Prime Minister Scott Morrison will call the federal election this morning.
Mr Morrison returned to Canberra late on Wednesday evening.
He departed the Prime Minister's Canberra home, The Lodge, at 6:50am to drive to Government House to meet with Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove.
Within 10 minutes of arriving, he left and travelled to Parliament House where he is expected to hold a press conference at 8am to announce the election date.
Mr Morrison fuelled speculation when he posted a video to social media earlier on Wednesday night in which he asked voters to consider the longer term impacts of their choices at the ballot box.
"The next 10 years are important to everybody at every stage of life, the decisions they'll make," he said.
"See the decisions you make in one term of government last for a decade or more.
"So it isn't just about the next three years, it's about what does the next decade look like."
The video features Mr Morrison with his family, talking up the Government's economic record.
May 18 is firming as the most likely date for the poll.
Both Mr Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have spent the past week in faux-election mode, visiting marginal seats and spruiking their campaign messages.
There was speculation the election would be called last weekend, prompting Opposition accusations the Government was deliberately delaying the move so it could continue using taxpayer funds for government advertising.
Mr Morrison has repeatedly refused to be drawn on what the date will be, saying: "The election will be called in April and held in May."
