Many workers have to pay for things for work. To claim an expense, you must have spent the money and not been reimbursed by your employer.
Deductible expenses can include things like:
- car expenses, including fuel costs and maintenance
- travel costs
- clothing expenses
- self-education expenses
- union fees
- home computer and phone expenses
- tools and equipment expenses
- journals and trade magazines.
To claim an allowable deduction, the expense must:
- relate to your work activity (eg. you wouldn’t claim cooking classes if you are an office worker)
- the expense is not private or personal (eg. travel from home to work is considered private)
- you can produce receipts or other written evidence (note – credit card statements can be evidence of a work related cost).
You generally cannot claim the following expenses associated with your work:
- travel between your home and your workplace
- expenses for a uniform consisting of conventional clothing like a black skirt and white shirt or blouse
- self-education expenses where the course you are undertaking does not have sufficient connection to your current employment.