Special

Leigh Creek

Special

Tarcoola

Special

Marree

Special

Woomera

B

 

New South Wales

Town

Zone

Town

Zone

Bourke

B

Lightning Ridge

B

Brewarrina

B

Menindee

B

Broken Hill

B

White Cliffs

Special

Cobar

B

Wilcannia

B

Collarenebri

B

 

 

 

Tasmania

Town

Zone

Town

Zone

Furneaux Group Islands

Special

Queenstown

B

King Island

Special

Rosebery

B

 

Islands and territories

Town

Zone

Town

Zone

Australian Antarctic Territory

Special

Macquarie Island

Special

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Special

McDonald Islands

Special

Heard Island

Special

Norfolk Island

Special

Lord Howe Island

Special

Palm Isles Group

Special

If your area is not listed, go to Australian zone list to check whether it is in a zone.

QC45649