A TOEFL iBT result can be refused for an Australian visa even when the scores look high enough. From 21 January 2026 TOEFL reports its four section scores on a 1–6 scale, while the Department of Home Affairs still writes its thresholds in the old 0–30 numbers — 16, 16, 19, 19 for Competent English — and it accepts a result only if the test was registered under ‘Taking TOEFL for Australia’ and taken at a secure test centre.
There are 6 separate reasons a TOEFL iBT result gets rejected, and only one of them is about how well you did on the day. This page lists all 6, with the exact numbers from the department’s own tables and from ETS, the owner of the test, both checked on 3 October 2026.
The 6 reasons, in one table
| Reason | What the source says | Can it be fixed after the test? |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Not registered under ‘Taking TOEFL for Australia’ | Home Affairs: results not registered under this pathway “are not eligible for Australian visa purposes” | No. It is a choice made at booking. |
| 2. Home Edition or any at-home version | “TOEFL iBT – Home Edition” is named on the department’s list of online tests it does not accept | No. Retake at a test centre. |
| 3. Test sat between 26 July 2023 and 4 May 2024 | In that window TOEFL iBT was not an approved test at all | No. |
| 4. Result outside its eligibility window | 3 years before the visa application for Vocational and above; 12 months for Functional English | No. Timing only. |
| 5. One section below the threshold | Every level above Functional is set “in each of the 4 test components”, not on the total | Only by sitting the test again. |
| 6. Scale mismatch: your report is in 1–6, the rule is in 0–30 | ETS reports sections in 1–6 and gives a comparable 0–120 overall only; the department’s section thresholds are in 0–30 | Ask ETS and the department. See below. |
The scores Home Affairs actually requires
Two tables sit on every English level page, split by the date you sat the test. The 7 August 2025 change replaced the old thresholds; both sets are still live, because old results stay usable for a while.
Tests taken on or after 7 August 2025
| English level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional | Total score of at least 26 — no component minimums | |||
| Vocational | 8 | 8 | 9 | 14 |
| Competent | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 |
| Proficient | 22 | 22 | 26 | 24 |
| Superior | 26 | 27 | 30 | 28 |
Writing 30 out of 30 for Superior English is the single hardest number any approved test asks of a candidate in the whole set of Australian English levels. It leaves no margin at all.
Tests taken on or before 6 August 2025
| English level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Usable until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional | Total band score of at least 32 | 6 Aug 2026 — closed | |||
| Vocational | 4 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 6 Aug 2028 |
| Competent | 12 | 13 | 21 | 21 | 6 Aug 2028 |
| Proficient | 24 | 24 | 27 | 23 | 6 Aug 2028 |
| Superior | 28 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 6 Aug 2028 |
Note what the two tables do to Competent English. An old result needed 12 and 13 in Listening and Reading but 21 in Writing and Speaking; a new one needs 16 and 16 but only 19 and 19. The receptive bar went up and the productive bar came down. A candidate who scraped through on an old result would not necessarily scrape through on a new one, and the other way around.
The side-by-side numbers for every other approved test are in our breakdown of the 5 English levels for an Australian visa and the exact score each test needs.
Reason 1: the booking choice that decides everything
This is the trap that catches people who did nothing wrong on test day. The Department of Home Affairs states it on each English level page:
“To ensure your TOEFL iBT result is valid for Australian visa purposes, you must select ‘Taking TOEFL for Australia’ when registering for your test. Results not registered under this pathway are not eligible for Australian visa purposes.”
— Department of Home Affairs, Competent English, read 3 October 2026.
Worth saying plainly: the department words this two different ways on its own site. On the Competent English and Superior English pages, results outside the pathway “are not eligible for Australian visa purposes”. On the Functional English page and on the English language visa requirements hub page, they “may not be accepted for Australian visa purposes”. “Not eligible” and “may not be accepted” are not the same statement, and we are not going to pretend the difference away. Plan around the stricter wording, and if you have already sat a test without the pathway, that gap is a question for the department or a registered migration agent, not for a blog.
ETS, which owns the test, calls the product TOEFL iBT Australia and is blunt about where it has to be sat: “You must take the TOEFL iBT Australia at an authorised test centre”.
Reason 2: at-home testing is out, and the test owner says so too
Home Affairs sets the rule for the whole category, not just TOEFL:
“The department does not accept evidence from English language tests that are delivered completely online (also known as ‘remote-proctored’ or ‘at-home’).”
— Department of Home Affairs, English language visa requirements, read 3 October 2026.
Six tests are named as examples on that page: CELPIP Online, IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, MET Digital taken at home, OET@Home, and TOEFL iBT – Home Edition. ETS confirms it from its own side: “Home Edition scores are not currently accepted by the Australian Department of Home Affairs”. Both sides agree, so there is nothing to argue about here.
The same at-home exclusion runs through professional registration as well. Ahpra refuses at-home and remote-proctored versions for registration, which we covered in the English score Ahpra wants, board by board.
Reason 3: the 10-month hole in 2023 and 2024
This one is easy to miss because it is a single sentence in the second table:
“From 26 July 2023 to 4 May 2024, the TOEFL iBT test was not approved for Australian visa purposes.”
— Department of Home Affairs, Competent English, read 3 October 2026.
A test sat in that window is not a low score and not an expired score. It is a score from a period when the test was not on the approved list, so it cannot be used however good the numbers are. Results from before 26 July 2023 and from 5 May 2024 onwards are unaffected.
Reason 6: your report is in 1–6, the rule is in 0–30
This is the newest problem and the one nobody warns about at booking. ETS changed the TOEFL iBT score scale on 21 January 2026. Sections and total now run from 1 to 6 in half-band steps, mapped onto the Common European Framework of Reference levels. What goes on the score report during the transition is spelled out by ETS:
“we will be providing three scores on every score report for the next two years: (1) CEFR level; (2) 1 – 6 overall and section scores; and (3) a comparable 0 – 120 overall score.”
— ETS, TOEFL Score Scale Update: A Guide for Institutions, read 3 October 2026.
Read that list again next to the Home Affairs tables above. Home Affairs sets 4 section thresholds on the 0–30 scale at Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior. The transitional report gives section scores on the 1–6 scale and a comparable overall on the 0–120 scale. It does not give section scores on the 0–30 scale. The only Australian level that works off a total is Functional English, at 26.
ETS does publish a comparison table between the two section scales, for interpreting tests taken before 21 January 2026. These are its ranges, not the department’s:
| Band (1–6) | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | CEFR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 28–30 | 29–30 | 29–30 | 28–30 | C2 |
| 5.5 | 26–27 | 27–28 | 27–28 | 27 | C1 |
| 5 | 22–25 | 24–26 | 24–26 | 25–26 | C1 |
| 4.5 | 20–21 | 22–23 | 21–23 | 23–24 | B2 |
| 4 | 17–19 | 18–21 | 17–20 | 20–22 | B2 |
| 3.5 | 13–16 | 12–17 | 15–16 | 18–19 | B1 |
| 3 | 9–12 | 6–11 | 13–14 | 16–17 | B1 |
| 2.5 | 6–8 | 4–5 | 11–12 | 13–15 | A2 |
| 2 | 4–5 | 3 | 7–10 | 10–12 | A2 |
ETS publishes that comparison so institutions can read older scores, and says so: it is the chart for “tests taken before January 21, 2026”. It is not a statement that a 1–6 band satisfies an Australian threshold. And the arithmetic shows why it could not be. Each band covers a range of 0–30 scores, so a band only settles a threshold when the threshold sits at the very bottom of that band:
| Level and component | Needs (0–30) | Band | Band covers | Does the band alone settle it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competent, Reading | 16 | 3.5 | 12–17 | No — a 3.5 could be a 12 |
| Competent, Listening | 16 | 3.5 | 13–16 | No — 16 is the top of the band |
| Competent, Writing | 19 | 4 | 17–20 | No — a 4 could be a 17 |
| Competent, Speaking | 19 | 3.5 | 18–19 | No — 19 is the top of the band |
| Proficient, Listening | 22 | 5 | 22–25 | Yes — 22 is the floor |
| Proficient, Reading | 22 | 4.5 | 22–23 | Yes — 22 is the floor |
| Proficient, Writing | 26 | 5 | 24–26 | No — 26 is the top of the band |
| Superior, Listening | 26 | 5.5 | 26–27 | Yes — 26 is the floor |
| Superior, Writing | 30 | 6 | 29–30 | No — a 6 could be a 29 |
In 6 of these 9 rows the band does not settle the question. That is not a flaw in the conversion; it is what happens when a 31-point scale is folded into 11 bands and a rule is written against the finer scale. One more mechanical difference matters here: under the 1–6 scale ETS calculates the total as the average of the 4 sections rounded to the nearest half band, while on the 0–120 scale the total is their sum. The two totals are not the same kind of number.
Where this lands in practice: Functional English is the one Australian level stated as a total, 26, and the transitional report carries a comparable 0–120 overall, so that level still has a number to point at. For the other 4 levels Home Affairs has not published a 1–6 equivalent of its section thresholds, and we could not find one anywhere on either site on 3 October 2026. If this is your situation, ask the department and ask ETS for a score report that states what the department asks for, and check with a registered migration agent about your own case.
What this means for you
If you have not booked yet, 3 decisions settle most of the risk. Select ‘Taking TOEFL for Australia’ at registration. Book a secure test centre, not the Home Edition. And check which of the 5 English levels your visa subclass asks for before you pick a target, because the component thresholds move independently of each other between levels.
If you have already sat the test, work through the 6 reasons in order. Reasons 1, 2 and 3 are not score problems and cannot be repaired by appeal or remark: they are about how and when the test was booked and sat. Reason 4 is a calendar problem. Reason 5 is the ordinary one, and the component that failed tells you what to study. Reason 6 is the one to raise with the department before you lodge, not after.
If the choice of test is still open, TOEFL iBT is one of 9 approved tests, and the pathway requirement and the 2026 scale change are real reasons to compare before booking. Our hub page sets all of them side by side: the best English tests in 2026, compared. What each one costs in Australia is in English test fees in Australia in 2026.
Green School, an online school in Australia, has been preparing candidates for Australian and Canadian English requirements since 2018, with more than 3,500 students across all the exams we teach. Nothing on this page is advice about your own visa application: it is the published rules plus the arithmetic, and your case should go to a registered migration agent.
FAQ
Is TOEFL iBT accepted for an Australian visa in 2026?
Yes. TOEFL iBT is on the Department of Home Affairs list of approved tests for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, and old results from on or before 6 August 2025 remain usable until 6 August 2028 depending on the visa. The conditions are the ones on this page: the ‘Taking TOEFL for Australia’ registration pathway, a secure test centre, and the component thresholds for your English level.
What if I forgot to select ‘Taking TOEFL for Australia’ when I booked?
The Competent English and Superior English pages say results outside that pathway “are not eligible for Australian visa purposes”; the Functional English page and the hub page say they “may not be accepted”. The wording is not consistent across the department’s own pages, so this is a question to put to the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent about your specific result before you lodge anything. Plan on the stricter reading.
Is the TOEFL Home Edition accepted for an Australian visa?
No. “TOEFL iBT – Home Edition” is named on the department’s list of completely online tests it does not accept, and ETS states the same thing on its own Australia page. The test has to be sat at an authorised test centre.
How long is a TOEFL iBT result valid for an Australian visa?
For Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior English, the result must have been achieved in the 3 years before your visa application, depending on the subclass. For Functional English the window is the 12 months before your application. Those windows are set by the department and are shorter or longer than the validity ETS itself gives a score report, so check the department’s page for your level, not the test owner’s.
My score report shows 1 to 6, not 0 to 30. Is that a problem?
It may be, at every level except Functional English. The department’s thresholds for Vocational and above are written as 4 section scores on the 0–30 scale, and the transitional report provides 1–6 section scores plus a comparable overall on the 0–120 scale. As of 3 October 2026 neither the department nor ETS publishes a 1–6 equivalent of the Australian section thresholds. Raise it with the department before lodging.
Was TOEFL ever not accepted at all?
Yes, for about 10 months. The department states that “From 26 July 2023 to 4 May 2024, the TOEFL iBT test was not approved for Australian visa purposes.” A result from inside that window cannot be used regardless of the scores.
Can I still sit TOEFL in Iran?
Not inside Iran. ETS states that “TOEFL and GRE testing within Iran has been paused effective immediately” and that “Iranian nationals may continue to test outside Iran where testing is available”. The Department of Home Affairs published its own notice on 3 September 2026 and pointed applicants elsewhere: “Applicants in Iran who require an approved English language test for Australian visa purposes may wish to consider approved English language testing options available in other countries.”
Does Ahpra accept TOEFL iBT for professional registration?
Yes, TOEFL iBT is one of the tests Ahpra and the National Boards accept, with its own minimum scores that are not the same as the visa thresholds, and with at-home versions excluded there as well. The board-by-board numbers are in our Ahpra breakdown.
Sources
- Department of Home Affairs — English language visa requirements (approved test list, secure test centre requirement, online test restrictions, legislative instruments). Checked 3 October 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs — Functional English (total of 26; old total of 32; 12-month window). Checked 3 October 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs — Vocational English (8 / 8 / 9 / 14; old 4 / 4 / 14 / 14). Checked 3 October 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs — Competent English (16 / 16 / 19 / 19; old 12 / 13 / 21 / 21; the 26 July 2023 to 4 May 2024 exclusion; the registration pathway wording). Checked 3 October 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs — Proficient English (22 / 22 / 26 / 24; old 24 / 24 / 27 / 23). Checked 3 October 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs — Superior English (26 / 27 / 30 / 28; old 28 / 29 / 30 / 26). Checked 3 October 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs — English language testing services in Iran, 3 September 2026. Checked 3 October 2026.
- ETS — TOEFL Score Scale Update: A Guide for Institutions (the 1–6 scale from 21 January 2026, the three scores on the report, the 1–6 to 0–30 section comparison, average versus sum). Checked 3 October 2026.
- ETS — Understanding TOEFL iBT Score Displays in 2026 (what appears on reports through January 2028). Checked 3 October 2026.
- ETS — TOEFL for Australia (authorised test centre requirement, Home Edition not accepted by Home Affairs, Iran testing notice). Checked 3 October 2026.
Every number on this page was read on the source pages listed above on 3 October 2026. Fees, processing times and score requirements change without much notice, so check the source page for your own level before you book or lodge. For your own circumstances, speak to a registered migration agent.