Yes. Brazilians who worked in Australia on a temporary visa can claim their full super balance as a DASP once home, provided the visa has expired or been cancelled. The rate depends on which visa you held, and for Brazilians that usually works in your favour: student (subclass 500) and skilled (482) visas are taxed at 35% on the taxed element, rather than the 65% that applies to working holiday makers. Payment goes directly to your Brazilian bank account, normally within about 28 days of a complete application.
Why Brazilians usually pay the lower rate
Almost every country page on this site leads with the 417 working holiday visa and its 65% rate. Brazil is the exception, and it is worth understanding why, because it is worth thousands of dollars.
Australia does have a Work and Holiday arrangement with Brazil, under subclass 462. It is capped at 500 grants a year, and the application cap is currently paused (Department of Home Affairs). Five hundred places is a small programme next to the European ones, which run into the thousands. So the large majority of Brazilians who have worked in Australia did it on a student visa, subclass 500, while studying English or a VET course, or on a sponsored 482.
That is good news for your claim. Those visas are taxed at 35% on the taxed element. If you did hold one of the 462 places, the working holiday rate of 65% applies to you instead.
| Visa you held in Australia | DASP rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Student 500, or skilled 482 (taxed element) | 35% | 65% |
| Work and Holiday 462, the capped programme | 65% | 35% |
| Any visa, once the money has moved to the ATO | 65% | 35% |
The six-month clock costs Brazilians more than most
Six months after your visa ends and you have left, your fund must hand your balance to the ATO as unclaimed super. From that moment it is taxed at 65% regardless of which visa you held.
For a British or Irish backpacker on a 417 that transfer changes nothing, because they were paying 65% either way. For a Brazilian who studied here on a 500, it is the difference between keeping 65% of the balance and keeping 35% of it. On a balance of A$10,000 that is roughly A$3,000 that stops being yours. If you are inside the six months, that timing is the single most valuable thing you control.
Run your own numbers on the DASP tax calculator, which shows both rates side by side.
Part-time study work still adds up
Student visa holders can work limited hours, so the assumption is often that there cannot be much super sitting there. In practice there usually is. Employers must pay super on top of your wages at a legislated rate, currently 12%, from the first dollar you earn, and student work tends to mean several employers over a couple of years: a cafe, a cleaning contract, a bit of hospitality. Each one may have used a different fund.
That is the part people find hardest to unpick themselves, and it is the core of what we do: we search for every account in your name, including money already sitting with the ATO, under one flat fee.
Paid to your Brazilian account
Your DASP is paid to a Brazilian account using your bank's SWIFT/BIC. Banco do Brasil, Itau, Bradesco, Caixa, Santander and the digital banks all receive international transfers. The money arrives in Australian dollars and your bank converts it to reais at its own rate; some people use a multi-currency account to control the conversion themselves. We never hold your money, the fund or the ATO pays you directly.
No cartorio, no consulate queue
Identity is verified electronically with your passport and a selfie, from your phone, in about two minutes. There is no cartorio, no notarised copies and no appointment at the Australian consulate in Sao Paulo or Brasilia. Funds approached directly will often ask for certified documents, particularly above about A$5,000, and removing that step is a large part of why people use a registered tax agent.
How the claim works from Brazil
- The five-minute form. In English, and short. If you do not know which fund holds your super, say so and we find it.
- Identity check. Passport plus selfie, on your phone.
- A registered tax agent lodges it. We search every fund plus ATO-held money, prepare the application and chase it through.
- The money reaches your account. Paid by the fund or the ATO directly to you, typically within about 28 days of a complete application.
One flat fee of $149 + GST covers all of it, however many funds you turn out to have, and it is refunded in full if we recover nothing. If your situation is simple, the ATO also runs a free DASP application system you are welcome to use; there is an honest comparison on doing it yourself for free.
Common questions
Which visa was I probably on?
Most Brazilians who work in Australia are there on a student visa (subclass 500), often while studying English or a VET course, and some on a skilled 482. Australia does run a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) programme with Brazil, but it is capped at 500 places a year, so far fewer people hold one. The distinction matters: student and skilled visas are taxed at 35% on the taxed element, while the Work and Holiday rate is 65%. Your subclass is on the grant email you were sent, and if you cannot find it we can establish it from your passport details.
I only worked part time while studying. Is it worth claiming?
Usually yes. Super is paid on top of your wages at a legislated rate, currently 12%, and it accrues from the first dollar you earn. Two years of part-time hours while studying commonly leaves a balance worth several thousand dollars, spread across however many employers you had. There is no minimum balance for a DASP.
Can the money be paid into a Brazilian bank account?
Yes. Your fund or the ATO sends the payment internationally using your bank's SWIFT/BIC details, so a Banco do Brasil, Itau, Bradesco, Caixa or Nubank account all work. It arrives in Australian dollars and your own bank converts it to reais at its own rate.
Do I need my documents notarised at a cartorio?
Not through us. Identity is verified electronically with your passport and a selfie, so there is no cartorio, no consulate appointment and no certified copies. Some funds ask for notarised documents when you apply to them directly, particularly on larger balances, which is one of the things a registered tax agent removes.
I studied in Australia years ago. Is it too late?
No. There is no deadline for claiming a DASP and the money is still yours. What the delay changes is where it sits: six months after your visa ended and you departed, funds must hand the balance to the ATO, and ATO-held super is taxed at 65% whatever visa you held. For a student visa that is the difference between 35% and 65%, so it is worth checking sooner rather than later.
Will Brazil tax the payment when it arrives?
The payment has already been taxed in Australia at the legislated rate. How Receita Federal treats the receipt is a Brazilian question and we are not licensed to advise on it. We provide the payment summary you would need for that conversation with a Brazilian contador.
Ready when you are. 5 minutes, flat fee.
$149 + GST · every fund plus ATO-held super · paid to your bank worldwide in about 28 days.