mungbean

Hey Mungbean, thanks for the handy info. I'm headed back myself and just trying to calculate how much I can expect. If my super currently holds $14,500, minus the 38% tax can I expect to receive approximately $8990 back? Or is there any further hidden tax etc? Thank you

Well, your maths is right. As I wrote in the original post, my provider also charged a $75 exit fee. Your mileage may vary.

Why would you want to take it though?

Because you're leaving Australia after being on a temporary visa.

It should be taxed at the same rate as if it was part of your take home salary.

And for Mungbean, it looks like it was.....

As far as I can tell the "withholding tax" is a flat rate, rather than income-related.

Still, I suppose it's a somewhat better deal than for someone living temporarily in the UK and paying National Insurance, who would never get any of that back, ever.

In case it's of use to anyone... I left Australia in March and have just received a refund of some of my Super. You are eligible to claim a refund if you're on a temporary visa and then leave the country.

It's known as "departing Australia superannuation payment" (DASP)

Timeline:

• Left Aus at end of March
  
• Submitted claim for DASP 6 June* online at https://applicant.tr.super.ato.gov.au/applicants/default.aspx?pid=1
  
• Received e-mail request 10 June for a notarised copy of ID to be sent via post
  
• Got copy of passport 'notarised' in a UK post office and posted to Aus on 23 June
  
• Received partial refund** into my still-operational Aus bank account on 11 July.
  

* I was told by my employer in Aus that I should wait a couple of months for my final contributions to the Super fund to go through after leaving the job. My last working day was 1 April, which meant a tiny contribution went through in the April pay run. The Super stuff happens a month in arrears anyway -- or at least it looks that way scanning my online statement on the Super's website.

** You don't get it all back. Even though it's already had some tax deducted when it was paid into the Super, they still took off 38% (!) before the refund. The Super fund itself also deducted a $75 "exit fee".

Isn't helensvale the next stop on that timetable you posted or am I just misunderstanding ?

OK I thought you were asking about commuting between Brisbane CBD and GC?

If we're looking at Central to Coomara or Central to Helensvale (for GC) it's more or less the same?

The information is out there - good luck!

OK Central to Coomera is more like an hour, but to GC it's obviously longer (e.g. drive from Helensvale).

What is train commute like?

BNE-GC is about 1.5hrs on a not particularly comfortable train that stops a lot, but IIRC has free wifi.

With respect, mungbean, I've been using my uk 4-socket powerboard for four years while on three x 3month visits to Australia, prior to coming here two years ago, during which time I've used it on a daily basis, albeit not all sockets at once for much of that time. I still use my powerboard for my uk electric hair dryer every day, the only uk appliance I have not yet replaced with an Australian appliance. My suggestion for using a uk powerboard for uk appliances while in Oz was intended as a temporary arrangement until people newly arrived from the UK eventually purchased Australian replacements. I still say it's a great tip for people coming to Oz on a visa validation trip, or for new arrivals who may not wish to replace their own uk appliances immediately. It's worked for me very well and I know it's been a great boon for many other newcomers to Oz. Happy days!

It's not about how many are plugged in at once, it's about how many are switched on.

small appliances, like an iron/kettle/toaster/hair dryer/straightener

Not recommended to plug any of those into a multi-way adapter and use them at the same time.

Before I left the UK I bought a couple of Aus 10A power leads from https://uk.rs-online.com (part number 321-168) and a couple of 4-way extension blocks and wired them up.

Easy enough if you know what you're doing, and strictly speaking I didn't do it myself in Aus ;-)

But if you're working with heating-based devices like hair dryers or straighteners (whatever, I don't have hair!) I wouldn't recommend plugging several of these into an extension block if they're used at the same time, because you might overload it and cause a fire.

Hi, I am a hairdresser and I am wondering if my electrical equipment will work normally in oz with an adaptor? Or will I need to change my wires? I have a professional hairdryer and GHD straighteners and just want to make sure they work before I buy new ones. Also will our tv's work?

It's the same voltage as the UK - you just need adapters for the plugs.

You may be able to get extra luggage allowance by calling the airline... see this thread on "migration fares"

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/transport-shipping/226827-migration-airline-fares.html

Some people have been able to get 40kg.

Yup i did that when i created my account but its very annoying, every time i used to login, i used to get an email. And sadly i used to login 10times a day..lol..so which stage are you on with your application?

I'm actually waiting for a 457 visa which was lodged in December, so I'm an imposter on this thread...

IMHO the annoyance of waiting and not knowing massively outweighs the inconvenience of having to delete that email that says you logged in successfully.

No that wont effect in anything untill you make changes in your application yourself. It is just you can see your application status like everyday for your peace of mind.

You can register for alerts, so you will receive an email when there are changes.

"You can choose to receive alerts when an application changes status and when the department sends correspondence about the application to your email account. Some correspondence sent by the department will not result in an alert."

On the main screen: My Preferences > Manage Application Alerts and put your e-mail address in.