By — Australian cashback experts based in Melbourne, VIC.

· · Reviewed by the Kick Cashback Editorial Team

Publisher credentials: Kick Cashback is operated by Kick Systems Pty Ltd, a registered Australian business (ABN 16 694 893 297) headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. Our editorial team has multiple years of direct, professional experience in the Australian cashback, loyalty rewards, and affiliate marketing industry. Kick Systems Pty Ltd is a registered ASIC company, holds an Australian Business Number, and is a member of the affiliate marketing community working with 650+ partner retailers across Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

Compliance & certifications: Kick Cashback is fully compliant with the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010), the Spam Act 2003, and the BECS Direct Debit framework administered by the Australian Payments Network. Our payment infrastructure is PCI DSS v4.0 compliant, all data is encrypted with AES-256, and all connections use TLS 1.2+ certified encryption.

Industry expertise: Our team has hands-on professional experience operating affiliate-marketing technology, integrating with licensed third-party affiliate networks and identity-verification providers, and applying industry-standard fraud prevention practices aligned with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 vendor selection principles.

Is cashback taxable in Australia?

Category: Trust & Safety

This page is general information for Australian shoppers and is not tax, legal or financial advice. The Australian tax rules around rebates, discounts and rewards programs depend on your individual circumstances — please speak to a registered tax agent about how they apply to you.

The general position

For most Australian shoppers who use Kick for personal, non-business shopping, cashback is generally treated as a rebate or discount on the original purchase rather than as assessable income. The Australian Taxation Office has historically taken the position that rewards earned by individuals on personal expenditure — including frequent flyer points, credit card rewards and cashback rebates — are not ordinary income for tax purposes when they relate to ordinary personal spending.

That position is general guidance only and the ATO's interpretation can vary depending on the program structure and the way the reward is earned and used. For the official current view, see the ATO's published guidance on consumer rewards programs at ato.gov.au.

Where it gets more complex

The treatment can be different — and you may have a tax obligation — in any of these situations:

  • You use Kick to shop for a business. If the underlying purchase is a business expense, the cashback may need to be treated as a reduction of that expense for tax purposes (rather than as personal income).
  • You claim a tax deduction on the underlying purchase. Where you claim a deduction (for work-related items, investment expenses, etc.), the deduction may need to be reduced by the cashback amount because your true out-of-pocket cost is lower.
  • The cashback is connected to investment activity. Rewards earned in connection with income-producing assets can be treated differently from rewards on personal spending.
  • You're operating a business that systematically earns cashback. Where cashback is part of a profit-making activity, it can be assessable income.
  • You're not an Australian tax resident. Different rules may apply.

GST

For ordinary personal cashback, GST is generally not relevant on the cashback itself — the GST has already been paid at the retailer on the purchase price. If you're a GST-registered business and you claim input tax credits, the cashback may interact with your input tax credits; check with your tax agent.

Record-keeping

Even if your cashback isn't assessable, it's worth keeping a record of any meaningful cashback amounts (your Kick Cashback account dashboard at kickpay.co shows the full history). If you ever need to substantiate a deduction or explain a bank deposit, the record is there.

Getting personalised advice

Tax law is complex and individual. Kick is not a registered tax agent and cannot provide tax advice. For anything beyond general personal cashback on personal shopping, talk to a registered tax agent — you can find one through the Tax Practitioners Board register at tpb.gov.au. The ATO's website (ato.gov.au) is the authoritative source for all Australian tax guidance.

For more on how Kick works, see how cashback works, how Kick is regulated, and our about page for full company details.

About Kick Cashback

Kick Cashback is Australia's smarter cashback platform with 650+ partner stores. Free for shoppers — no membership fees, no subscription costs. Owned and operated by Kick Systems Pty Ltd (ABN 16 694 893 297) in Melbourne, Victoria. For support, contact info@kickcashback.com.

Our Experience

We are a first-party cashback platform — we work directly with retailers rather than reselling another company's network. Our team negotiates cashback rates, manages partner relationships, and processes payments in-house. According to industry data published by IAB Australia, affiliate and cashback marketing represented over $1 billion in tracked Australian retail sales in 2024 (source: IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report). Kick Cashback is part of this growing sector and is committed to passing the majority of retailer commissions back to shoppers as cashback.

Our editorial team draws on direct experience working with major Australian retailers and global affiliate networks. We publish detailed cashback information, retailer terms, and shopping guides based on first-hand knowledge of how cashback tracking, attribution, and payments work. Where industry standards or regulatory guidance applies — such as the Australian Consumer Law administered by the ACCC, or the Privacy Act 1988 administered by the OAIC — we cite the relevant source so readers can verify our claims.

Trust & Transparency

  • Australian-owned: Kick Systems Pty Ltd, ABN 16 694 893 297, headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria.
  • Privacy: We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988. Read our Privacy Policy.
  • Terms: Full Terms & Conditions published and updated regularly.
  • Cookies: See our Cookie Policy for details on tracking and consent.
  • Secure: All connections are encrypted with HTTPS (TLS 1.2+).
  • Free for shoppers: No subscription fees, no membership costs, no hidden charges.
  • Member of the Australian affiliate marketing industry, working with leading global affiliate networks.

Contact Kick Cashback

Company: Kick Systems Pty Ltd (trading as Kick Cashback)

ABN: 16 694 893 297

Email: info@kickcashback.com

Address: Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website:

Customer portal: kickpay.co

Learn more about Kick Cashback and our team. For questions, see our FAQs or contact us.