Close shot of person working in front of his laptop

29 MayTeachers and education professionals, are you tax ready?

Posted on 29 May 2024

Just like that, tax time is here. Do you have your receipts in hand? Are you aware of what deductions you can claim? 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. Let’s have a look at some quick tips provided by the Australian Tax Office (ATO), which you may find handy while busy digging out those receipts! 

Record keeping 

If you used the ATO’s myDeductions tool, all you will need to do is whip out your device of choice. 

Here are a couple of things to remember:  

  1. Having records of your work-related expenses is essential. If you do not have the proof to support your claim, you cannot claim it.  
  2. A bank or credit card statement (on its own) is not enough evidence to support a work-related expense claim. In most cases, you will need a receipt. 
  3. 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. 

Your clothing and laundry deductions explained 

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 cannot claim if you do not have the right records!   

For more tax related information, CLICK HERE. 

Go to Top