# Starting Your First Job: Tax File Number, TFN Declaration, Super and Bank Details > What to have ready for your first job, how to answer the payroll forms and what to check when your first pay arrives. Canonical HTML: https://getclova.com/blog/starting-first-job Clova is an Australian budgeting app. [Join the waitlist](https://getclova.com/) [Home](https://getclova.com/) → [Guides](https://getclova.com/blog) → [Budgeting](https://getclova.com/blog/topic/budgeting) → [Starting Your First Job: Tax File Number, TFN Declaration, Super and Bank Details](https://getclova.com/blog/starting-first-job) - Author: Marnix - Published: 2026-10-12 On your first day, the paperwork can arrive before you've learnt anyone's name. A few questions look oddly serious for a weekend shift: tax residency, a tax-free threshold and a super fund you might never have chosen. You don't need to know the whole tax system to fill them in. Take the forms one at a time and ask the person handling wages, usually called payroll, whenever the job details are unclear. ## Have these details ready Keep a private note or folder you can use while completing onboarding: - Your tax file number (TFN), or confirmation you've applied or made an enquiry about it. - Your legal name, date of birth, address and current contact details. - Whether another job or taxable government payment already uses your tax-free threshold. - Whether you have a HELP or another study or training loan listed on the declaration. - Your super fund's employer-contribution details and member number, if you have an account you want to use. - The account name, BSB and account number for your wages. Keep your offer and agreed pay rate too. Ask payroll when the first payday is and when they need your forms; that gives you a clear deadline for anything still missing. ## Find your TFN, or apply for one free A **tax file number** is your personal number in the Australian tax and super systems. You keep it when you change jobs, so check before applying: it may already be in ATO online services linked to myGov, a tax assessment or a super statement. If you don't have one, start from the [official TFN application page](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/tax-file-number/apply-for-a-tfn/australian-residents-tfn-application). Applying is free. Australian citizens aged at least 15 with an Australian passport can use the eligible Strong Digital ID route, such as Strong myID, and generally receive their number straight away. Other routes can take up to 28 days. Follow the identity-document and attendance instructions for your application rather than submitting another while you wait. ### Keep your TFN out of job applications A TFN belongs in verified payroll onboarding after you start work, not on a CV or in an unsolicited recruitment message. Avoid paid “fast TFN” services and open the official application page directly rather than following an ad or a text link. A genuine employer may use a secure payroll portal. Check the portal with your manager using contact details you already trust before entering sensitive information, especially if the invitation arrives unexpectedly. Nobody needs your myGov password to complete your employment forms. ## Complete the TFN declaration for this employer The **TFN declaration** tells the employer how much tax to take out of your pay and send to the tax office. That is called withholding. Applying for a TFN doesn't complete this declaration for you. Your employer might use online onboarding or give you a paper form. This simplified mock follows the paper questions; use the [official declaration and instructions](https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/tfn-declaration/paper-tfn-declaration-form-for-payees) alongside your employer's version. Four answers change the tax taken from each pay: Q1 tax file number, give your number or select that you've applied; Q8 tax residency, your tax status, which isn't the same as nationality; Q9 tax-free threshold, usually yes for your only job if no other payer uses it; Q10 study or training debt, yes for any listed debt including HELP, even on low pay. Details payroll needs: your details (Q2 to Q6), employment type (Q7), signature and date. Simplified learning mock, not an official form. ### What claiming the tax-free threshold does For your only job, with no other payer applying the tax-free threshold, the usual answer is yes. With two jobs or a taxable government payment, check which payer is already using it. Our [take-home pay guide](/blog/take-home-pay) explains how to choose and why it changes withholding. ### Answer the study-loan question from your actual debt HELP is the government loan system that includes HECS-HELP university debts. Answer yes if you have HELP or another debt listed in the question, even if this job pays too little for compulsory repayments. Answer no if you don't have any of those debts. Payroll uses the answer to work out withholding; leaving a debt off can mean too little is set aside and a bill at tax time. Our [HECS-HELP guide](/blog/hecs-debt) explains what happens at tax time. ### If your TFN hasn't arrived You can start work while waiting. If you've applied or made an enquiry, select that option on the declaration and give payroll the number within 28 days. Normal withholding applies during that period. If payroll has no TFN and you haven't said you've applied or claimed a valid exemption, resident employees generally have **47% withheld**; the foreign-resident rate is **45%**. The higher withholding also applies after the 28-day period if the number is still missing, unless an exception applies. That's money held for tax, not necessarily your final tax bill, but it can make the first pay much smaller. Keep payroll informed rather than leaving the form blank. ## Choose where your super goes **Superannuation**, usually called super, is money paid by your employer into a retirement account when you qualify. It goes to a super fund rather than your everyday bank account. Most employees can choose the fund that receives it. Already have a fund? Its website or member account can provide the exact employer-contribution details, including its fund identifiers and your member number. Give those through payroll's process or the [standard choice form](https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/superannuation-standard-choice-form). If you don't choose, payroll checks for an existing fund before using a default. Our guide to [super in your first job](/blog/super-first-job) explains fund choice and how to check contributions arrive. ## Give payroll bank-transfer details Use the receiving account's name, BSB and account number, copied from your bank's account-details screen or statement. A BSB identifies the bank branch; the account number identifies your account. Check that the account accepts wage deposits. A debit-card number isn't a substitute, and payroll doesn't need your online-banking password or security codes. Send the details through the employer's verified process and recheck the digits before submitting. A mistake can delay the deposit or send it to the wrong account; missing details can hold up payment while payroll arranges how to pay you. If your pay goes into a different bank from your everyday spending, keeping both visible makes the deposit easier to follow. Clova brings accounts from every bank into one view, so wages arriving in one account don't get lost among transfers to another. Clova is an Australian budgeting app. Join the waitlist and we’ll be in touch. [Join the waitlist](https://getclova.com/) ## Check the first pay against your shifts Keep your own record of hours from the first shift, including required training and opening or closing work. Your payslip is due within one working day of payday. Compare it with your offer and those hours: - Are the employer, pay period and payment date right? - Do the hours and rate match, including applicable casual loading, penalty rates, overtime and allowances? - Does gross pay, less tax and other deductions, equal the net pay deposited in your bank? Gross is before deductions; net is what you receive. - Are the super amount and destination correct? A payslip entry alone doesn't prove the fund received it. Use the [Pay and Conditions Tool](https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/) to check your actual minimum rate, then ask payroll about any mismatch with the relevant shift dates attached. Our [payslip guide](/blog/payslip-explained) shows each line in detail. Once the amount is right, the [first-job budget guide](/blog/first-job-budget) helps you decide what to do with it. For now, save the payslip somewhere private. Having your forms and hours together gives you something concrete to point to if a payment needs fixing. ## A note from us Your first pay is the easiest place to start keeping track of your money, before more accounts and bills arrive. Clova shows what each pay has left until the next, so that first check can become a habit. ## Common questions ### Do I need a new TFN for a second job? No. You keep your existing TFN and complete another TFN declaration for the new employer. If the jobs overlap, review which payer applies the tax-free threshold. ### Does being under 18 mean I can leave out my TFN? No. There is an exemption for some workers under 18 whose earnings are too low to pay tax, but age alone does not qualify you. Check the declaration's exemption instructions before using that option. ### What if I ticked the wrong box? Contact payroll promptly and explain which answer needs correcting. They can tell you how to submit the correction. A withholding declaration is used for later changes such as changing your tax-free threshold claim or reporting that a study loan has been fully repaid. ### Can my employer pay me less because I'm young? Some awards have junior rates linked to age, while others do not. Your minimum depends on the award or agreement, classification and duties. Use Fair Work's Pay and Conditions Tool to check the rate that applies to your job. ## Sources 1. [Paper TFN declaration form for payees](https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/tfn-declaration/paper-tfn-declaration-form-for-payees) · Australian Taxation Office 2. [Australian residents TFN application](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/tax-file-number/apply-for-a-tfn/australian-residents-tfn-application) · Australian Taxation Office 3. [Australian citizens with an Australian passport TFN application](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/tax-file-number/apply-for-a-tfn/australian-citizens-with-an-australian-passport-tfn-application) · Australian Taxation Office 4. [Income Tax Rates Act 1986](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A03348/2026-07-01/2026-07-01/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html) · Federal Register of Legislation 5. [Taxation Administration Withholding Schedules Instrument 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L00716/asmade/2026-06-12/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html) · Federal Register of Legislation 6. [Choosing a super fund](https://moneysmart.gov.au/how-super-works/choosing-a-super-fund) · ASIC Moneysmart 7. [Stapled super fund](https://moneysmart.gov.au/how-super-works/stapled-super-fund) · ASIC Moneysmart 8. [Superannuation standard choice form](https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/superannuation-standard-choice-form) · Australian Taxation Office 9. [Pay, entitlements and working conditions](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/find-help-for/young-workers-and-students/pay-entitlements-and-working-conditions) · Fair Work Ombudsman 10. [Junior pay rates](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay-and-wages/minimum-wages/junior-pay-rates) · Fair Work Ombudsman 11. [Record-keeping and pay slips](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/fact-sheets/rights-and-obligations/record-keeping-pay-slips) · Fair Work Ombudsman 12. [Paying wages](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay-and-wages/paying-wages) · Fair Work Ombudsman 13. [TFN application scam warning](https://www.ato.gov.au/api/public/content/0-1b24ce97-c33d-40ca-9d01-1f4f99c7ce1b) · Australian Taxation Office ## Related reading - [Your first payslip, explained line by line](https://getclova.com/blog/payslip-explained) - [Your first job budget: what to do with your first pays](https://getclova.com/blog/first-job-budget) - [How HECS-HELP debt works in 2026](https://getclova.com/blog/hecs-debt) [Report a correction](https://getclova.com/contact) This guide explains a budgeting method in general terms; it doesn't consider your circumstances.