myTax 2021 Other deductions

Complete this section if you have incurred other expenses that you have not been able to claim as deductions elsewhere on your tax return.

On this page:

• Things to know
• Completing this section

Things to know

Warning:

This information may not apply to the current year. Check the content carefully to ensure it is applicable to your circumstances.

End of attention

At this section you may claim:

• income protection, sickness and accident insurance premiums
• election expenses for local, territory, state or federal candidates
• expenses related to income you earned from the sharing economy or other marketplace where you were not:
  • carrying on a business, or
  • an employee of the digital platform
   
• foreign exchange losses
• debt deductions incurred in earning assessable income that are not disallowed under the thin capitalisation rules and have not been claimed elsewhere
• debt deductions incurred in earning certain foreign non-assessable non-exempt income that are not disallowed under the thin capitalisation rules
• amounts deductible for certain business-related capital expenditure under section 40-880 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997)
  • over five income years (relating to a business you carried on through a company or a trust), or
  • immediately as start-up expenses relating to the structure or the operation of the business that is proposed to be carried on
   
• a deduction for the net personal services income loss of a personal services entity that related to your personal services income
• certain deductible capital expenditure not claimed in full before ceasing a primary production business where a deduction can be claimed in a subsequent year or years; for example, water conservation expenditure, which may be deducted over a three-year period
• non-capital losses incurred on the disposal or redemption of a traditional security which are deductible under section 70B of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936); for more information, see the section on Sale or disposal of company bonds and convertible notes in You and your shares
• small business pool deductions for depreciating assets of your small business pool that you can't claim at Business income or losses because you did not carry on a business in 2020–21; for more information, see Small business entity concessions
• self-education expenses you incurred in doing a course to satisfy the study requirements of a taxable scholarship.

You can't claim deductions for expenses incurred in actively seeking paid work if you receive JobSeeker or Youth Allowance as a job seeker.

Don't show the following expenses at this section:

• your claim for working from home expenses, go to Other work-related expenses
• expenses relating to your work as an employee
• expenses relating to income from carrying on a business as a sole trader (including personal services income or as a share trader)
• expenses relating to investment planning and advice involving shares, unit trusts and interest-bearing deposits
• losses from the disposal of shares or real property that are capital in nature.

Other sections deal with these matters.

Completing this section

We pre-fill your tax return with other deductions you uploaded from myDeductions. Check them and add any other deductions that have not pre-filled.

To personalise your return to show your other deductions or election expenses, at Personalise return select:

• You had deductions you want to claim
• Other deductions

To show your other deductions, at Prepare return select 'Add/Edit' at the Deductions banner.

At the Other deductions banner:

1. For each of your other deductions (excluding election expenses) select Add, and
   • select the Type of deduction
   • enter Your description. To assist in record keeping, add a short description of your expense.
     Include 'Scholarship expenses' in your description if your deduction is for Self-education expenses related to satisfying the study requirements of a taxable scholarship.
   • enter the Amount.
     The Depreciation and capital allowances tool can help you to work out any decline in value. It can also work out any deductible balancing adjustment when you stop holding a depreciating asset. Access this tool in the Deductions section.
     Fields from this tool can't be adjusted in myTax. To make any adjustments, or to add new assets to the tool, select 'Use the depreciation and capital allowances tool' link.
    
2. Select Save.
3. Select Save and continue when you have completed the Deductions section.

To show your election expenses, at Prepare return select 'Add/Edit' at the Deductions banner.

At the Election expenses banner:

4. Add up all your deductible election expenses and enter the amount into the Election expenses field.
5. Select Save.
6. Select Save and continue when you have completed the Deductions section.

See also:

• Records you need to keep
• myDeductions – record-keeping in the ATO app.