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D4 Work-related self-education expenses 2025

Complete question D4 to claim a deduction for self-education expenses that relate to your employment activities.

Published 26 May 2025

Things you need to know

To claim a deduction for work-related self-education expenses, you must incur the cost to:

  • undertake a course at an educational institution (whether they lead to a formal qualification or not)
  • undertake a course by a professional or industry organisation
  • attend a work-related conference or seminar
  • complete self-paced learning and study tours (whether within Australia or overseas).

You must be able to show, at the time you incur the expense, it has a sufficient connection to your employment activities.

A self-education expense has a sufficient connection to earning your employment income if it either:

  • maintains or improves the specific skills or knowledge you require for your current employment activities
  • leads to, or is likely to lead to, an increase in your income from your current employment activities.

You can't claim a deduction for self-education expense that:

  • you incur if you aren't employed
  • relates only in a general way to your current employment or profession
  • will enable you to get new employment.

To make working out your deductions easier, make sure you keep records throughout the year. Our myDeductions tool in the ATO app is a record-keeping tool you can use to keep track of your records electronically.

Example: what is sufficient connection with employment

Louis is a computer science student. His studies are system analysis, software design and programming. Louis also works at the university laboratory installing computers. His self-education and job only relate very generally. The work only requires a low level of computer knowledge which Louis already had before starting his employment.

The high-level professional skills Louis acquires from the self-education are well beyond the skills he requires for his current employment. Consequently, Louis can't claim a deduction for self-education expenses he incurs because it:

  • doesn't maintain or improve his specific skills or knowledge he requires for his current job
  • relates in only a general way to his current employment
  • will enable him to get new employment.
End of example

What you can claim at this question

If at the time you incur any of the following expenses, there is a sufficient connection between your self-education and your employment activities, you can claim them as a deduction:

  • tuition fees payable under
    • FEE-HELP – this provides assistance to eligible full fee-paying students, who don't receive support from the Commonwealth to pay tuition fees
    • VET Student Loans – this provides assistance to eligible full-fee paying students doing vocational education and training (VET) accredited courses with an approved VET provider
  • self-education expenses you pay with your OS-HELP loan – this a loan to cover expenses for eligible students receiving Commonwealth support students who wish to study overseas towards their Australian higher education award
  • meal and accommodation expenses during temporary overnight absences from home to participate in self-education
  • expenses such as textbooks, stationery, student union fees, student services and amenities fees and certain course fees (apart from those under What you can't claim at this question)
  • decline in value of your computer (apportioned depending on private use and use for self-education)
  • travel expenses to undertake the deductible self-education course for each of the following trips
    • your home to your place of education back to your home
    • your workplace to place of education back to your workplace
  • travel expenses that relate to the first leg of the following trips
    • your home to your place of education back to your workplace
    • your workplace to your place of education back to your home.

For more information on:

What you can't claim at this question

You can't claim contributions or repayments you, or the Australian Government, make under:

  • the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP), including FEE-HELP and HECS-HELP
  • the Student Financial Supplement Scheme (SFSS)
  • the Student Start-up Loan (SSL)
  • the Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan (AASL)
  • the Vocational Education and Training Student Loan (VSL).

You also can't claim any deductions against government assistance payments, including Austudy, ABSTUDY and Youth Allowance.

If you receive assessable foreign income that isn't on an income statement or a PAYG payment summary – foreign employment, you must claim your deductions against that income at question 20 Foreign source income and foreign assets or property 2025.

What you need to complete this question

If your total claim for all work-related expenses is $300 or less, you need records (such as a document or spreadsheet) to show how you calculate your claim. If you exceed the $300 limit, you must have written evidence of all your expenses (such as receipts or invoices).

You can use the Self-education expenses calculator to work out your claim, then go to Completing your tax return.

If you receive assessable income from your work as an employee outside of Australia that shows on an income statement or a PAYG payment summary – foreign employment, you must claim any work-related self-education expenses you incur in earning that income at this question.

You need to keep records for 5 years (in most cases) from the date you lodge your tax return.

Completing your tax return

To complete this question, add up your self-education expenses under the following 4 categories.

Self-education categories and explanations

Category

Explanation

Amount

A

General expenses that are deductible, including textbooks, stationery, student union fees, student services and amenities fees, course fees, overnight travel expenses and public transport fares

Include in this category, car expenses (other than the decline in value of a car) you work out under the 'logbook' method. For more information on how to calculate your deduction for these expenses, see Motor vehicle and car expenses.

$

B

Deductions for the decline in value of depreciating assets you use for self-education, including computers and cars for which you're claiming deductions under the 'logbook' method

$

C

Expenses for repairs to items of equipment you use for self-education

$

D

Car expenses that relate to your self-education that you're claiming deductions for under the 'cents per kilometre' method. If you use the ‘cents per kilometre’ method, you can’t claim a deduction for decline in value or repairs at category B or C.

$

Total

Add up the work-related self-education expenses A, B, C and D.

$

Transfer the total amount of work-related self-education expenses to question D4 – label D.

Select the code from the list, that best describes your reason for incurring self-education expenses:

  • K – The self-education maintains or improves a skill or specific knowledge you require for your employment activities.
  • I – The self-education was leading to, or was likely to lead to, an increase in income from your employment activities.

Write your code (K or I) in the CLAIM TYPE box at question D4 – label D.

Where to go next

QC104109