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myTax 2018 Other work-related expenses

How to claim other work-related expense deductions when you lodge your return using myTax.

Last updated 27 June 2018

This section is about any other work-related expenses you incurred as an employee and have not already claimed anywhere else on your tax return. These include:

  • union fees and subscriptions to trade, business or professional associations
  • overtime meal expenses, provided that
    • the amount for overtime meals has not been included as part of your normal salary or wages, for example, under a workplace agreement
    • you received a genuine overtime meal allowance from your employer that was paid under an industrial law, award or agreement
    • you have included the amount of the meal allowance as income at Salary, wages, allowances, tips, bonuses etc. in the Payment summaries section
    • if your claim was more than $30.05 per meal, you have written evidence, such as receipts or diary entries, that shows the cost of the meals
  • professional seminars, courses, conferences and workshops
  • reference books, technical journals and trade magazines
  • tools and equipment and professional libraries; you may be able to claim an immediate deduction for an item that cost $300 or less; otherwise, you claim a deduction for the decline in value of an item over its effective life; for more information, see Guide to depreciating assets
  • items that protect you from the risk of injury or illness posed by your work or your work environment, such as hard hats, safety glasses and sunscreens (but not protective clothing and footwear, which you claim at Work-related uniform, occupation specific or protective clothing in the Deductions section.)
  • the work-related proportion of the following costs
    • interest on money borrowed to buy a computer
    • repair costs for the computer
    • the decline in value of the computer (you may need to make a balancing adjustment if you no longer own or use the computer and you previously claimed a deduction for its decline in value; for more information, see Guide to depreciating assets)
    • internet access charges
    • phone calls
    • phone rental if you can show you were on call or were regularly required to phone your employer or clients while away from your workplace
    • the decline in value of your home office furniture and fittings
    • home office heating, cooling, lighting and cleaning costs.

For your home office expenses, you can:

  • keep a diary of the details of your actual costs and your work-related use of the office, or
  • use a fixed rate of 45 cents per hour for heating, cooling, lighting and the decline in value of furniture in your home office.

To work out your claim you can use the Home office expenses calculatorThis link opens in a new window. Generally, you cannot claim a deduction for occupancy expenses such as rent, rates, mortgage interest and insurance.

You cannot claim the cost of entertainment, fines and penalties. You cannot claim private expenses, such as child care expenses and fees paid to social clubs.

You cannot claim any deduction for the decline in value of laptops, portable printers, personal digital assistants, calculators, mobile phones, computer software, protective clothing, briefcases and tools of trade primarily for use in your employment if the item was provided to you by your employer, or some or all of the cost of the item was paid or reimbursed by your employer, and the benefit was exempt from fringe benefits tax.

Want to know what work-related expenses you may be entitled to claim?

We provide information to help you understand what you may be able to claim at Deductions you can claim.

Expenses relating to foreign employment income

If you received assessable income from your work as an employee outside of Australia that is shown on a PAYG payment summary - foreign employment, you must claim any work-related travel expenses you incurred in earning that income at this section.

If you received assessable foreign employment income that is not shown on a PAYG payment summary - foreign employment you must claim your deductions against that income at the Foreign income, assets and entities section and select Foreign employment.

Depreciation and capital allowances tool

You can use the Depreciation and capital allowances tool to work out any decline in value deduction and any deductible balancing adjustment when you stop holding a depreciating asset. The tool can be accessed when you add your other work-related expenses.

The following video shows you how to use the Depreciation and capital allowances tool.

 

Completing this section

You may need:

  • statements from your bank, building society or credit union
  • receipts, invoices or written evidence from your supplier or association
  • other written evidence.

We have pre-filled your tax return with other work-related expense information provided to us. Check for other work-related expenses that are not pre-filled and ensure you add them.

  1. For each other work-related expense that has not been pre-filled in your tax return, select Add and enter the amount.
  2. Select Save.
  3. Select Save and continue.

Notes:

  • 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.
  • If your total claim for all work-related expenses exceeds $300, you must have written evidence. For more information about what is written evidence, see Keeping your tax records.

See also

QC55660