Travel records under the microscope
If you spend time outside Australia for work, family or personal reasons, your travel history could become increasingly important when it comes to your Australian tax affairs.
On 24 August 2026, the ATO gazetted its latest passenger movements data-matching program. Under the program, the Department of Home Affairs is expected to provide the ATO with travel information for around 115,000 individuals each year from the 2026–27 income year through to 2028–29.
The information may include an individual’s name, date of birth, arrival and departure dates, passport details and citizenship or visa status. The ATO can then compare this information with its own records to identify potential issues with tax residency, registration, lodgement, reporting and payment obligations.
For taxpayers who regularly travel overseas, one of the most important areas to consider is their tax residency position.
Why tax residency matters
Your Australian tax residency status can have a significant impact on how you are taxed.
For example, Australian residents are generally taxed on their worldwide income, while foreign residents are generally taxed only on their Australian-sourced income. Residency can also affect the tax-free threshold, Medicare levy obligations and capital gains tax (CGT) outcomes.
This means that where you have moved to or from Australia, or spent extended periods overseas, the exact dates you entered and left Australia can be important when preparing your tax return.
The ATO will now have access to passenger movement information from an independent government source. If the dates reported by a taxpayer do not appear to align with those records, this could potentially prompt the ATO to seek further information.
Importantly, spending time overseas does not automatically make someone a foreign resident for tax purposes. Tax residency is determined by considering a range of factors, including family circumstances, the strength of connections with Australia and someone’s intentions and behaviour. However, accurate travel records can be an important part of establishing the overall position.
When could your travel history matter?
There are several situations where keeping accurate travel records could be particularly useful.
Part-year residency
If you became or ceased to be an Australian tax resident during the year, the dates you arrived in or departed Australia may form part of the evidence supporting your residency position. They can also be relevant when determining whether a part-year tax-free threshold applies.
Working overseas
If you regularly travel overseas for work, your travel history may help establish when you were working in Australia and when you were overseas. This can be particularly relevant where your tax position involves foreign employment income, work-related travel or other overseas activities.
Selling an Australian property
If you have moved overseas and later sell an Australian property, your residency history can be relevant to the CGT treatment. An individual’s tax residency status can have a significant impact on whether the main residence exemption can apply on sale of someone’s home, so keeping a clear record of when you were living in Australia and when you were overseas can be helpful.
What should you do?
There is no need to be concerned simply because you travel overseas. However, if you spend significant periods outside Australia, it is worth making sure your records are accurate and consistent.
As a practical starting point:
- Keep a record of your arrival and departure dates for each trip, including the year in which the travel occurred.
- Retain useful supporting records such as flight itineraries, boarding passes and passport records where available.
- Let us know about significant periods spent overseas, particularly if you have moved overseas or are considering doing so.
- Before lodging your tax return, check that the dates used in any residency calculation or other relevant tax treatment are accurate.
Good record-keeping is particularly important where your residency position is not straightforward. If there is a difference between the dates you have reported and the information available to the ATO, having supporting records can make it much easier to explain the position.
A small detail that could make a big difference
For most taxpayers, the ATO’s passenger movements data-matching program is unlikely to have any direct impact. However, for people who regularly travel overseas, have moved countries or have a residency position that is finely balanced, accurate travel records could become increasingly valuable.
Rather than waiting for the ATO to raise a query, it is worth discussing your circumstances with us if you have spent substantial time overseas during the year or plan to in the near future.
A few minutes spent checking your travel dates and residency position could help avoid unnecessary questions later and provide greater confidence that your tax return accurately reflects your circumstances.
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