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mparmpas(I'm new)I'm new
8 Apr 2026

Hi everyone,

I’d really appreciate some clarification regarding how interest from a joint account should be declared.

I am an Australian citizen but currently a non-resident for tax purposes, living permanently in Greece. My sister, on the other hand, is an Australian tax resident.

We have a joint savings account with Commonwealth Bank. However, all the funds in the account belong to me, and I am the only one contributing money to it.

For the last financial year:

  • The total interest earned was about 1,680 AUD
  • When lodging my tax return through the ATO system, I declared 100% of the interest under my name, stating that the funds are entirely mine
  • I was taxed approximately 10% on the interest, which I understand may apply to non-residents

However, my sister’s accountant declared 50% of the interest under her name, and she was taxed on that portion as well.

So my questions are:

  1. As a non-resident, was I correctly taxed at around 10% on the full amount of interest?
  2. Is it acceptable for me to declare 100% of the interest, given that the funds are entirely mine, even though it’s a joint account?
  3. Should my sister have declared 0% of the interest in this case?
  4. If the interest has effectively been declared twice (by both of us), what is the correct way to fix this with the ATO?

Thanks in advance for your help!

52 views
3 replies
52 views
3 replies

All replies

YellowPotato(Taxicorn)Taxicorn
9 Apr 2026

  1. Likely yes, doesn't look like there's a DTA with Greece so the default 10%
    1. https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/foreign-resident-investments/interest-unfranked-dividends-and-royalties
  2. You can but likely equal share is the easiest option
  3. She could but likely equal share is the easiest option
  4. Amend one of the tax returns, likely your tax return


"Joint accounts

If you had a joint account, show the number of account holders, the total gross interest and total TFN amounts withheld. myTax will divide the amounts equally between the number of account holders.


You may alter your share of the gross interest and TFN amounts withheld for any account where the account holders don't share equally in the interest. If you do, keep a record of how you worked out your share."

However, all the funds in the account belong to me, and I am the only one contributing money to it.

  • I don't think this would be a evidence for working out your share of the interest since that would affect everyone - e.g. parent making a savings account in their children's name
  • I'm not sure what evidence would be needed to prove unequal share

mparmpas(I'm new)I'm new
9 Apr 2026

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it.

Just to clarify, I’m not really concerned with what is “easier” from a lodgement perspective — I’m trying to make sure things are done correctly according to ATO rules.

In this case, the interest has already been fully declared and taxed under my name (as a non-resident), which seems to be the correct treatment given that the funds are entirely mine.

My concern is that if my sister also declares 50% simply because it’s “easier” or the default split, then the same interest is effectively being taxed twice — which doesn’t seem right.

So from my understanding, the correct approach would be:

I declare 100% of the interest (since the funds belong to me), and

My sister declares 0% for this specific account

Even if unequal shares require justification, it seems more accurate to reflect the actual ownership of the funds rather than defaulting to a 50/50 split for convenience.

Happy to hear your thoughts on what kind of evidence the ATO would generally expect in cases like this.

Thanks again for your help.

JayATO(Community Support)Community Support
13 Apr 2026

Hi @mparmpas,


Your sister can amend her return and reduce her share of interest on the account to 0.


As far as evidence goes, it's a holistic look at the account. So, you should keep as much evidence as you can on the contributions to the account. Things like:

  • who made the deposits
  • how they were made and when)
  • who was using the money in the account as their property
    • evidence of withdrawals made
    • any transfers and where the transfers were sent.

There isn't a single document but more a paper trail showing you used the account as your own.

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Non-resident vs resident joint account – who declares interest? | ATO Community