Freelancing in Australia - TFN, ABN, etc.

[architectjaymie]

Hi everyone, 

I've been working for an Australian-based company for the past 5months now while I was still based in the Philippines. I just arrived in Australia and I have a few questions about freelancing here:

• I'm gonna need my TFN to apply for an ABN, so that's pretty much two-month waiting period...Can I continue working while my TFN is still being processed?
• Will I need a separate business bank account?

Thanks!

[JoanneP]

Hi Jaymie,

GST will be applied to applicable Upwork fees, including the Upwork service fee, premium Upwork memberships, and purchases of Connects. This tax will be collected by Upwork and remitted to the Australian Taxation Office, unless you provide a valid ABN number and acknowledge that you're registered for GST. You can check this help article and this thread in the community for more information. 

As for your payment method, you must be listed as an account holder or authorized signer on that account, or demonstrate that you are authorized by the business to do so. The listed name on the account must match your verified name on Upwork. Here's the help article for more information.