If you are a citizen or a temporary resident, you might have money in Australia you don't know about.           You can search for any unclaim money in Australia on Australian Securities and Investments Commission website. Just type in your name and find. Your money can be left  by you or by your relatives with various banks, building societies, credit union, life companies, friendly societies and registered Australian companies. Many australians found thousands of dollars by doing ASIC's Unclaimed Monies Online Search. Latest figures from ASIC show it had $490.8 million of unclaimed money on its books as at April 28 2008.   It is also possible to fin on line Deceased Estates and Beneficiaries. For example in NSW  Public Trustee has a Lost Dollars  webpage. There are a number of estates where The Public Trustee failed to establish next of kin or beneficiaries. And there are hundreds of thousands unclaimed dollars. See also: ACT Public Trustee, Public Trustee of Queensland, Department of Treasury, Western Australia South Australian Treasury and Finance State Revenue Office, Victoria    But much bigger bulk of the lost money is in old forgotten  superannuation accounts, with $11.9 bilions just sitting on the Australian Tax Office’s register of lost superannuation members. If you are searching for vanished superannuation, definitely go to SuperSeeker, this website is run by the ATO – Australian Taxation Office. You’ll need your tax file number & date of birth. If you earn more than $A450 in a calendar month while working in Australia, your employer is required by law to contribute to your retirement by paying money into a "superannuation" account. To find out more about the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP), visit the Australian Taxation Office's superannuation website.  To be able work in Australia, you have to aply for TFN - Tax file number. If you do not have one you may have more tax withheld than you need to or be unable to receive government benefits you are entitled to. If you are a non-resident of Australia for tax purposes, you do not need a TFN if you only receive: interest from an Australian bank account or dividends from Australian shares, or royalty payments. You can register online.   Temporary visitors or permanent migrants requiring a tax file number can register here: A - http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.asp?doc=/content/38760.htm Permanent residents and citizens can register here: B - http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.asp?doc=/content/41612.htm All basic information about Australian taxes can be foud here: http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/pathway.asp?pc=001/002/006&mfp=001/002&mnu=1215#001_002_006