ato logo
Search Suggestion:

myTax 2017 Personal services income

How to report attributed personal services income when you lodge your return using myTax.

Last updated 11 June 2017

We have pre-filled your tax return with payment summary information provided to us. Check for business payment summaries you received that are not pre-filled and ensure you add them at the Business payment summaries section.

Complete this section if you received income for personal services you provided as a sole trader and you did not:

  • receive a personal services business determination in relation to your personal services income (PSI)
  • satisfy the results test, or
  • satisfy at least one of the other three personal services business tests
    (if less than 80% of your PSI came from each client).

Personal services income is income that is mainly a reward for an individual's personal efforts or skills. To work out whether your income is personal services income you can use the Personal services income toolThis link opens in a new window or see Personal services income for more information.

PSI is divided into:

  • income that was subject to a PAYG voluntary agreement to withhold tax
  • income from which tax has been withheld because you did not quote your Australian business number (ABN) to one of your payers
  • income received under a labour hire arrangement or from a specified payment
  • other PSI.

Goods and services tax (GST)

If you are registered or required to be registered for GST, do not include any GST amounts in your assessable income. Your deductions should not include any amounts that relate to input tax credit entitlements.

Former STS taxpayers

If you are eligible and are continuing to use the simplified tax system (STS) accounting method, you must complete the income and deduction parts of this section using the STS accounting method. For more information, see Former simplified tax system (STS) taxpayers.

Limited deductions against personal services income

There are special rules for the tax treatment of personal services income earned by sole traders including contractors and consultants. If you had personal services income as a sole trader and you were subject to the special rules, you will not be able to claim certain deductions, for example, rent, mortgage interest, rates or land tax for your home, or payments to your spouse (or other associate) for support work such as secretarial duties.

You will be subject to the special rules if you were not conducting a personal services business.

Depreciation and capital allowances tool

You can use the Depreciation and capital allowances tool to work out any deductible decline in value, deductible balancing adjustments and assessable balancing adjustments. To access the tool, select the 'Work it out' link in the Deductions section on the Prepare return screen.

Completing this section

You may need:

  1. If you received the following payment summaries, enter the details in the Business payment summaries section.
    • PAYG payment summary - business and personal services income where the payment type is:
      • Voluntary agreement
      • Labour-hire payment
      • Other specified payments.
       
    • PAYG payment summary - withholding where ABN not quoted
     

Income and tax withheld amounts from these payment summaries will be transferred to this section if they relate to personal services income. Add, alter or delete these amounts in the Business payment summaries section.

If you have a reminder at the Business and professional items section that you received payments for building and construction services and tax has been withheld, include these amounts in the Business payment summaries section. These payments have been reported to us in a Taxable payments annual report. Review these payments to ensure your tax return is correct. Amounts invoiced but not actually paid to you in the financial year were not included in this years’ report.

  1. Select Net personal services income to expand the section.
  2. Add up any other PSI income and enter the amount at Other, including amounts received where all of the following apply:    
    • you have a reminder at the Business and professional items section that you received payments for building and construction services
    • no tax has been withheld from Business and personal services income payment summaries and
    • the payments are personal services income.
     
  3. If you have deductions against your PSI, see Limited deductions against personal services income to ensure that you are eligible to claim them. If you had personal services income as a sole trader and you were subject to special rules, you will not be able to claim certain deductions, for example, rent, mortgage interest, rates or land tax for your home, or payments to your spouse (or other associate) for support work such as secretarial duties.
  4. Enter the deductions you are eligible to claim at the following:
    • Deductions for payments to associates for principal work
    • Total amount of other deductions against PSI.
     

Note: If you used the Depreciation and capital allowances tool, fields containing information from the tool cannot be directly adjusted in myTax. To make any adjustments to this information, or to add new assets to the tool, select Work it out.

QC51022