Private ruling: Residency for income tax purposes
Date of advice: 27 August 2018
Published: October 2018
Ruling period: Year ending 30 June 2019 | Year ending 30 June 2020
Date scheme commenced: 1 July 2018

Ruling: Q1: Are you a resident of Australia for income tax purposes? | A1: Yes

Relevant facts and circumstances: You were born in Australia. You are a citizen of Australia. You are not a permanent resident of any other country. You will commence overseas travel in the 2018 income year. You will be on holiday for the next 2 years. You intend on travelling to a number of countries over the next 2 years. You will travel to other countries but will decide later. You will be travelling on a travel visa which will not allow you to remain permanently in any country. You will stay in hotels, motels and Airbnb while overseas. You intend on selling your home to fund your travel. You will store your household items with a relative in Australia. You will return to Australia for visits while overseas on holidays and these trips will not exceed 183 days in any financial year. You will stay with family and friends when you return to Australia. You will not be working overseas. You have no spouse and no dependants. You are not eligible to contribute to the PSS or the CSS Commonwealth superannuation funds.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Subsection 995-1(1) | Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 Subsection 6(1)

Reasons for decision: Summary: Section 995-1 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) defines an Australian resident for taxation purposes as a person who is a resident of Australia for the purposes of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936). The terms ‘resident’ and ‘resident of Australia’, in regard to an individual, are defined in subsection 6(1) of the ITAA 1936. The definition provides four tests to ascertain whether a taxpayer is a resident of Australia for income tax purposes. The tests are: ● the resides test, ● the domicile test, ● the 183 day test, and ● the superannuation test. The first two tests are examined in detail in Taxation Ruling IT 2650 – Income tax: residency – permanent place of abode outside Australia. The latter two tests are relatively self-explanatory as they require the individual to either be physical present in Australia for a period greater than 183 days or be eligible to contribute to the PSS or CSS superannuation schemes. If any one of these tests is met, an individual will be a resident of Australia for taxation purposes. Based on the facts you have provided, we can conclude that you are a resident of Australia for income tax purposes.