litepurple

Hello,

I'm here on a 457 visa and I'm looking to salary package a car lease now that my LAFHA is all organised. I'm trying to work out the amount by which my salary can be reduced for a lease and stay above the minimum taxable salary level (TSMIT) for my visa type. I have looked online at Immi.gov.au and I can see that the TSMIT was increased in July 2010 to $47,480 which should leave me sufficient room after LAFHA for a car. However, one of my friends has told me that the TSMIT is higher for ICT workers though I've looked on several pages on Immi's website and I cannot locate it. It doesn't say anything on my visa grant notice, either. Are there any people on 457s working in ICT who know the answer? Am I right in saying that on a 457 you can't salary package so that your annual taxable salary is below the TSMIT?

Thanks,

LP.

bcworld

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/457-m...lary-rates.htm

There are five such prescribed salary levels or ‘base rates of pay’:

•$81 040 for Subclass 457 visa holders who benefited from the English language exemption
•$55 725 for Subclass 457 visa holders working in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) occupations who were granted their visa under certified regional employment arrangements
•$61 920 for all other Subclass 457 visa holders working in ICT occupations
•$40 705 for all other Subclass 457 visa holders who were granted visas under certified regional employment arrangements
•$45 220 for all other Subclass 457 visa holders.

These numbers might have increased but the level is still substantially higher for ICT workers.

litepurple

Thanks. Are these not for 457 whose visas were granted before 14 September 2009? I think I will call Immi as it seems as clear as mud to me.

litepurple

The guy I spoke to at Immi said it was $47,480 for all 457 visas but it used to be different.

litepurple

This website seems to explain it better, though it's not Immi.gov.au so not gospel. It does seem that new 457 visas granted after 1st Jan 2010 have a single TSMIT of $47,480 whereas 457 visas before then were subject to different minimum salary levels and that there were/are transitional arrangements in place for those visas.

http://www.workplacesolutions.asn.au...09/457_changes

bcworld

The IMMI website is shocking on this subject. I do think what you say is correct but the various things written on the website are very unclear.

litepurple

Thanks.

I agree - the site is not clear at all. From what I can work out: the TSMIT was introduced when ‘market rates’ replaced ‘minimum salary levels’ on 14th September 2009. As my visa was granted this year, then the old minimum salary levels system does not apply to my visa but the new TSMIT at $47480 does. There are some transitional arrangements in place for visas granted under the minimum salary levels system though these do not apply to me.

LP