About Australian Taxation Office (ATO)

The ATO story

The ATO Graduate Program will bring out the best in you and help you launch your career.

From tax experts to IT superstars, we're looking for people with the right chemistry to help us grow as a leading tax and superannuation administration known for our contemporary service, expertise and integrity.

As an ATO graduate, you will be part of an award-winning program, and will have a unique and robust learning experience.

What we do

We're Australia's principal revenue collection agency, responsible for managing and shaping the tax and superannuation systems for the benefit of the Australian community.

As one of Australia's largest public service employers, we have offices in all capital cities and many regional centres.

As an ATO graduate you'll be part of something big. Delivering a client experience that defies expectations. Designing solutions that turn problems upside down. Building cutting‑edge systems that engage and make it easier to do the right thing than it is to do the wrong. Shaping the way legislation is interpreted and applied and influence new policy. Testing yourself against the best minds in your field, not just here but on a global level. Become a leader and drive innovation across everything we do.

Your future is our future

The ATO Graduate Program has a history of success. Our previous grads have helped shape Australia's tax and superannuation administration into one of the best in the world and have advanced as leaders in our organisation. Now it's your turn.

We have several other entry-level programs available including our University Partnership Employment Program (UPEP), which will allow you to work at the ATO while you study, and our Evergreen Program which is exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We are an award-winning employer

We pride ourselves on being consistently recognised for our efforts to nurture new talent and allow our employees to excel.

We were named one of the Australian Association of Graduate Employers' top five most aspirational employers for 2021. In 2020, we were once again recognised as a top 100 grad employer by GradAustralia.

We recognise and foster diversity

As an Australian Public Service (APS) agency, we are committed to fostering diversity in the workplace and recognising the diversity of the Australian community. Our workplace encourages employees to bring their best selves to work, supported by a work environment free from barriers to inclusion, through the creation of a trusting and supportive environment. We recognise that one of our greatest assets is the diversity of our staff. By embracing the diversity of our experience and backgrounds, we empower everyone to realise their full potential.

We will make reasonable adjustments to help staff with a disability to perform the inherent requirements of their job.

We have a range of employee and diversity networks which bring together employees with shared characteristics such as gender, race, cultural heritage, sexual orientation, faith, age and disability together in a safe space. They are effective tools for championing programs and providing effective career development opportunities.

Networks are important for our organisation as they enable our staff to connect, share ideas and build greater visibility for diversity & inclusion.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Plan 2017–19 identifies six key priorities which form our ongoing strategies and initiatives for an inclusive workplace. They are:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• people with a disability
• women
• culturally and linguistically diverse
• lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender and intersex (LGBTI+)
• mature age Australians.

We have employee networks for each of these priority groups such as ATO Making Inclusion Count (ATOMIC) which supports LGBTI+ workplace inclusion to create an environment where employees can bring their whole selves to work.

Indigenous Australians may apply under the Indigenous employment affirmative measure provision.

The Recruitment Process

Find out about how to apply for our Graduate Program. Applications open on 9 March 2021.

Eligibility

We encourage applications from all areas of the community, including Indigenous Australians, candidates from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and candidates with a disability.

You are welcome to apply to our graduate program providing you:

• be an Australian citizen by 30th January 2022
• have completed at least an Australian Qualifications Framework Level 7 qualification (a Bachelor degree), equivalent, or higher equivalent
• be in the final year of your degree or have completed your university studies within the three years prior to the time of your application (9 March 2018 – 31 December 2021) and are able to provide evidence of completion before the start of the program
• be able to obtain and maintain a valid Australian Government security clearance once accepted onto the program when required
• be willing to undergo any Police, character, health or other checks required.

What we are looking for

We offer graduate positions in the following streams:

• Information technology (IT)
• Taxation
• Data
• Design
• Marketing and communication
• Human resources

Summary of application process

If you are pursuing a career in the HR or Data stream, the ATO is recruiting through the whole-of government Australian Government Graduate Program (AGGP) You can apply for these streams through APSjobs.

• We accept graduate program applications once a year.
• You will receive an email to acknowledge the submission of your application.
• We review applications.
• You will be notified if you have progressed to the next stage. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.
• We assess you online and/or face-to-face.
• We make a preliminary decision (progression or rejection) about whether to place you in the merit pool.
• We contact people in the merit pool regarding their availability for the graduate program. We are likely to make subsequent contacts after our initial round. 
• We undertake final checks. Some of our roles require a security clearance.
• We offer placements to successful applicants from September onwards.
• Graduates commence February the following year.

When to lodge

Applications for the 2022 graduate program will open on 9 March 2021 and close on 6 April 2021. Late applications will not be accepted.

Lodging your application

When completing the online application, we will ask you to provide:

• personal information
• details of your qualifications including your current academic transcript as an attachment – maximum 3MB
• a statement verifying recognition of your qualifications if you have overseas qualifications as an attachment – maximum 3MB.

Tips:

• Have this information ready when you start your application.
• Save your application regularly to ensure you don't lose any data. The page will time out if it is inactive for more than 30 minutes.
• We may request a resume and details of referees at a later stage if you progress through the assessments.

After you lodge

Once you've lodged your online application, you'll receive a notification email confirming your submission.

If you don't receive an acknowledgement email, you can check we have received it by logging in to eRecruitment and selecting My profile then View emails.

You can update your personal details at any time by logging into eRecruitment. However, you will not be able to change any other details in your application.

If there are significant issues that affect the information in your application, email us at EntryLevelPrograms@ato.gov.au.

Assessment activities

There are three stages of assessment activities. You will need to perform strongly in each assessment in order to progress to the next stage.

• Stage 1 is an online interview (automatic text conversation).
• Stage 2 is an online assessment.
• Stage 3 is a virtual assessment centre which will include an interview and a group activity, designed to further assess your suitability and interest in the ATO Graduate Program.

Note that you will receive notification of the outcome of each stage, even if you are not successful.

Preliminary decision

At this point, we will review your performance from all assessment stages of the process and determine your suitability for the merit pool.

Unsuccessful candidates can access feedback about their assessment centre performance after the selection process has finished.

Final checks

If your application is successful, you will receive a phone call to confirm your availability for the graduate program. Please note that this is not an official offer. An official offer will be made after you have passed the following checks:

• We will confirm you are or will be an Australian citizen by 30 January 2022.
• We will confirm you are on track to complete your university qualifications by 31 December 2021 if you are still studying.
• You will need to satisfy our integrity check. We will check police records, confirm your identity and ask you to complete 2 forms – a declaration of secrecy and compliance with tax and superannuation obligations. Additional checks may also be required.

If the work for which you are being considered requires access to classified material, you may also need a formal security clearance assessment.

Offers

After we have confirmed your availability and have obtained a satisfactory integrity check, we will send you a formal offer.

We anticipate making offers of employment from September 2021 onwards.

Further information

To find out more visit ato.gov.au/grads or email EntryLevelPrograms@ato.gov.au

Remuneration & Career prospects

We provide:

• an intensive 12-month program
• challenging work rotations to develop your skills and explore different areas of interest
• dedicated training and development opportunities
• a program manager to support you throughout the year
• a competitive starting salary of more than $64,000
• an employer contribution of 15.4% to your chosen superannuation account
• in addition to the standard 20 days annual leave, we provide additional leave during the Christmas closedown period
• flexible working arrangements
• a workplace culture that is supportive and promotes equal opportunity
• an excellent social and networking base with fellow graduates.

On successful completion of our graduate program, you'll:

• gain an ongoing role
• advance to the next classification level, APS4
• receive a salary of more than $73,000
• continue to receive a wide range of employee benefits, including four weeks annual leave, annual salary advancement and flexible working hours
• be able to explore further study and qualifications such as practical legal training and the chartered accountants program through our tuition assistance program (TAP) or study leave options.

Your graduate year gives you an unmatched opportunity to develop your professional network and make friendships along the way.

We also give high priority to building your capabilities and we provide a culturally diverse and safe working environment because we want you to enjoy a full and varied career with us.