Working Holiday Visas 417 and 462: Eligibility, Work and Money

Checked 30 September 2026General information

Plan a working holiday using your passport, visa history and intended work. This guide separates the employer time limit from specified work for a later visa, and separates wages, income tax and super so your travel budget is realistic.

In this guide

What a working holiday allows
Choose by passport, then check the country rules
Eligibility is more than the age test
Prepare a passport-specific application folder
Budget for the application and a job-search gap
Work limits and minimum pay
Income tax and super are different deductions
Second and third visas are separate applications
Test a job before relying on its days
Arrival and health-cover checklist
Frequently asked questions
Sources and review scope

Backpackers enjoying an Australian beach during their working holiday visa stay

Use this guide to prepare questions and organise evidence. Your grant notice, current visa conditions and the official rules control your situation. Get individual advice from a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner before a visa, work or travel decision with legal consequences.

What a working holiday allows

Subclass 417 (Working Holiday) and 462 (Work and Holiday) support an extended holiday with short-term work. They are separate applications with passport-specific eligibility. A first visa generally allows a 12-month stay and up to four months of study; check the grant’s entry and stay dates. Do not assume the label means three continuous years have been granted.

Start with the first 417 or first 462 page. A partner needs their own qualifying visa; dependent children cannot accompany you under these WHM arrangements. If your main purpose is a long-term job or study, compare the relevant work or student route.

Choose by passport, then check the country rules

Route	Passport and application checks
417: upper age 35 inclusive	Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom (including eligible BN(O) passports)
417: upper age 30 inclusive	Belgium, Estonia, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan (passport restrictions apply)
462: upper age 30 inclusive	Use the official eligible-country list and country-specific education, English and support-document rules. For example, US applicants use 462 rather than 417.
First 462 ballot applicants	China, India and Vietnam currently use pre-application selection. Check ballot status before attempting a visa application.

Checked 30 September 2026. Cyprus, Finland, Germany and Republic of Korea moved to the 18–35 range on 1 July 2026. See WHM changes and the passport-by-passport 417 table. The relevant age is at application; the Australian-time deadline may fall before your local birthday ends.

Eligibility is more than the age test

First applications are made from outside Australia. Previous entry on a 417 or 462 changes which application you should use; changing passport does not automatically reset your visa history. Check health, character, funds and previous-visa requirements on your subclass page.

For 462, education and any government-support document depend on passport country; functional English requirements and exceptions also need checking. Country caps can be open, paused or closed. Use 462 eligibility and country-cap status.

The China, India and Vietnam first-visa ballot has a separate AUD25 registration charge. At this check, 2026–27 registrations had closed; remaining selections and expiry dates are on the official ballot page. Selection lets you apply; it is not a visa grant. Home Affairs has also announced an Indonesian first-462 ballot with registrations expected later in 2026; confirm final arrangements on latest news rather than assuming an old support letter reserves a place.

Prepare a passport-specific application folder

Record the passport you will apply with, expiry, age at intended lodgement and every previous 417/462 grant and entry.
Choose first, second or third visa. Save the current country requirements and any ballot invitation deadline.
Collect required identity, funds, education/English and specified-work evidence. Follow the official document list rather than paying for every possible check.
Apply through ImmiAccount, check the declarations and official charge, then retain the receipt and reference. A paid ballot registration is separate from a visa application.
Respond to Home Affairs requests by their stated deadlines. On grant, save the entry deadline, stay period and conditions before booking commitments.

Protect passport and tax-file-number details. Do not send documents to an unverified recruiter offering guaranteed visa approval.

Budget for the application and a job-search gap

Use the official visa pricing estimator for the current 417 or 462 charge and the ballot page for any separate registration fee. This page does not reuse an old visa-charge figure. Health examinations, police certificates, travel, accommodation and insurance are separate.

Home Affairs currently advises that WHM processing is being normalised and warns against making travel, work or study commitments before grant. Check current WHM notices and the processing guide rather than relying on old instant-grant stories.

Budget worksheet: add application and evidence costs + travel + temporary accommodation + living costs while searching + an emergency departure reserve. Use actual quotes and a personal no-income period; expected casual shifts are not guaranteed income.

Work limits and minimum pay

Condition 8547 normally permits up to six months with an employer, measured by elapsed time rather than a tally of shifts. Current exemptions include work across different locations (within the location limit), plant/animal cultivation, disaster recovery and listed critical sectors including tourism/hospitality, health/care and agriculture. Some other industry exemptions are limited to Northern Australia. Check the complete 8547 rules.

If no exemption fits, request permission before the six months ends. Home Affairs allows continued work pending a timely request’s decision; a late request does not provide that permission. Changing labour-hire agency does not by itself reset the same job’s clock.

From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, the national adult minimum for award/agreement-free employees is $26.44 per hour; the corresponding casual rate with 25% loading is $33.05. Most jobs use an award with classifications, penalties and allowances; junior, apprentice and other special rates can differ. Check Fair Work minimum wages for the job, not just the visa.

Get duties, pay basis, employment status and accommodation deductions in writing.
Keep your own timesheet, payslips and bank deposits.
Check the applicable award before accepting piece rates or unpaid trial work. Ask Fair Work for help if necessary.

Income tax and super are different deductions

The standard WHM marginal bands for 2026–27 are below. Source: ATO’s 2026 withholding instrument, Schedule 15 (page 201). Final tax treatment can differ for Australian tax residents from countries with a relevant non-discrimination treaty article; nationality alone does not determine tax residency. Check ATO’s working holiday maker guide.

WHM taxable income band	Marginal rate on that band
$0–$45,000	15%
$45,001–$135,000	30%
$135,001–$190,000	37%
Over $190,000	45%

Illustrative annual calculation: $50,000 of taxable income wholly taxed under the standard WHM bands gives $6,750 on the first $45,000 plus $1,500 on the next $5,000: $8,250 income tax. This excludes levy adjustments, offsets, other income and different treaty/residency treatment; it is not a refund estimate.

Employer withholding is a prepayment, not necessarily final tax. Registered WHM employers use the WHM schedule; unregistered employers must use foreign-resident withholding rates. Give the correct TFN declaration and keep all income records. Use ATO’s instructions to determine whether you need a return, rather than assuming everyone receives a refund.

The general super guarantee rate is 12% from 1 July 2025. There is no general monthly earnings threshold for eligible adult employees. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super uses qualifying earnings and payment-time rules; special exceptions can apply. Check SG rates, who is eligible and Payday Super.

Generally, DASP requires you to have left Australia, your eligible temporary visa to have ceased, no other active Australian visa, and no Australian/New Zealand citizenship or Australian permanent residence. Do not cancel a visa solely to access super without understanding the consequences. See ATO DASP eligibility. The WHM DASP rate can be 65% of the taxable component, not a promise to return the whole balance; tax-free components differ. ATO DASP tax instructions.

Second and third visas are separate applications

Ordinarily a second visa requires three months of eligible specified work and a third requires six months, under the subclass-specific period and visa-history rules. You must still meet the age and other eligibility criteria at the new application. Check 417 specified work or 462 specified work.

UK passport exception: 417 applications lodged using an eligible UK passport on or after 1 July 2024 do not require specified work for the second or third visa. Up to three separate WHM visas remain subject to the other requirements, and the six-month employer and four-month study limits still apply. Official UK arrangements.

Test a job before relying on its days

“Regional work” is not a universal category. The correct test depends on subclass, industry/duties, postcode or designated area, work dates and payment rules. Tourism work allowed beyond six months under condition 8547 does not necessarily qualify as specified work for another visa. These are two different tests.

Save before/during the job	Why it matters
Employer legal name, ABN, workplace address and postcode	Identify who employed you and where work occurred
Contract, actual duties and normal roster	Check the eligible work category and equivalent full-time pattern
Daily hours, payslips, bank deposits and leave/absence dates	Support the period actually worked and lawful pay
Relevant official subclass rule, date checked and any employer correspondence	Do not rely solely on a recruiter’s “visa days guaranteed” promise

Three months is not automatically 88 separately worked shifts. Home Affairs uses the normal full-time work pattern for the required calendar period; part-time/casual patterns and days off need the specific counting rules. Check the 417 examples or 462 examples before assuming a calendar span qualifies.

Illustrative distinction: a hospitality role may fit a national employer-limit exemption but fail a specified-work location rule. Confirm both columns before relocating. Do not pay for fabricated payslips or sign off on work you did not do.

Arrival and health-cover checklist

Check your visa dates and travel conditions before arrival; create a secure offline copy of the grant.
Apply for a TFN through ATO and give payroll accurate visa information.
Choose/check a super fund and compare payslips with actual contributions received.
Budget insurance for your activities. Eligible visitors may receive limited Medicare cover under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement; country conditions apply and this is not comprehensive travel insurance.
Keep an emergency reserve outside anticipated wages and recoverable super. If plans change, reassess the next visa before the current one ends.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply at age 35?

For subclass 417, the current upper age is 35 for Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom (including eligible British National Overseas passports). Other eligible 417 passports and subclass 462 generally have an upper age of 30. Check the exact passport and Australian-time lodgement deadline.

Do UK passport holders need farm work for a second visa?

A 417 application made using an eligible UK passport on or after 1 July 2024 does not need specified work for a second or third visa. Each visa still requires a separate application and the other criteria. The employer and study limits still apply.

Can I work for one employer longer than six months?

Condition 8547 generally limits work with one employer to six months, but current exemptions cover certain work and locations. Otherwise request permission before the limit expires. A work-limit exemption does not mean the job counts as specified work for another visa.

Does every regional job count for another WHM visa?

No. Check your subclass, actual duties, eligible location, work dates and lawful payment against the specified-work rules. A regional postcode or employer promise alone is insufficient.

Is every working holiday maker taxed at 15% on everything?

No. The standard WHM schedule starts at 15% up to $45,000, with higher marginal rates above that. Withholding, tax residency, treaty nationality and final tax assessment are separate questions; some Australian tax residents from treaty countries receive different final treatment.

Will I get all my super back when I leave?

Not necessarily. DASP eligibility depends on departure, visa and other conditions, and WHM DASP tax can be 65% of the taxable component. A tax-free component is treated differently. Do not budget as though the entire super balance will be refunded.

Sources and review scope

Checked 30 September 2026. This is an editorial source check, not professional certification or an assessment of your eligibility. Fees, country arrangements and processing data can change; reopen the linked official pages before acting.