Tax time is rapidly approaching and the ATO will be focusing on areas where they frequently spot errors – including work-related expenses and working from home deductions. Understanding what you can claim and how to properly document your claims will help you avoid mistakes when lodging your return.
Claiming working from home expenses
To be eligible to claim working from home (WFH) expenses, you need to be genuinely working from home to fulfil your employment duties, not just checking emails or taking occasional calls. You must also incur additional running expenses because of your WFH arrangement. These additional costs can typically include energy expenses for heating, cooling and lighting, home and mobile internet or data, phone expenses, and stationery or office supplies.
When it comes to calculating your deductions, you can choose the “fixed rate method” or the “actual cost method”. For both methods, you’ll need records that accurately track your WFH hours. You can keep a diary or timesheets covering a representative four-week period showing your usual work pattern, or you can maintain a record of your entire year’s WFH hours. You’ll also need documentation showing you’ve incurred additional expenses, such as receipts and bills, and be able to demonstrate the proportion that relates to work.
Fixed rate method: This approach simplifies your calculations by applying a set rate for each hour you work from home. For the 2024–2025 income year, this rate is 70 cents per hour. To calculate your deduction, simply multiply your total WFH hours by 70 cents. Remember, if you choose this method, you can’t claim additional separate deductions for expenses already covered under the fixed rate method, such as stationery supplies.
Actual cost method: This approach requires you to keep detailed records of all additional costs incurred while working from home. You’ll need to track your WFH hours and maintain comprehensive records for all your WFH expenses.
It’s important to understand what you can’t claim when working from home. This includes items your employer might provide at the office, such as tea or coffee or other general household items. You also can’t make a claim for employer-provided laptops or mobile phones, or expenses which your employer has reimbursed.
Making additional claims
You can make separate claims for expenses not covered by either of the above methods, such as work-related technology and office furniture like chairs, desks, computers and bookshelves, as well as repairs or maintenance on these items.
If you use depreciating assets for both work and personal purposes that cost more than $300, you’ll need to calculate the work-related proportion and only claim that percentage as a deduction for the decline in value over the effective life of the item. For items costing $300 or less, such as keyboards or computer mice, you can claim an immediate deduction in the year of purchase rather than depreciating them over time.
Would your claim pass the pub test?
For a work-related expense to be deductible, it must directly relate to earning your income.
The ATO has shared some recent eyebrow-raising work-related expense claims that were rejected: a mechanic tried to claim an air fryer, a microwave, two vacuum cleaners, a TV, and gaming equipment; and, even more ambitiously, a fashion industry manager claimed over $10,000 in luxury clothing and accessories in order to be “well presented” at work and events, dinners and functions.
If you’re unsure whether an item you want to claim qualifies as an allowable work-related expense, check the ATO website for guidance or speak with your registered tax agent before including it in your return.
