Working from Home – What Tax Deductions can I Claim

With more and more people isolating and working from home during the current crisis (some experiencing working from home for the first time), a question being asked is “what can I claim as a tax deduction if I have to work from home?”

If you’re an employee and temporarily work from home due to recent events, such as COVID-19 (coronavirus), bush fire and drought, you may be able to claim a deduction for expenses you incur relating to that work.

You may be able to claim a deduction for additional running expenses you incur such as heating, cooling and lighting. You can also claim the work-related proportion of the decline in value of office equipment.

Employees are generally not able to claim occupancy expenses. Occupancy expenses include:

• rent
• mortgage interest
• property insurance
• land taxes
• rates.

However, you can only claim the work-related proportion of your occupancy expenses in two very limited circumstances which are a bit complex to explain here so we suggest you contact Balanix Solutions on 07 3264 4783 for more detail.

In most cases, there are no capital gains tax (CGT) implications for your home if you work from home as an employee and claim working from home expenses

It is strongly recommended that you always keep receipts for expenditure and how you calculated the claim you have made.

Click Here for the Australian Taxation Office information relating to Employees Working from Home.

Please contact Balanix Solutions on 07 3264 4783 if you require assistance in this matter.

Please Note: Many of the comments in this publication are general in nature and anyone intending to apply the information to practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information’s applicability to their particular circumstances.