• 05 May, 2026

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐃𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐀𝐓𝐎 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔)

Are you sure you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to at tax time?
Every year, thousands of Australians miss legitimate deductions — simply because they don’t know what they can claim.

This guide gives you practical, ATO-aligned insights to help you maximise your refund while staying fully compliant.

💡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟑 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Before claiming anything, the ATO requires:

✔ You must have spent the money yourself
✔ The expense must directly relate to earning your income
✔ You must have records (receipts, invoices, logs)

👉 If any of these are missing — the claim can be denied

📊 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟎 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐃𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

🏠 𝟏. 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦-𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬

If you work from home, you can claim running costs like electricity, internet, and phone.

👉 Fixed rate method (around 70¢/hour) or actual cost method
👉 Keep a record of hours worked

🎓 𝟐. 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬

Courses that improve skills for your current job are deductible.

✔ Course fees
✔ Study materials
✔ Related costs

❌ Not allowed if it’s for a new career

🚗 𝟑. 𝐂𝐚𝐫 & 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥

You can claim travel between job sites or client visits.

👉 Up to 88¢/km (capped at 5,000 km)
❌ Home-to-work travel is not claimable

💻 𝟒. 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Work-related items like desks, chairs, and laptops.

👉 Under $300 → immediate claim
👉 Over $300 → depreciation

🧾 𝟓. 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐬

Annual membership fees related to your profession are fully deductible.

🛡️ 𝟔. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

Premiums for income protection are deductible.

❌ Life insurance is NOT deductible

📱 𝟕. 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 & 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐭

Claim the work-related portion only.

👉 Keep a 4-week usage record
👉 Avoid claiming 100% (ATO red flag)

🔧 𝟖. 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 & 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Common for tradies and professionals.

✔ Tools under $300 → immediate claim
✔ Over $300 → depreciation

🏠 𝟗. 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬

Includes:

✔ Repairs
✔ Maintenance
✔ Loan interest

👉 Know the difference between repairs vs improvements

📊 𝟏𝟎. 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐬

The fee paid to your accountant last year is deductible this year.

👉 Simple but often forgotten

⚠️ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝

❌ Claiming without receipts
❌ Overclaiming mixed-use items
❌ Claiming personal expenses
❌ Incorrect WFH calculations
❌ Guessing instead of tracking

👉 These are common ATO audit triggers

✅ 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐋𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

Before lodging your return:

✔ Review all deductions
✔ Separate work vs personal use
✔ Confirm WFH method
✔ Check car logbook or records
✔ Keep all receipts ready
✔ Include last year’s tax agent fee

💼 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

Maximising deductions is not about guessing — it’s about getting it right under ATO rules.

Workpaper helps businesses and individuals stay compliant while identifying every legitimate claim.

📞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫

🌐 Website: https://workpaper.com.au

📍 Address: 7 Bridge St, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia
📞 Phone: 0485 825 915
📧 Email: info@workpaper.com.au

👉 Claim what you’re entitled to — and avoid costly mistakes.