It’s hard to believe that tax time is almost upon us. The ATO has provided the following information to assist education professionals with their deductions, developing a suite of 39 tailored occupational guides that can help you:

work out what income and allowances to declare
check if you can or can't claim certain work-related expenses as a deduction
find out what records you need.

Find yours @ www.ato.gov.au/occupations

Remember:

Records are essential – no proof, no deduction.
Receipts matter. A bank or credit card statement (on its own) is generally not enough evidence to support a work-related expense claim; you’ll need a receipt.
To be valid, make sure your receipts show the cost, supplier, date of purchase and nature of the goods and/or services.
Your APF membership fees are tax deductible.

More info @ www.ato.gov.au/keepingrecords

Record keeping

Here are a couple of things to remember:

Having records of your work-related expenses is essential. If you don’t have the proof to support your claim, you can’t claim it.
A bank or credit card statement (on its own) is not enough evidence to support a work-related expense claim. In most cases, you’ll need a receipt.
Speaking of receipts, they must show all of the following:
- the cost
- the supplier
- the date of purchase
- the nature of the goods and/or services.

You may need to keep other records depending on the expense type, such as a logbook of your car journeys or records of the hours you work from home.

To give you a hand, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has provided a handy guide for teachers and education professionals to help you understand what you can and can’t claim this tax time.

Have further questions about your work-related expenses? Speak to a registered tax agent, or check out the ATO website for information on:

Your clothing and laundry deductions explained

From work boots to boiler suits, be in the know when it comes to claiming a deduction for clothing expenses at tax time.

You can claim the cost to buy or clean clothing if it is:

Protective – clothing that has protective features and offers a significant degree of protection against workplace hazards (e.g. non-slip nurses shoes, fire-resistant clothing, boiler suits and aprons).
Occupation-specific – clothing that distinctively identifies you as a person associated with a particular job (e.g. a judge’s robe or a chef’s hat).
Compulsory – your employer requires you to wear a uniform that is distinctive to your organisation.

You can’t claim a deduction for ordinary or ‘conventional’ clothes such as jeans, t-shirts or even business attire – even if your employer requires you to wear it or you only wear it at work.

Finally, remember to keep track of your receipts. You can’t claim if you don’t have the right records!

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