Part-Time Jobs in Australia for International Students: Hours, Wages, Tax and Rules in 2026

How many hours can international students work in Australia?

The subclass 500 visa lets you work up to 48 hours a fortnight when your course is in session, and without limit during the scheduled breaks published in your provider's academic calendar. The limit is assessed over each 14-day period, so you cannot bank hours from a quiet fortnight into a busy one. Students enrolled in a masters by research or a doctoral degree, and their family members, have no work-hour limit once the course has started. You cannot begin work before your course starts.

The cap is a visa condition (8105). Breaching it can lead to visa cancellation, and employers report wages to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll. Family members included in the visa have their own work condition: it is unlimited if the student is in a masters by research or doctoral course, and family members of masters by coursework and masters (Extended) students can also work more than 48 hours a fortnight. From 2 October 2026 most Student visa applicants can no longer include family members in a new application, and family members still have limited work rights when the course is not in session, so check the condition printed on their grant letter and the Home Affairs Student visa page.

How much can you earn part time in Australia in 2026?

Scenarios at the National Minimum Wage of AUD 26.44 an hour, effective from 1 July 2026. Most student jobs are casual and attract a 25% loading (AUD 33.05 an hour); award rates for hospitality, retail and other industries are often higher than the national minimum, and penalty rates apply for evenings, weekends and public holidays under many awards.

How to start working in Australia as an international student

Do these in your first two weeks; employers will not put you on payroll without a TFN and bank account.

1. 1

   Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) online

   Once you are in Australia and your visa is active, apply on the ATO website as a temporary visitor with work rights. It is free. Give it to your employer as soon as you start so that tax is withheld correctly from your first pay.

2. 2

   Open an Australian bank account

   Most major banks let you open an account online from India before arrival and verify your identity in-branch after landing. Wages are paid by bank transfer only.

3. 3

   Choose a superannuation fund

   Your employer must pay 12% of your qualifying earnings into a super fund with each payday from 1 July 2026; you can nominate one or be placed in the employer's default fund. Keep your member number so you can claim the balance as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment when you leave permanently.

4. 4

   Complete the Tax File Number declaration and claim the tax-free threshold

   Tick "Australian resident for tax purposes" if your course is longer than six months (most are) and claim the tax-free threshold with one employer only, so that the first AUD 18,200 a year is untaxed.

5. 5

   Check your pay slip against the award

   Every pay slip must show hours, rate, super and any loading. Use the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool to check the award rate for your job. Cash-in-hand work below the minimum wage is illegal for the employer and leaves you without super or protection.

6. 6

   Track your fortnightly hours

   Keep a simple log across all employers. If you hold two jobs, the 48-hour cap covers the total. Save your academic calendar so you can prove which weeks were scheduled breaks.

Which part-time jobs do Indian students in Australia actually do?

• Hospitality: cafes, restaurants, quick-service chains and hotel kitchens; casual award rates with weekend penalties, flexible around lectures.
• Retail and supermarkets: shelf-filling, checkout and warehouse night shifts at major chains, often the first job for newly arrived students.
• On-campus roles: library, IT help desk, student ambassador and peer-tutoring positions; usually paid above the minimum and scheduled around classes.
• Delivery and rideshare: flexible but typically contractor work with no super or minimum wage protection; you bear vehicle and insurance costs.
• Aged care and disability support: high demand and above-minimum rates; requires a police check, first-aid certificate and often a short qualification.
• Tutoring and coaching: mathematics, science and coding for school students; hourly rates well above the minimum for those with strong grades.
• Paid internships and casual professional work in your field: the most valuable for your CV and later 485 job search, but scarce before the final year.

Tax and superannuation for student workers

Students who stay in Australia for a course of six months or more are normally Australian residents for tax purposes. Under the 2026–27 resident rates the first AUD 18,200 of taxable income is tax-free, income between AUD 18,201 and AUD 45,000 is taxed at 15 cents in the dollar, and higher bands apply above that; a 2% Medicare levy may also apply unless you obtain an exemption. Tax is withheld by your employer each pay and reconciled when you lodge a return after 30 June; most students working part time receive a refund.

Superannuation is separate from wages. From 1 July 2026 (Payday Super) employers must pay your super with each payday rather than quarterly, so it reaches your super fund within 7 business days after you are paid, calculated as 12% of your qualifying earnings, which include ordinary time earnings; the 12% rate is unchanged. You cannot access it while in Australia, but when your visa ends and you leave permanently you can claim it as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment, taxed at a flat rate at withdrawal. On AUD 33,000 of annual earnings that is AUD 3,960 (about ₹2.7 lakh) a year accumulating in your name.

Do not budget tuition from part-time work

Your rights at work in Australia

International students have the same workplace rights as Australian workers: the applicable award or minimum wage, paid superannuation, safe working conditions, protection from unfair dismissal after a qualifying period, and the right to complain to the Fair Work Ombudsman without immigration consequences. The Fair Work Ombudsman and Home Affairs have an arrangement under which students who report exploitation are generally not penalised for minor visa breaches connected to that work.

Warning signs of exploitation include pay below AUD 26.44 an hour, cash payments with no pay slip, unpaid "trial" shifts longer than a brief skills demonstration, and employers asking you to work beyond 48 hours a fortnight. Keep records, and use the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool to know the correct rate before you accept a job.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources used on this page

• Department of Home Affairs — Student visa (subclass 500): what you can do with this visa — Australian Department of Home Affairs · checked 26 September 2026
• Fair Work Ombudsman — Minimum wages (National Minimum Wage from 1 July 2026) — Fair Work Ombudsman · checked 26 September 2026
• Fair Work Ombudsman — Casual employees — Fair Work Ombudsman · checked 26 September 2026
• Australian Taxation Office — Apply for a TFN — Australian Taxation Office · checked 26 September 2026
• Australian Taxation Office — About Payday Super (employer super rate and timing) — Australian Taxation Office · checked 26 September 2026
• Australian Taxation Office — Tax rates, Australian resident (2026–27) — Australian Taxation Office · checked 26 September 2026
• Xe — AUD to INR mid-market rate — Xe · checked 26 September 2026