Leaving Australia in 2026: the complete financial checklist
The money side of emigrating, in the order that actually matters.
Once the visa is sorted, emigrating from Australia is mostly a money-and-logistics problem — and doing things in the wrong order is what costs people. Here's the financial side, sequenced.
Three separate things people blur together
- Physically moving — getting your visa and actually going.
- Ceasing Australian tax residency with the ATO — which can trigger a CGT 'departure' event on certain assets.
- Moving your money and dealing with super — which stays preserved in Australia.
The CGT departure event
When you cease Australian tax residency, the ATO treats you as having disposed of certain CGT assets (CGT event I1). You can often elect to defer that by treating them as taxable Australian property instead — but it's a deliberate decision to model before you go, with advice.
Your super stays put
As a citizen or permanent resident you can't cash out super just because you're leaving — it stays invested in Australia until preservation age. Consolidate your accounts before you go so it's easy to manage from abroad, and get advice on how your destination taxes it.
The expensive mistakes
- Triggering the CGT departure event without modelling it (or the option to defer).
- Assuming you can withdraw your super by leaving — you generally can't.
- Becoming a tax resident of your destination while still an Australian resident, and being taxed twice.
- Moving savings at one bad exchange rate instead of tranching the transfers.
This is where cross-border advice pays for itself. Use the cost estimator to budget the move and the readiness quiz to see if you're ready to start.
Frequently asked
Does leaving Australia trigger tax?
It can. Ceasing Australian tax residency triggers a CGT 'departure' event (CGT event I1) on certain assets — a potential capital-gains bill on the way out, though you can often elect to defer it. Model it with an adviser before you leave.
Can I access my super if I leave Australia?
Generally no, if you're a citizen or permanent resident — your super stays preserved until preservation age. Only temporary visa holders can take a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment.
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Educational information only — not financial, tax, legal or migration advice.