Guide

Specified work, explained from start to finish.

Taiwanese passport holders use the subclass 417 Working Holiday visa. To get a second or third year visa, you must do specified work in specified areas — this is "specified work". The information below is compiled from the official Home Affairs pages.

Latest: second and third visas will move to a ballot

On 17 September 2026 Immigration Minister Tony Burke announced at the National Press Club that second and third year Working Holiday visas will move to a ballot: about 45,000 places for second visas (about 57,000 people were eligible last year) and about 5,000 for third visas (about 31,000 last year). Completing 88 days (second visa) or 6 months (third visa) of specified work will still be the requirement to enter the ballot, but it will no longer guarantee a visa. As of 5 October 2026 the government had not announced a start date or formal regulations, and the official Home Affairs pages had not been updated.

What this means for you

You still need to do specified work: 88 days (second visa) and 6 months (third visa) are the thresholds for entering the ballot.
Finishing your days does not guarantee a visa — it depends on the ballot result. Third visa places in particular are being cut sharply.
The formal arrangements (when it starts, how the ballot works, fees) have not been announced; we will update this site after Home Affairs announces them.

Sources: The Daily Aus: Government to slash working holiday visa allocations, PS News: Burke finally unveils Labor's tweaks to migration laws, Tern Visa: what was actually said. The official rules remain those on the Home Affairs page (last updated 2026-09-24).

What is specified work?

Second visa

Complete 3 months (88 days) of specified work while on your first visa.

Third visa

Complete 6 months (179 days) of specified work while on your second visa (and after 1 July 2019).

Age

Taiwanese passport: aged 18–30 when you apply. You must lodge your application before midnight Australian Eastern Time on the day before your 31st birthday.

How long applications take now

Home Affairs says it is "normalising" Working Holiday visa processing times, with an expected average of about 3 months. Don't book flights or accept a job before you have your visa.

UK passport holders don't need specified work

From 1 July 2024, UK passport holders do not need specified work for a second or third visa. This only applies to UK passports — Taiwanese passport holders still need specified work.

Which jobs count

Both conditions must be met: the right type of work, and the work location's postcode is on the official list.

Type of work	Eligible areas	Examples
Plant and animal cultivation	Regional Australia	Picking fruit, packing fruit and vegetables, pruning fruit trees and vines, tending livestock, slaughtering / cutting / packing (primary processing), shearing, primary dairy processing
Fishing and pearling	Regional Australia	Catching and farming fish and aquatic species, pearling
Forestry	Regional Australia	Planting trees, felling, transporting logs to processing
Mining	Regional Australia	Mining, quarrying, exploration, mining support (including cleaning)
Construction	Regional Australia	Building, civil works, site preparation, on-site painting, fencing, scaffolding, cleaning
Tourism and hospitality	Northern Australia, remote and very remote Australia	Hotels, hostels, restaurants, cafés, bars, tour guides, dive instructors, tour bus drivers
Bushfire / natural disaster recovery	Officially declared affected areas	Clean-up, rebuilding, caring for animals, supporting charities (volunteering counts too)

Work that does not count

Secondary processing: winemaking, brewing, distilling, milling, processed meats (sausages, ham, etc.), retail of dairy or meat products.
General garden maintenance (pruning must be for commercial harvest and be your main job).
Any work in a place whose postcode is not eligible.

Current temporary concession: Home Affairs says that, to address worker shortages, it will temporarily "place greater emphasis on the industry" — within eligible postcodes, work that supports the operation of a specified industry (such as administration or cleaning) may be accepted. This is a temporary measure; check the official page again before you apply.

How days are counted

It is about full-time equivalent, not the calendar. The days you work must equal what a full-time employee would work in 3 months (88 days) or 6 months (179 days). Working full time for 88 calendar days (including weekends off) qualifies.
Part-time takes longer. If you only work 2–3 days a week, you need to work for longer. For example, working half of full-time hours for a month only counts as half a month.
Piece work counts too. If you have signed a piece-rate agreement and work 5–6 days a week, 5–8 hours a day depending on weather and ripeness, every day counts.
A day counts as one day at most. Working 10 hours in a day, or two jobs on the same day, still only counts as 1 day.
Only paid days count. Paid public holidays and sick leave count; days you did not work and were not paid because of rain or heat do not.
Rosters can include days off. For example, two weeks on and two weeks off, paid for the whole period and standard in the industry — all 28 days count.
You can split it across many periods and employers. You don't need to do it all at once or with the same boss, as long as it adds up. It cannot be completed in less than 3 or 6 calendar months.

We suggest planning your specified work as soon as you arrive in Australia, leaving time for bad weather, illness or not finding work. Home Affairs does not make exceptions for bad weather.

How long you can work for one employer

The Working Holiday visa has a "maximum 6 months with one employer" limit (visa condition 8547). But from 1 January 2024 you can work longer than 6 months without asking for permission in these cases:

Plant and animal cultivation (harvesting, packing, pruning, tending livestock, slaughtering / cutting / packing, etc.), anywhere in Australia.
Natural disaster recovery work, anywhere in Australia.
Critical sectors: agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care, childcare, and tourism and hospitality, anywhere in Australia.
Fishing and pearling, forestry, construction and mining: only in Northern Australia.
The same employer at different work locations, as long as you spend no more than 6 months at each location.

Home Affairs says this concession applies "until further notice". For work not on the list above, ask Home Affairs for permission first. Official explanation

What records to keep

The evidence officially listed (it must cover your whole period of work):

Payslips
Australian bank statements covering the period of work
A piece-rate agreement (if paid by piece, it must state the rate per piece and how it is calculated)
Payment summary / income statement and tax records
A reference from your employer
If accommodation or transport was deducted, a written deduction agreement signed by both parties

Bushfire or natural disaster recovery volunteers: you need a letter signed by the volunteer coordinator stating your passport number, the work done, the location (including postcode) and the number of days.

Home Affairs may contact your employer directly to verify. Cash jobs without payslips are hard to prove and may be found to be unlawful.

Pay: the legal minimum standard

Minimum pay in Australia is set by "Awards" (industry pay standards). Most working holiday jobs are casual, and casual hourly rates already include the 25% casual loading. These are the minimum hourly rates from 1 July 2026:

Industry	Casual minimum hourly rate (incl. 25% loading)	How often you are paid	Source
Horticulture Award Horticulture Award 2020	Level 1 (new starter, up to 3 months): $32.18 Level 2: $33.05 Level 3: $33.55	Weekly or fortnightly	Award text
Wine Industry Award (winery vineyards) Wine Industry Award 2020	Grade 1 (first 6 months): $32.24 Grade 1 (after 6 months): $33.05 Grade 2: $33.55	Weekly or fortnightly	Award text
Pastoral Award Pastoral Award 2020	FLH1 (new starter, less than 6 months' experience): $32.18 FLH2: $33.05 FLH3: $33.11	Weekly or fortnightly; casuals may be paid at the end of each engagement, or weekly / fortnightly as agreed	Award text
Meat Industry Award Meat Industry Award 2020	MI 1 (new starter, up to 6 months): $32.18 MI 2: $33.05 MI 3: $33.25	Weekly, or as otherwise agreed	Award text
Aquaculture Award Aquaculture Industry Award 2020	Level 1: $32.18 Level 2: $33.05	Weekly or fortnightly (as agreed)	Award text
Hospitality Award Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020	Introductory (new starter, up to 3 months): $32.18 Level 1: $33.05 Level 2: $33.85	Weekly or fortnightly (as agreed)	Award text
National Minimum Wage (jobs with no Award, e.g. wild-catch fishing at sea) National Minimum Wage	Casual: $33.05	At least monthly	Source

Piece rates have a floor too

Horticulture (picking, packing): each day you must get at least the hourly rate × hours worked that day. A new casual earns $32.18 an hour, so 7.6 hours means at least $244.57.
The piece rate must let an average worker earn at least 15% more than the hourly rate (about $37.01 an hour).
Before you start, your employer must give you a written piece-rate record signed by both of you, stating the rate per piece and how it is calculated. This record is also evidence for your specified work.
Wine industry (winery vineyards) piece rates have no daily floor, but the rate must let an average worker earn 20% more than the hourly rate.

New-starter grades have a time limit

Horticulture Level 1 and Hospitality Introductory last at most 3 months; Meat Industry MI 1 and the wine industry's first grade last 6 months. Still being paid the new-starter rate after that is underpayment.

You must get payslips

Your employer must give you a payslip (paper or electronic) within 1 working day of paying you. It must show: both names, the employer's ABN, the pay period, the pay date, gross and net pay, the hourly rate and hours, any loadings, each deduction, and the super amount and fund name.

Rules for deducting accommodation and transport

You must agree in writing, with the amount, reason and frequency stated, and the deduction must be mainly for your benefit. You can cancel it in writing at any time.
You can find your own accommodation — you don't have to live where the employer arranges.
If the accommodation or transport is provided by the employer (or a related business) and the deduction is unreasonable, the deduction has no legal effect.

Work out what you should be paid: Fair Work Pay Calculator · Horticulture pay and piece rates

Superannuation (super)

12%, for everyone

Your employer must also pay 12% of your wages into your superannuation (super) account. The $450-a-month threshold was removed in 2022, so working holiday makers, fruit pickers and short-term workers all get it.

Paid within 7 working days of payday

From 1 July 2026, "Payday Super" applies: super must reach your fund within 7 working days of each pay day. Log in to your fund's website to check.

Claim it back after leaving Australia

After your visa ends and you leave Australia, apply through the ATO's free online system (DASP). Working holiday makers are taxed 65%, and it is usually paid within 28 days. You can fill in and save the form while still in Australia and submit it after you leave.

Not paid your super? Fair Work does not handle super — use the ATO's tool for reporting unpaid super. Before you leave, gather all your fund account details: DASP online application · ATO information

Tax

2026-27 income	Working holiday maker tax rate
$0 – $45,000	15%
$45,001 – $135,000	$6,750 plus 30% of the amount over $45,000
$135,001 – $190,000	$33,750 plus 37% of the amount over $135,000
$190,001 and over	$54,100 plus 45% of the amount over $190,000

Your employer must register with the ATO as a "working holiday maker employer" to withhold only 15%. You can check registration on ABN Lookup.
Taxed 30%: your employer may not be registered. Taxed 45%: you have not given a tax file number (TFN) — provide it within 28 days of applying.
If all your income for the year is wages and your taxable income is $45,000 or less, you usually don't need to lodge a tax return.

ATO working holiday maker tax table (from 1 July 2026) · ATO information for working holiday makers

How to avoid illegal work

Only legitimate jobs come with payslips, super and tax records, so only they make your specified work days count. If you see any of the following, stop and check first:

Warning sign	Why it matters
Cash only, no payslips	Cash itself is not illegal, but you must get payslips. Without them there is no record of tax or super, and your specified work is hard to prove.
Asked to get an ABN and work on piece rates as a "contractor"	Disguising employees as contractors is illegal "sham contracting", and you lose protections such as the minimum wage and super.
No written piece-rate record, or your daily earnings work out below $32.18 an hour	In horticulture, a written piece-rate record must be signed before you start, and there is a daily minimum guarantee.
Still on the new-starter rate after more than 3 months	New-starter grades last at most 3 months in horticulture and hospitality, and 6 months in the meat industry.
Taxed 30%	This suggests your employer may not be registered as a working holiday maker employer (normally 15%).
Super not paid within about 7 working days of payday	A new rule from July 2026. Log in to your fund to check, and report to the ATO if it has not arrived.
Rent or transport deducted without written consent, or being forced to live in specific housing	Deductions need your written agreement; you can find your own accommodation.
Paying for a job, paying a bond, only a phone number or name with no company details, being approached at stations or airports, being told "specified work guaranteed"	These are all scam warning signs listed by Fair Work.
Asked to pay back part of your wages (cashback)	Illegal.
Using an unlicensed labour hire provider in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia or the ACT	These jurisdictions require labour hire providers to be licensed; you can check the official registers.
Threats such as "I'll get your visa cancelled"	Employers have no power to cancel visas — only Home Affairs can. Asking Fair Work for help will not get your visa cancelled.
Deliberate underpayment	From 1 January 2025, deliberately underpaying wages can be a criminal offence.

Before you start, take 3 minutes to check

Enter the company name on ABN Lookup and confirm the ABN status is Active and the address matches the work location.
For labour hire, check the QLD labour hire licence register in Queensland, the VIC Labour Hire Authority in Victoria, and SA labour hire licensing in South Australia. From 2026, labour hire providers in all industries in South Australia must be licensed.
Use this site's postcode check to confirm the work location counts.
Make sure you will get payslips and super, and sign a written piece-rate record before starting piece work.

Who to ask for help if something goes wrong

Fair Work complaints line

13 13 94. If you need an interpreter, call 131 450 first (free interpreting) and ask the interpreter to connect you to Fair Work.

Fair Work page in Traditional Chinese

Anonymous reports

You can report without giving your name; Fair Work explains how.

Anonymous reports (Traditional Chinese)

Super not paid

Go to the ATO, not Fair Work.

Report unpaid super

Fair Work: rights of visa holders · Guide to starting a new job (Traditional Chinese PDF) · Working the Harvest Trail