Australia Working Holiday Visa 2026: 417 and 462 Rules and Costs

A working holiday in Australia can be the year you remember for the rest of your life. It can also turn into a costly mess if you mistime your application, lose your visa by accident or lose more of your pay to tax than you planned for.

This guide covers Australia's two working holiday visas: the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) and the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). It explains who can apply, what it costs, how to qualify for a second or third year and what happens to your tax and superannuation (super). Everything was checked against Home Affairs and Australian Taxation Office (ATO) pages in September 2026.

417 or 462: which visa is yours?

Your passport decides which visa you can apply for. If you hold two eligible passports, you must enter Australia on the one linked to your visa.

Visa charges are from the Home Affairs current visa pricing table at the time of writing. Check the official Visa Pricing Estimator before you pay.

417 countries

At the time of writing, the 417 visa is open to passport holders from Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

The upper age limit is 35 for Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, South Korea and the UK. For the other 417 countries, it's 30.

462 countries

The 462 visa covers Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, Uruguay, the United States and Vietnam.

462 applicants must meet their country's education requirement, show functional English and, for many countries, provide a letter of support from their own government. US and Papua New Guinea passport holders don't need that letter.

Core eligibility rules

For a first visa, Home Affairs says you must:

• hold a passport from an eligible country
• be within the age range when you apply
• apply online from outside Australia
• not bring dependent children
• apply on your own, because family members can't be included
• not have entered Australia on a 417 or 462 visa before

Age deadlines are strict

You must apply before midnight Australian Eastern time on the day before your 31st birthday, or your 36th if your country's limit is 35. If you apply at 30 and turn 31 before a decision, you can still be granted the visa. Home Affairs advises against applying on your birthday.

Money

Home Affairs says you'll usually need about AUD 5,000 for your initial stay, plus enough to buy a ticket out of Australia, unless you already have one.

What the visa lets you do

Each visa lets you stay in Australia for up to 12 months, starting from the day you enter. You can:

• do any kind of work, usually for up to 6 months with each employer
• study for up to 4 months (17 weeks)
• leave and re-enter as often as you like

Time spent outside Australia doesn't extend your 12 months.

The 6-month employer limit

Visa condition 8547 usually stops you working for the same employer for more than 6 months. Since 1 January 2024, Home Affairs lets you go beyond 6 months without permission if you:

• work for the same employer in different locations, with no more than 6 months in any one location
• work in plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia
• do natural disaster recovery work anywhere in Australia
• work in certain industries in northern Australia

In any other case, you need to request permission. The limit resets when you're granted a second visa, so you can go back to an employer from your first year.

Getting a second or third year: specified work

To qualify for a second visa, most people must complete 3 months of specified work on their first visa. For a third visa, they need 6 months of specified work on their second.

Home Affairs counts 3 months as at least 88 calendar days and 6 months as at least 179 calendar days. You must work the same number of days or shifts as a full-time worker in that job would normally work over that period. It can be spread across several employers and separate stretches of work.

Eligibility depends on the postcode where the work happens, not the employer's head office. Home Affairs publishes postcode lists for each visa. These lists are different from the "designated regional areas" used for skilled visas.

Specified work must be paid according to Australian law and awards. Voluntary work only counts if it's bushfire or natural disaster recovery work in a declared area.

The UK exception

Since 1 July 2024, UK passport holders don't need to do specified work for a second or third 417 visa. They can apply for all three visas up to the day before their 36th birthday, in or outside Australia, and don't need to stay for three years in a row. The 6-month employer limit and 4-month study limit still apply.

Costs and money

Budget before you land

Rent, transport and food vary widely between cities and regional towns, so research the area you're heading to rather than relying on a national average.

Tax: the "backpacker tax"

Before you start work, apply for a Tax File Number (TFN). You don't have to have one, but without it you pay more tax. Give your employer a TFN declaration and tell them you're on a 417 or 462 visa.

The ATO's working holiday maker rates for 2025–26 are:

When this was written, the ATO page still showed 2025–26 as its latest year, so check it for 2026–27 rates.

Your employer must be registered with the ATO as a working holiday maker employer to withhold at 15%. If they aren't, the ATO says they must withhold at foreign resident rates, which start at 30%. On AUD 1,000 of pay, that's the difference between AUD 150 and AUD 300 withheld.

If all your income was wages earned as a working holiday maker and your taxable income was under AUD 45,001, the ATO says you don't need to lodge a tax return. You may still choose to lodge one, for example to claim deductions. A different rule can apply if you're an Australian resident for tax purposes from a country with a tax treaty non-discrimination article.

Superannuation and getting it back

Super is Australia's compulsory retirement savings. The ATO sets the super guarantee at 12% of qualifying earnings for 2026–27, and from 1 July 2026 employers must pay it each payday.

When you leave Australia, you can claim it as a departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) if:

• you built up super while working on a temporary visa
• your visa has ended
• you've left Australia and hold no other active Australian visa

The ATO taxes the taxable part of a working holiday maker's DASP at 65%. You can use the free DASP online application system. Start it before you leave, and submit it once you're eligible. If you don't claim within 6 months of leaving, your fund may transfer the money to the ATO, and you can still claim it from there. Claiming a DASP doesn't affect future visa applications.

Health cover and banking

Working holiday makers generally aren't covered by Medicare, Australia's public health system. Services Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with 11 countries, including the UK and Ireland, which may cover medically necessary care. Everyone else should arrange travel or visitor health insurance. Open an Australian bank account soon after arrival so employers can pay you, and compare transfer fees and exchange rates when you send money home.

Step by step: from application to arrival

1. Check your passport country and visa type. Confirm the age limit and any ballot, cap or education rules.
2. Save your funds. Aim for at least the amount Home Affairs expects, plus your onward fare.
3. For a 462, gather extra documents: education evidence, an English test or other proof of functional English and a government letter of support if required.
4. Apply in ImmiAccount from outside Australia and pay the charge.
5. Wait for your grant before booking. Home Affairs is prioritising onshore applications, so some offshore decisions may take several months.
6. Enter within the time allowed on your grant letter. Your 12 months start when you arrive.
7. Apply for a TFN, open a bank account and confirm your employer is registered with the ATO.
8. Plan your specified work early if you want a second year, and keep payslips and records.

Scams and exploitation

Everyone working in Australia has the same workplace rights, including working holiday makers. Be wary of:

• Paying for a job or a "guaranteed" farm placement. Treat any request for money in exchange for work as a serious warning sign.
• Cash-in-hand work with no payslips. It may not count as specified work and leaves you without protection.
• Employers who sign off days you didn't work. False specified work claims can sink your next application.
• Fake visa websites that charge extra to "process" your application. Apply through ImmiAccount.
• Unregistered migration helpers. Only registered migration agents, lawyers and certain exempt people can give immigration assistance.

Your working holiday checklist

• Confirm 417 or 462, your age deadline and any cap or ballot.
• Save about AUD 5,000 plus an onward fare.
• Apply only when you're ready to travel.
• Don't apply for an eVisitor or other visa after your grant.
• Get a TFN and check your employer's ATO registration.
• Track the 6-month employer limit.
• Log specified work by postcode, dates and days worked.
• Keep every payslip and super statement.
• Claim your DASP after you leave.

If you'd like to compare options across the Tasman, read our guide to the New Zealand working holiday visa. Thinking about staying longer? Our guides to Australian skilled migration and the 491 and 494 regional visas explain the routes that can lead to permanent residence.