How Long Does a Tax Refund Take in Australia?

The return is in, the estimate came out as a refund and you may already know where the money is going, like the rent or a bill that's been waiting. Then the status says In progress, and for days nothing seems to move.

Most refunds arrive without you doing anything more. It still helps to know what each stage means, so you can tell ordinary waiting from a real hold-up and plan the next few weeks with the money you actually have.

What happens after you lodge

Processing ends when the ATO issues your notice of assessment. That's its statement of how your tax was worked out and whether you get a refund or owe money, and it goes to your myGov Inbox if your myGov account is linked to the ATO. The refund follows the notice, so seeing an amount in myGov doesn't mean the money has reached your account yet.

Only business days count towards that 10-day aim, which leaves out weekends and public holidays. If an agent lodged for you, the count starts when they lodge, not when you handed over your paperwork.

Check where your return is up to

You can follow your return in ATO online services: sign in to myGov, choose ATO, then Manage tax returns and the income year. In the ATO app, it's under Your tax return for 2025–26. A tax agent can also check it for you.

While the ATO works on it, the status reads In progress with one of these after it. Not every return shows all of them.

• Processing shows up twice: when the ATO starts, and again near the end, when you can open it to see an estimated date for your notice.
• Information pending means the ATO is gathering information it needs to finish.
• Under review means someone is checking the return by hand before it's finalised.
• Balancing account means the result is being matched against anything you owe the ATO or other government agencies, and money may be moved to cover it.

None of these is a verdict on your return, and the ATO gets in touch if it needs something from you. Once the status says Issued with an amount, your notice is ready. That amount can be a bill rather than a refund, and what to do if you can't pay a tax bill covers that side.

Why some returns take longer

A return slows down when the ATO needs to check something with your employer, your bank or another agency, or when the bank account in your return is out of date. Lodging a second time, or amending before the first return is finished, holds it up too, so leave it alone even when the status hasn't changed for a while.

Manual processing of an online return generally takes up to 30 calendar days, and calling won't speed it up. If it is still unfinished beyond the usual processing window, check your myGov messages and ask your agent or the ATO about its status; don't lodge again. The exception is hardship. If you're in serious financial difficulty, you can phone the ATO on 13 11 42 after lodging to ask about priority processing. It isn't guaranteed, but it's there for exactly that situation.

Why the refund can be smaller than you expected

With a HELP debt, the compulsory repayment for the year is worked out in the same assessment. Any extra your employer withheld for HELP counts towards it then, rather than reducing the loan each payday, so the repayment comes out of what would otherwise be refunded. Our HECS-HELP guide explains how the amount is calculated.

Debts come next. The ATO generally has to use a refund to pay any tax debt you already have, including an old one that was put on hold. Part or all of it can also go to Services Australia for a Centrelink or child support debt. When that happens, a statement of account comes with your notice and shows where the money went.

Here's how that works for Owen, who's made up. Owen has a HELP debt and still owes Centrelink for an old Youth Allowance overpayment, with no repayments set up since the payments stopped. Across the year, Owen's employers withheld $1,200 more than the tax on Owen's income.

Nothing went missing between the notice and the bank. Each step shows on the notice or the statement of account, which are the two places to look when a deposit doesn't match what you expected.

If a bill is due before the refund arrives

Leave an expected refund out of the money you count on until it's actually in your account. The timing is an aim rather than a promise, and the amount can change on the way.

You can work out what's left before payday without the refund to see whether your next pay can carry the bill. Clova puts upcoming bills beside your pay, so a bill that falls due before the refund shows up against the pay that actually has to cover it.

If the pay can't cover it, call the provider before the due date and ask for more time or a payment plan. That conversation is easier before a payment is missed than after. When several bills pile up at once, the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 offers free, confidential financial counselling.

When the refund lands

The account you nominated in your return isn't always the one you check every day. Clova shows all your accounts from every bank in one view, so you'll see the refund arrive whichever bank it's paid into.

Money the plan didn't need is a good chance to get a little ahead. Part of it could start an emergency fund if you don't have a buffer yet, so the next unexpected bill has money already waiting for it.

A note from us

A refund should arrive as good news, not as the thing a bill was waiting on. Clova plans each pay into allocations for the costs it has to cover, so the bills are looked after before any refund turns up.