I am putting together my tax return for the first time via H&R block's Online Tax Advisor service. I am originally from Ireland, and I am on the 476 (Skilled-Recognised Graduate) visa.
I am a resident of Australia for tax purposes, but I am not a resident of Australia for Medicare purposes.
The tax advisor has told me that I owe over $1000 in my tax return since I haven't been paying my Medicare levy when I have been receiving income. However, according to this web page, I am exempt from needing to pay this levy because I do not benefit from Medicare. As such I have applied for a Medicare Entitlement Statement (MES).
However (due to no ones fault but my own), it is likely that the MES will not be processed before the tax return deadline (31st October), so I am concerned that I have no choice but to pay the Medicare Levy for the previous financial year to avoid missing the deadline and incurring penalties.
I have two questions really:
- Is there any way for me to avoid paying the Medicare Levy that I am exempt for without the MES document?
- If I pay the Medicare Levy (again, over $1000), will I be able to have that money refunded as part of my tax return next year, as I would essentially be overpaying my tax this year?
Again, I recognise that this is my own fault for not being on top of this, but still any help with this would be greatly appreciated!
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