TRS allows travelers departing from Australia to claim a refund on tax payable on eligible goods and services in Australia this refund applies to the 10% government service Tax as well as the wine equalization tax deposit its name the tourist refund scheme is not just for tourist anyone can claim a GST refund this includes Australia citizens and people Traveling from abroad so if you live in Australia and are just going overseas for a holiday you can still take advantage of this not everything is covered though strap yourself in because this is quite a long list of criteria one the purchase must be $300 or greater this can be across several transactions as long as the total is over $300.
If the business has several stores or branches like JB hi fi for example you can shop across multiple locations as long as they all fall under the same ABN minimum spend can be achieved with multiple visits you will need a tax invoice for each transaction tough if you spend over $11000 the invoice must also include the identity of the buyer acceptable details your full name identical to your passport or passport number you may need TP request that your information be added to the tax invoice at the time of purchase.
If you do intend to make the TRS claim when you leave Australia two you must have paid for the goods or services yourself three the purchase must be made no more than 60 days before your date of departure from Australia number four the original hard copy tax invoice needs to be presented duplicates or digital versions are usually not accepted but for online purchase you can print a copy of the invoice for presentation at the TS counter number five the item you have claimed has to be with you as you board the plane.
So, that kind of rules out anything large like a new fridge or land suit AIT it is possible to claim a GST refund on some oversized items like golf clubs or surf boards and stuff like liquids aerosols or gels the can not be carried on board with you however they still have to be leaving the country with you and they must be cited by an Australia border force official prior to check in number six you can not claim a refund on goods or services purchased from a business or entity is not registered for GST or did not have GST applied in the first place in order to register the entity needs an Australian business number which should appear on the invoice you provide when making a claim if the business does not have an ABN or it is not visible on the invoice you are out of luck seven you can not retrospectively claim your GST refund you must do it as you are leaving the country you also must do your refund at your final port of departure before leaving Australia.
For example if your journey starts as a domestic leg say from Adelaide to Sydney you won’t be able to make a TRS claim prior to your domestic flight you will have to wait for the leg that actually leaves the country finally a duty free limit or passenger concession applies to each passenger entering Australia that’s $900 for adults and $450 for children anything you have claimed under the TRS scheme will count towards this limit so if you leave the country and then return with the product you use the TRS scheme on you have to declare it and if it is over that $900 Australian for adults you have to pay the GST refund back if you are traveling as a family you can combine your passenger concessions so for example a family with two adults and two children could return with a single item worth up to 2,700 Australian duty free there are also some items you can not a GST refund for services like accommodation transport and car hire dangerous goods tobaccos and tobaccos alcohol medication and medical aids gift card and unaccompanied goods that are shipped or any goods that are not actually being carried on the plane with you.
If you are sure you have ticked off all of those criteria here’s how you can being making a claim first find out where to do it refunds can be claimed at the airport you are departing Australia from the Australian border Force lists the locations of TRS counters in airports a cross Australia many will have office at a desk but in some instance you may be required to use the secure TRS drobox facility instead of the physicals counter providing you meet the criteria you claim will still be processed just at a later time you will need to drop all your original invoices into an envelope and fill out a claim from with your details.