Edited version of your written advice

Authorisation Number: 1012711836796

Ruling

Subject: lump sum compensation

Question

Is the lump sum compensation payment you received included in your assessable income?

Answer

No.

This ruling applies for the following period:

Year ended 30 June 2014

The scheme commenced on

1 July 2013

Relevant facts

You received injuries following a workplace accident. You are now unable to work.

You lodged a compensation claim for your injury.

Your claim was settled and you received a lump sum payment for:

• past economic loss

• future economic loss and

• pain and suffering.

Relevant legislative provisions

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-5

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-10.

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-15.

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Paragraph 118-37(1)(b)

Detailed reasoning

Subsection 6-5(2) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) provides that the assessable income of an Australian resident includes the ordinary income derived directly or indirectly from all sources, whether in or out of Australia, during the income year.

Ordinary income has generally been held to include three categories, namely, income form rendering personal services, income from property and income from carrying on a business.

Other characteristics of income that have evolved from case law include receipts that:

• are earned,

• are expected,

• are relied upon, and

• have an element of periodicity, recurrence or regularity.

For income tax purposes, an amount paid to compensate for a loss generally acquires the character of that for which it is substituted (Federal Commissioner of Taxation v. Dixon (1952) 86 CLR 540; (1952) 5 AITR 443; 10 ATD 82).

Compensation payments which substitute income have been held by the courts to be income under ordinary concepts (Federal Commissioner of Taxation v. Inkster (1989) 24 FCR 53; (1989) 20 ATR 1516; 89 ATC 5142, Tinkler v. FC of T (1979) 10 ATR 411; 79 ATC 4641, and Case Y47 (1991) 22 ATR 3422; 91 ATC 433).

Damages awarded for past or future loss or impairment of earning capacity is not ordinary income (Groves v. United Pacific Transport Pty Ltd [1965] Qd R 62). Past and future economic loss is generally paid as an estimation of income lost as a result of injuries sustained and is generally considered to be for diminished capacity to earn income rather than the loss of actual income. The capacity to earn income is a capital asset and compensation for the loss of a capital asset is a capital receipt and is not ordinary income.

The lump sum payment you received is not earned by you as it does not relate to services performed. Rather the lump sum relates to your injury. The payment is also a one-off payment and thus does not have an element of recurrence or regularity. Although the payment can be said to be expected, and perhaps relied upon, this expectation arises from your personal injury and claim submitted, rather than from a relationship with personal services performed.

In your case, no component of the amount you received was to compensate you for loss of income. Any portion relating to past or future economic loss is compensation for loss of earning capacity (a capital asset) rather than for actual loss of income.

Accordingly, no part of the lump sum compensation payment will be assessable as ordinary income under section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997.

Section 6-10 of the ITAA 1997 provides that amounts that are not ordinary income but are included in assessable income by another provision, are called statutory income and are also included in assessable income.

Amounts received in respect of personal injury is generally capital in nature and are potentially taxable as statutory income under the capital gains tax (CGT) provisions of the ITAA 1997.

However, paragraph 118-37(1)(b) of the ITAA 1997 disregards any capital gain or capital loss made where the amount relates to compensation or damages you receive for any wrong, injury or illness you suffer personally.

In your case, paragraph 118-37(1)(b) of the ITAA 1997 applies. This means that the compensation you received is not included in your assessable income under the CGT provisions.

The compensation payment you received is not ordinary income and is not statutory income. Subsection 6-15(1) of the ITAA 1997 provides that if an amount is not ordinary or statutory income it is not assessable income. Consequently no part of the amount you received is included in your assessable income. Therefore your payment is not included on your tax return.