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Hi community Thank you for accepting me to this forum, amazing topics over here. I have been offered a job in Sydney with 100.000$ (QA Engineer 7 years experience) as a yearly gross salary. Is it enough for a good living, taking in consideration : - Married and wife is not working. - Have to travel to Spain twice a year for family and parents visit. - Be able to save some money and do some activities over the weekend. I've seen the renting prices are high, what do you think ? Thank you for the help

Hi Everyone. I've been trawling all over Pio scavenging the various expenses threads. I'm going to put a breakdown below--pls correct me if I'm way off the mark.I'm sure it will be of help to someone! Rent--Anything from abt 350-1100/wk depending on where you live. Car - Pink slip -35 Rego - 300 /( 637 in Melbourne)/ 450 in Perth Ins -500-900/yr CTP - 450/yr Petrol --200-300/m varies with what u drive and how much. Electricity/gas -- 330 - 660/qtr--Again varies widely depending on usage and house I guess. Internet + Landline --- 70 -160/m(100 seems to be the average) Television cable --- 40-70/m Cheaper as bundle An excellent package of the 3 bundled together is available for about 215.Upto 320 if a full package of foxtel is bundled with Internet , landline and mobile.(Telstra). A great link on more latest info here. http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/household/155757-cant-get-telstra-internet-no-credit-history-oz-3.html Mobile -- 10-30/m School fees ---- 400-700/m for 2 kids approx.Could be nil as well if using public school on PR visa. Extra classes -- about 150-600/qtr for 2 kids depending on classes enrolled Food-- 150-450/wk for family of 4-5. Health ins---- 140-300/m for a family of four. Amb cover-- 100/yr/family I'm not entirely clear about CTp--does it vary with the type and make of vehicle? and also rego--does that too vary? Any and every input will be much appreciated. Edited as more data is becoming available.

Hi all, We are mid-application for our visa to move to Melbourne and we are looking for somewhere where we can get a comparison between Oz and the UK of common expenses. These include: 1. groceries 2. cars (prices and fuel) 3. medical insurance 4. utilities Does anyone known anywhere where we can get this information? Or has someone out there got the information already? Cheers guys

Hi all, Can anyone tell me, on average, how much a month you pay for the following: 1. Life Insurance (2 adults, 2 children) 2. House/contents insurance 3. Gas/Elec 4. Council Tax Equivalent? 5. Water Do you get any (standard) child benefits (for people who ARE working!) Do you have to pay for medical healthcare like our NHS? Is it called Medicare? Questions, questions.... Thanks in advance guys

Hi forum I got WA SS recently and one of the requirements listed with the 2 year living in the state requirement is that I must transfer in "around $30 000". I can do this, but I'd like to know how strict they are on it? What if I prefer to leave funds in my home country and rather try make it on my salary once I'm there? I'd like to transfer the funds in once I am ready to put a down payment on a house. Any ideas? Do they demand proof at any time after landing? Thanks for the advice

VISAS A person holding a Working Holiday visa (class 417 or class 462) is generally referred to as a backpacker. He must be under the age of 30. He (or she) is legally entitled to work during his holiday in Australia. He is entitled to remain in Australia for 12 months, work for half of that time but must not stay at any one job for more than six months. While in Australia, he can apply to have his visa extended from 12 months to 24 months. Australia has reciprocal Working Holiday (class 417) visa arrangements with UK, Ireland, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. Australia also has Working Holiday (class 462) visa arrangements with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Turkey, Chile and USA. A backpacker can also apply for other temporary work visas or even a permanent visa while in Australia provided, of course, that he otherwise qualifies. The most popular visas applied for by backpackers whilst in Australia are a) permanent residency visas and b) employer-sponsored temporary work visas. If a backpacker applies for a permanent visa, then in judging his eligibility, he will be awarded extra points for having spent time on a working holiday in Australia. A backpacker who applies for permanent or temporary residence will stand a strong chance of obtaining it if a) he has professional or trade qualifications, b) he has some years work experience in his profession or trade and c) he speaks fluent English. It generally takes from 5 to 8 months between applying for a work visa and obtaining it. Further information regarding obtaining permanent and temporary visas can be obtained at the Immigration Department's website. Applications can be made online. MEDICAL EXPENSES Australian residents carry a Medicare card. This entitles them to free or subsidised medical care. Non-residents are not entitled to subsidised medical care. But Australia has concluded reciprocal medical agreements with the following countries viz. UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Italy, Malta, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia. Residents of these countries, with the exceptions of New Zealand and Ireland, mostly have access to health care on the same basis as Australian residents i.e. they get free public hospital care, subsidised prescriptions and a refund of 85% of doctors' fees. The can also apply in person at at any Medicare office and obtain a Medicare card similar to the card carried by Australian residents. Many doctors charge only 85% of the set fee ( i.e. "bulk bill") so the patient has nothing further to pay in those cases. Residents of New Zealand and Ireland are also entitled to free public hospital care and subsidised prescriptions but not a refund of 85% of doctors' fees. However, they can have free access to a doctor by attending an out-patients' clinic at a public hospital. Backpackers who are not residents of any of the afore-mentioned countries will have to rely on their travel insurance to get a refund. If a backpacker has paid medical expenses in Australia and he is entitled to a refund, he can obtain the refund by applying in person at any Medicare office or online. He should take his passport with him when claiming the refund and also when attending for medical treatment. For example, assume Fiona, a UK backpacker, sees a doctor who "bulk bills" and pays her a $25 consultation fee. She obtains a prescription for "the pill" from her. Next she goes along to her nearest Medicare office, presents the doctor's receipt and her passport and then obtains a cash refund of the $25. Then, she goes along to her local pharmacist and pays him the standard prescription charge of $34.20 to have the prescription dispensed. SUPERANNUATION Non-residents are entitled to receive a refund of superannuation contributions paid by their ex-employers on their behalf. "Superannuation contributions" is the Australian term for "retirement pension contributions". All employers must contribute a compulsory 9% of wages to an approved superannuation (pension) fund. The backpacker is entitled to a refund of this when he has left the country. However, the refund is subject to a tax-deduction of 30% i.e. the taxpayer receives the refund less 30%. Application for the refund must be made from outside the country. However, it can be applied for online from outside the country. Some superannuation amounts will be held by the Tax Office. Other superannuation amounts will be held by the respective superannuation funds. Accordingly, details of superannuation funds that the backpacker has contributed to must be provided to the Tax Office. The Tax Office then will send details of your application to each of the Funds that you have nominated. They, in turn, will contact you directly and pay you the refund, normally within 28 days. The Tax Office maintains a register of lost superannuation accounts i.e. person for whom the superannuation funds have no longer a valid address. It is probable that a quite a few backpackers are on this register. The register may be consulted online at the Tax Office's SuperSeeker site. Accordingly, before leaving Australia, a backpacker should 1) contact all of his former employers, 2) from each employer request a tax Payment Summary (Group Certificate) if he has not already received one and also ascertain from the employer a) the name of the superannuation fund to which the employer has contributed and b) the employee membership no. Let us take an example of a typical backpacker superannuation refund. Fiona earned $5,000 as a fruit picker during her working holiday in Australia. Her employer contributed 9% of $5,000 i.e $450 in superannuation. Fiona will get back $315. i.e. 70% of $450. TAXATION Backpackers not holding a Working Holiday visa are generally not entitled to work under the terms of their visa. If they do in fact work, then they are subject to Australian tax in exactly the same way as Working Holiday visa holders. Before starting work in Australia, a person must obtain an official Tax File No.; otherwise tax will be deducted from all wages received at the rate of 46.5%. When applying for the Tax File No, proof of identity must normally be supplied. An application form to obtain a Tax File No. can be obtained from any Post Office. However, a backpacker can now obtain a Tax File No. online from the Tax Office's website. This has the added advantage that under this arrangement proof of identity does not have to be supplied. If a backpacker expects to be self-employed during any part of his stay in Australia, then he should obtain an Australian Business No. (ABN) from the Tax Office. Otherwise tax will be deducted at 46.5% from his payments. The ABN can be obtained online. To sum up then, if you are going to Australia on a working holiday, be sure to apply for a Tax File No. ( and an ABN, if necessary) before seeking work. After obtaining a Tax File No. and before beginning work, an employee must complete an Employee Declaration form. This requires the person to state whether he is a tax-resident or not. If he is not a tax-resident, the employer must deduct tax at non-resident rates i.e. 29%. Later, when completing his Tax Return, a taxpayer must also state whether or not he is a resident. The Australian financial year runs from the 1st July to the 30th June. Every backpacker should file an Australian Tax Return as soon as possible after the 30th June each year. If the backpacker is leaving Australia before the end of the financial year i.e prior to 30th June, then he can complete a Tax Return for the year in advance and lodge it with the Australian Taxation Office. A backpacker can now file his Tax Return online and, of course, from anywhere in the world. A backpacker does not need a tax clearance certificate from the Tax Office before leaving Australia. When completing the Return, it should be noted that the deductible expenses available to Australian employees are more generous than for many overseas countries. For example, taxpayers can claim as deductions from income "all expenses incurred in earning income". This will include travel on duty, protective clothing and footwear, washing and laundry of protective clothing, cost of training courses, trade union fees, tools, business use of private phone, relevant books and publications, licences and registration fees, stationery used for work, bank charges re deposit of wages, tax agent fees, donations to charities etc. A backpacker cannot claim the cost of his living expenses in Australia as a living-away-from-home deduction or allowance. A taxpayer can claim up to $300 in work-related expenses before he will be required to provide receipts to the Tax Office if audited. Most people in Australia engage a Tax Agent to lodge their Return. The Tax Office will send any refund to the Tax Agent if an agent has been engaged or to the overseas address of the taxpayer otherwise if the taxpayer has left Australia. Tax Returns can be lodged from an overseas location as well. In such a case, the best solution would be to contact an Australian-based Tax Agent through the Internet. As previously mentioned, a backpacker can also file his Tax Return online. GST tax is the Australian equivalent of VAT tax. It is 10% added to the sale price. It should be noted that all persons leaving Australia are entitled to a refund of GST tax on goods taken out of the country. The goods must exceed $300 and must be carried as hand-luggage. The refund is obtained at the airport at departure time. For example, a week before departure from Australia, Fiona buys a laptop computer for $660. Later at departure, after clearing passport-control at the airport, she presents a) the invoice and b) the laptop to the Customs officer at the refund-booth. The Customs officer arranges to have a refund cheque of $60 sent to her home address (i.e. 1/11th of the purchase price). How does the taxation of backpackers differ from the taxation of Australian workers in general? First, it must be observed that, under the present interpretation of the law by the Tax Office, backpackers may or may not be deemed to be tax-residents of Australia. Tax-residency is quite distinct from immigration-status residency. The Tax Office now has a calculator on its website to determine whether a person is a tax-resident. You should use this to determine whether you are a tax-resident. You should keep a copy of its findings, if possible. Who is regarded as an Australian tax resident? This is a complex area of taxation law. But it can be summarised in a nutshell as follows: a) those who come to Australia solely to work, even for a short period, will be regarded as tax-residents; b) overseas students will be regarded as tax-residents; c) holiday-makers will not be regarded as tax-residents; e) those combining a holiday with work will sometimes be regarded as tax-residents and sometimes not. An example of the latter class is a person holding a Working Holiday visa. In general, travellers will not be regarded as tax-residents. But a backpacker who abandons his wandering ways and successfully applies to the Immigration Department for permanent residency or a temporary work visa will be regarded as a tax-resident from the date of his application. Further information regarding tax-residency can be found in the relevant tax Ruling at the ATO website and also at Residency. For example, Fiona, a nurse, decides she does not want to go back to the UK but wants to remain permanently in Australia. On the 1st May, she applies to the Immigration Department for permanent residency status as a skilled migrant. She decides to settle permanently in Sydney and she rents a flat there. She obtains a job as a nurse with the promise of the position being made permanent when she obtains permanent residency status. Subsequently, Fiona hears from the Immigration Department that she has obtained permanent residency status. Fiona will be regarded as a tax-resident of Australia from the date she filed her application for permanent residency i.e. 1st May. What difference does it make if one is not regarded as a tax-resident? Residents are taxed on their world-wide income. Non-residents are taxed only on the income arising from Australia. Residents pay no tax on first $6,000 of annual taxable income and pay tax at 15% on the next $31,000. Non-residents, however, do not get the concession of a tax-free allowance and are taxed at a flat rate of 29% on the first $37,000 they earn in Australia. As they can only work for 6 months of their 12 months stay, they are therefore unlikely to earn more than $37,000, so as a general rule they are taxed at a flat rate of 29% on their earnings. Thus, a resident who earns $37,000 in a year will pay tax of $5,115 (including levy) but a non-resident backpacker will pay tax of $10,730 on the same income. In addition, non-residents are not entitled to Tax Offsets for dependents etc. e.g. maintaining a spouse, child etc. Australia has concluded Double Taxation treaties with many countries. Most of these treaties provide that the following categories of persons are not subject to Australian tax but that they are subject to their home-country taxation regime. The categories are: a) self-employed professionals working in Australia for less than 183 days and who do not have their own office or branch in Australia, b) ordinary employees in Australia for less than 183 days and working for an overseas company that does not have a branch or office in Australia and c) teachers teaching in Australia for less than two years. Few backpackers will be able to avail themselves of these provisions. What advantages do non-residents have, tax-wise? 1. They are exempt from the Medicare levy. The Medicare levy is 1.5% levy on income which all residents have to pay to cover medical costs. 2. They do not have to pay Australian tax on income arising outside Australia. 3. In most cases, they pay tax at 10% only (and not 29%) on interest derived from an Australian bank account. This arises from the provisions of the Double Taxation treaties. Let us take an example of a typical backpacker income-tax refund. Let us continue with the previous example of Fiona who is regarded as a non-resident and who earned $5,000 as a fruit picker during her working holiday in Australia. Her employer deducted tax at the regulation 29% from her wages i.e. 29% on $5,000 =$1,450. Fiona has the following tax deductions viz. protective clothing and footwear $300; implements $100; sun-protection products $100; bag $50. Total deductions are $550. Fiona lodges her Tax Return after the end of the financial year and employs a Tax Agent to lodge it for her. His fee is $120. Fiona's refund is calculated as follows. Fiona has a refund of $159 out of which the Tax Agent's fee of $120 comes, leaving Fiona with a net refund of $39. In effect, Fiona has received a refund at 29% on her deductions of $550 less the Tax Agent's fee. However, in most cases, work-related expenses would not exceed $300. Information kindly provided by: http://members.iinet.net.au/~patrick6/default.html

Hi, I wonder if anyone has used spreadsheets to monitor what they need to do / have done and also expenses ie what they've spent / what things will cost and could give me some ideas for my attempt at one. I'm not great at spreadsheets so if anyone would be kind enough to send an example they've used (minus detail of course), I'd be very grateful, particularly my little over stretched over worked grey matter thanks Cal :confused:

Hi all we are hoping to buy a nearly new car when we move over to Oz, my main concern is what are the higgen cost, when dealers advertise an on the road price, are there any other exoenses you need to take into consideration at the point of sale? besides insurance and fuel of course! Any help much appreciated TT xx

Hi, I am a nurse. We have our PR visa. We came back to the UK but regret it and want to go back.... But now have to save. Companies were willing to pay and sort out my visa before, but as we have our visa, are there such companies that pay for 'relocation'?

Gday folks, hmmm, this always baffles me. How much would a family of 4 need, kids are 7 and 4 attending public school. Yeah, what i have done yet is to get a rental. It's a 350PW. Yet to get a decent car. This looks a general Q but if you guys can share some of yr experience and insight would be glad. cheers

I've just been granted my 457 visa, and we're emigrating in Dec. Can I reclaim any tax back for relocation expenses? I will be an employee. (PS the intention is for me to stay permanently, so my employer says I am not eligible for LAFHA).

I spend time in the evenings (much to my wife's annoyance!) catching up on emails and preparing/printing quotes & invoices for work (I work in construction). I know my boss won't give me any overtime for this, but are there any tax deductions I can claim for this?

We are waiting for a visa to move to Australia and have worked out a lot of expenses but were wondering apart from rent and health insurance how much do you pay for council tax, gas, electric, tv licence, water etc etc!? Thanks!!

Hello Everyone I know this thread has been done lots before but I've complied a budget based on the information I've found on the site and wondered if anyone could comment on whether it is realistic. It's for a family of 4 with 5 and 3 year old children. I've tried to include everything including clothes, xmas presents etc but hopefully haven't missed anything out. Any comments would be gratefully received, especially if they reduce the total amount we need to earn as I know there are an awful lot of people who earn a lot less than I've calculated that we need to! :smile: Gill Rent 600 Food 400 Electricity & Gas 75 Water 25 Council Tax 27 House insurance 25 Phone 15 Broadband 15 Cable tv 15 Mobile 30 Rates 20 Petrol 100 Car tax etc 50 Road tolls 15 Life Insurance 40 Health insurance 60 Haircuts 10 Sports / Days out 50 Presents inc b'days & xmas 25 Holidays 100 Misc 75 School fees 385 Total per week 2167 Total per month 9389 Total per year 112664 Combined Gross Salary therefore needed to be $155,000!!!

Hi Everyone, Not sure if anyone can help me but i have been searching online forever! I am trying to find out what the living expenses are for an average family living in Adelaide. We are due to move next year and i am trying to get some general comparibles for expenses such as electricity, council rates, food, healthcare etc etc so that i can do a rough kind of budget. Is there anyone that can help me???? Would be much appreciated! Thank you! x

Hi I know there has been threads about cost of living in Oz but I've searched and can't find any recent ones. Can anyone point me in the right direction? OR can anyone give me an idea of what a weekly grocery shop would be for 2 adults (we don't have fillet steak every night!!!) just a reasonable shop without any alcohol. Also the cost of utilities (for a 3 bed house), telephone, internet, their equivalent of sky? We will be renting and I know that the landlord pays the council tax. We would be looking to live in South east Melbourne area. Thanks!!

Hi folks, im trying to work out roughly what we'll have as a monthly income when we move over to Tas later in the year. Obviously income tax is the biggie, which i have the rates for so thats taken care of, but what about the following for an average 4 bedroom house (rented):- Council tax or equivalent of. Gas, electric, water. national Insurance or equivalent. medicare contributions. average weekly food bill for family of four (2 adults 2 kids). house insurance car insurance for something along lines of Toyota Camry any other expenses i have missed. Any advice will be appreciated. SM.

Hi All, Just wondered if anyone has gone for a job from the uk, that states a respectable salary, visa sponsorship, relocation, flights & fees paid? Are they all that they are cracked up to be? Would love to hear from anyone that has gone for this!

I've just managed to get an employer to give me a job and sponsor me at the grand age of 48, we are due to move to Pomcity ( perth ) in june 09. is there anyone that can reccomend a shipping company ? there seems to be so much choice it would be handy to get quotes from one that someone has actually used. thanks:biggrinxmas:

Folks, Does anyone know the position on medical expenses if you are on a 457 visa? I initially thought as you don't qualify for medicare then we would have to have private health insurance however I then found this under employer obligations on the immi.gov website: pay all medical or hospital expenses for an employee (and accompanying family member) for treatment in a public hospital (other than expenses that are met by health insurance or reciprocal health care arrangements) this undertaking continues until all expenses are paid which I read as the employer has to pay... Today DH got an email asking if we have private medical insurance in the UK and saying they could enrol us into the corporate scheme at a reduced cost. Do you think they are trying to pull a fast one? Or do we in fact need it and therefore they are doing us a favour? I know lots of people prefer the quality of private health care but that's not the question, I want nothing more than medicare would provide if we were PR's. Cheers Jules

We are in the final few months till we head off to Brisbane, and are working hard to work out some sort of budget to ensure we have all our bases covered, including; flights and removals from the UK, and in OZ, rent for 3 months, car, 1st shop for food and school uniforms etc. I should be bringing an income in in week 2 or 3, as i have organised work with an agency for when we first arrive. But is there any thing, anyone can think of that needs to be budgeted for when you first arrive in OZ. Do you need a bond for electric/gas/water? Are Qld drivers licences expensive? We are staying with friends for the first 2 weeks while we find a rental and our furniture shouldn't be to far behind as we are sending it 10 weeks earlier than us. thanks for any help or input.

Hi Everyone, I've been offered a job in Melbourne and my prospective employer is allowing me up to $7500 AUD for shipping costs. I've done some research and it seems this will cover a 20ft container that should accommodate our household furniture and stuff that we will bring over. However we would also like to bring over my wifes car, as a replacement in Australis appears expensive and the shipping cost at around $2000 AUD is well below what we would lose on it in depreciation and replacement costs by selling it before we go. Does anyone have any advice on typical relocation expenses that might be paid by a sponsoring employer and whether Australian Employers might commonly expect or be willing to pay for an incoming employees vehicle ot be shipped over? Any advice appreciated. Thanks John

Can anyone recommend a good reputable company to move our belongings from the U.K to Oz and what sort of cost would we be looking at.We currently live in a modest three bedroom detached in Hampshire.Cheers! 8)