What do I need to close before I leave Australia?
Closing things in the right order means your final pay, bond and tax refund arrive, nothing is left owing, and you can still be reached once you’ve gone.
In 30 seconds
- Keep one Australian bank account open: the ATO only pays refunds into an Australian account, and your bond and super may come later
- Give notice on energy, internet and phone contracts and check for exit fees; if you don’t sell your car, cancelling its registration can get some money back
- Redirect your mail, update your address with the ATO and your super fund, and search for unclaimed money before you go
The order that works
- Cancel standing payments you won’t need: gym, subscriptions, streaming, memberships
- Give notice on energy, gas and internet for your moving-out day, and ask for a final meter read
- Your phone: keep it until the end, as banks and myGov send codes by text. Port the number to a cheap prepaid plan if you want to keep it
- Health and car insurance: suspend or cancel from the right date
- Your car: sell it, or cancel the registration and claim the refund
- Credit cards: pay off and close, unless you need one for the move
- Your bank account: keep one open until everything has arrived
Your bank account
Keep at least one everyday account open, with online banking that works from overseas. You may still be waiting for your final pay, your bond, a tax refund or a DASP super payment, and the ATO only pays refunds into an Australian account. Download statements before you go: they help with UK tax, a mortgage application or proving your address history. Close credit cards and personal loans you no longer need, and keep the letters confirming they’re paid off.
Bills and contracts
- Energy and internet: give notice for your last day and check your contract for any exit fee. Pay the final bill before you close your account
- Phone: if you’re on a contract, check what’s left to pay to end it early. Moving your number to a prepaid plan keeps it alive for bank and myGov security codes
- Private health insurance: insurers let you cancel, and many let you suspend cover while you’re overseas, but you usually have to arrange it before you leave. If you might come back to Australia later, ask how a gap affects Lifetime Health Cover loading
- Car insurance: cancel from the day you sell the car, and ask about a refund for the unused part
Your car registration
If you sell the car, the registration goes with it. If you don’t, you can cancel it and hand in the plates. In NSW, a cancellation fee applies but you can ask for a refund of the unused motor vehicle tax, and the CTP Green Slip refund is claimed separately from your insurer, using the cancellation receipt. Other states have their own rules, so check with your state transport department.
Government, voting and mail
| Who | What to do |
|---|---|
| ATO | Update your postal address and bank account in myGov, or by phone. Your TFN stays yours for life |
| Super fund | Update your address and email so you get statements and can claim later |
| Services Australia | Tell them you’re leaving if you get Medicare, Centrelink or family payments. Payments usually stop when you leave permanently, and you’d re-enrol in Medicare if you came back |
| Electoral roll | Australian citizens can register as an overseas elector up to 3 months before leaving or within 3 years after, if you intend to return within 6 years |
| Australia Post | Redirect mail overseas for up to 12 months. It costs more than redirection within Australia, and parcels and Express Post aren’t sent on |
Money you may have missed
Search for unclaimed money on Moneysmart before you leave. It’s free. Bank accounts with no deposits or withdrawals for 7 years are passed to ASIC, along with unclaimed shares and life insurance, and you can claim at any time. Also check for lost super through myGov. If you combine accounts, check what insurance each one holds first: closing an account can end its cover.
For the full order of leaving, including your job, home and super, see How do I leave Australia, and in what order?
What to do next
- Choose which Australian bank account you’ll keep open
- List every contract with its notice period and exit fee
- Search Moneysmart for unclaimed money in your name
Keep going
- ATO: Update your TFN registration details
- NSW Government: Getting your bond back at the end of a tenancy
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: How to claim a bond and how long it will take
- Department of Health: Suspending private health insurance when overseas
- privatehealth.gov.au: Lifetime Health Cover
- Service NSW: Cancel vehicle registration
- SIRA NSW: Refunds on cancelled CTP Green Slips
- Services Australia: Before you leave Australia
- AEC: Registration as an overseas elector
- Australia Post: Redirect mail
- Moneysmart: Find unclaimed money
- ASIC: Unclaimed money
- ATO: Departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP)